If, as is said, God loves a trier, then Jodie Clarke must be virtually guaranteed immediate entry through the pearly gates. For after a 19 year stint playing football at adult level for Shercock, the club's long-time leading scorer finally got his hands on a winner's medal in 2003. Shercock's success in scooping the Division Three senior football league title in November last caused some surprise around the county. Victory over hot favourites Crosserlough last November marked Shercock's first title triumph since Centenary Year 1984. It was fitting that it was a timely goal by long-time club servant Jodie Clarke just before half-time in the final against Crosserlough that proved to be the springboard to a watershed triumph for the Peter Burns-managed squad. But, if the truth be told, gaels in Swad, Redhills and Ballymachugh couldn't have been any more surprised than our man Clarke himself that his own success-starved club finally managed to hit the jackpot. "2002 was a disastrous year for the club so there wasn't much reason to be too optimistic about 2003. But Peter (Burns) Gerry Sheridan and myself as the management team decided at the start of 2003 to try to achieve some sort of improvement and hopefully get a good run in the championship. "Getting to the semi-final of the championship was progress to a certain degree and only losing to Crosserlough in the league wasn't bad either," Jodie explains. And yet anyone who witnessed Shercock's defeat to Mountnugent at the penultimate stage of the championship must have wondered if the team could recover any sort of morale or self-belief. Certainly the pall of doom and gloom which decided on the town and its environs by dint of a tragic bereavement locally and the championship exit took some getting over. "It was a sad time for the area all-round. "As for the football, I think we had it in our heads that we were in the easier side of the draw and, to be honest, we underestimated Mountnugent. "A few weeks before we met them in the championship we beat them by around 14 points. "Having said that, we should have had them buried after the first 15 minutes. "We were poor in the semi-final but still could have won the game. It was very disappointing for everyone involved with the team. "The spirit had been brilliant going into the championship. Seven or eight of the lads were coming down from Dublin and no stone was left unturned to get the lads right but Mountnugent got the goals at crucial times and we had really no-one to blame but ourselves at the end of the day," the popular Avonmore milk agent recalls. Predictably, morale in the Shercock camp took a serious pounding after the unexpectedly tame championship exit. Attendances at training weren't what was hoped-for but gradually the players pulled themselves together to concentrate on winning the last three league games of the season to make sure of a semi-final berth. "We managed to beat Templeport in the league quarter-final and then a week later we went away to Sligo on the October Bank Holiday. That trip helped a lot to get the spirit back in the camp and really from then on there was 100% commitment from everyone," adds Jodie. The semi-final pitted the would-be winners against a vaunted Kildallan side. As things transpired, two goals inside the final three minutes of the first half proved crucial as Shercock upset the form book to beat the west Cavan lads by 2-4 to 0-8 at the Stradone venue. In skipping to what was a gritty, spirited win, Shercock's economy of effort was of the textbook variety as they plundered what looked for a long while as an unlikely victory. The newly-crowned champions managed to win the war despite being outgunned in the majority of the battles around the field and despite failing to register a single score in the second half. "It was real backs-to-the-wall type stuff in the second half but the team showed a lot of character, grit and determination to pull through," Jodie remembers. "But there was a great buzz in the club that weekend because the Kildallan game was the day after the club won the minor final and we had six of those minors on the senor panel," he explains. Wind-backed Shercock were under pressure in the first half to build up quite a substantial lead at the interval in preparation for an expected resurgent Kildallan side. Yet with over 15 minutes played only a fine long-range point by Jodie's team-mate Brian Hamilton separated the sides by the odd point in five. "For the first 20 minutes or so, we were struggling to keep them at bay which made it even tougher for ourselves in the second half when we faced the wind," adds Jodie whose introduction for young Michael Edwards patently helped consolidate Shercock's push for the spoils. Shercock then got the leg-up they needed when, between the 27th and 30th minutes, all things fitted nicely into place when they bagged two all-important goals. The first was a rather comical affair which saw Ollie Ward run in after a high delivery, collect the breaking ball and lash the ball towards the claustrophobic Kildallan net only for team-mate Philip Burns to unwittingly get in the way of Ward's shot. Burns had the wit and the sharpness though to gather the ricochet before anyone else and promptly fired home amidst 'square ball' claims by Kildallan. Kildallan had barely recovered when Shercock goaled with absolutely no question marks surrounding the build-up or execution. A clever flick on by Brian Hamilton was collected by the