Annaghminnon Rovers began the decade on a high when they won the Junior