marauding Paddy McPhillips who promptly played a one-two with Jodie before sliding the ball past the advancing Kildallan 'keeper. "We were delighted to go in at half-time seven points in front but they must have fancied their chances with the wind at their back in the second half," Jodie opines. Trailing by 0-3 to 2-4 on the restart, Kildallan must still have fancied their chances with the wind at their backs as the second half got underway. Despite having a man 'extra' for the last 16 minutes of the match, Kildallan failed to break Shercock's resolve. Shercock gritted their teeth and with Jodie shining (in an emergency 'sweeper' role) alongside Donie Clerkin and John McEnroe in defence, Shercock time and time again broke up increasingly desperate Kildallan attacks. Kildallan battled to the final whistle but Clarke and co. were not to be denied. The final would once again see the town team going in as strong underdogs. Once again though, their sheer hunger, ambition and determination would prevail. "The win over Kildallan had done wonders for the team's self-belief. I saw Crosserlough beat Redhills and honestly felt that Redhills should have won so I didn't think we had anything really to fear going into the final even though they seemed to have had at least six fellas who had played senior championship football in 2003 on their team." In the event, it was a totally fired-up Shercock who proved the best of the finalists in Bailieboro. Bolstered by a timely goal by our man Clarke just four minutes before the interval, Shercock held their nerve thereafter and retained their composure to stymie Crosserlough's rejuvenated effort on the restart. In overall terms, Shercock's margin of victory wasn't in the least bit flattering or undeserved. "We could have had it sewn up inside the first 20 minutes," Jodie himself suggests. Indeed Shercock's three point win, 1-10 to 1-7, hardly reflected their superiority on the day. In truth, Shercock - inspired by man of the match M.J. Lynch - were much sharper, hungrier and aggressive in open play over the hour . Indeed but for some dire attempts at goal by Shercock in that opening half-hour, the gap between the sides at the death would have been much more pronounced. Shercock began the game in suitably determined fashion and, attacking the town end of the pitch, had their opponents on the backfoot from the off. After a number of sloppy wides were recorded by both sides, Shercock's Darragh Roe belatedly altered the pattern of the game with a well-angled point. Roe's point would see the town team gain an advantage they were never subsequently to relinquish. Meanwhile, a converted free by Jodie added to Shercock's early impetus. Crosserlough gradually worked their way into the driving seat, but bang on cue, Shercock hit their opponents for six. Jodie worked the oracle, yet again, taking advantage of a clever knock-down by Aidan Lennon - from a searching punt forward by Brian Hamilton - to run in on goal before skilfully dinking the ball low underneath the advancing David Clarke in the Crosserlough goal in the 26th minute. As the second half got underway, Crosserlough looked more menacing and they duly got the breakthrough in the 12th minute when they bagged an opportunist goal. It was now all to play for and when the Crosserlough goal-scorer popped over a point one minute later to catapult his side into the lead for the first time, the erstwhile dominance of Shercock looked under serious threat. Like true champions though, Shercock refused to panic and a hat-trick of points inside five minutes from Aidan Lennon, Jodie Clarke (free) and Ollie Ward served to almost kill Crosserlough's attempted rejuvenation at source. But Crosserlough hung in there and a point from Micheal O'Rourke in the 21st minute kept Shercock on their toes. Shercock then got a let-off when a Pauric Clinton goal-bound shot was cleared off the line in dramatic style by the covering Philip Burns. Immediately the ball was returned with interest by Shercock up the field where Paddy McPhillips gathered possession and promptly extended his side's advantage to three points with just under four minutes remaining. Thereafter a fine point by Paul Galligan (27th) edged Crosserlough just that wee bit closer to the town team. However there was to be no denying Shercock their first piece of silverware at adult level since 1998 and a first-ever medal for Jodie Clarke after a 19 year senior career. After being on the wrong side of defeats in two JFC deciders to Shannon Gaels (1989) and Kill Shamrocks (1997) plus three league finals to Knockbride (1994), Shannon Gaels (1996) and Killygarry (1998), few in the county could have begrudged Jodie his day of joy against the Kilnaleck-based side. "I was delighted to finally get a medal but sorry too that a few fellas who had deserved to get a medal after playing with the club a long time too had just finished up playing last year," Jodie concludes. The Shercock team, scorers, and subs, that figured against Crosserlough in the 2003 Division Three league final was as follows; John Coyle; Michael Nulty, John McEnroe, Martin Liggin; Francis Byrne, M.J. Lynch, Donal Clerkin; Brian Hamilton, Pierre O'Sullivan; Darragh Roe (0-1), Aidan Lennon (0-1), Paddy McPhillips (0-2); Jodie Clarke (1-4, three frees), Ollie Ward (0-1), Michael Edwards. Subs; Philip Burns (0-1) for Pierre O'Sullivan; Cathal McDermott for Michael Edwards. Tweet

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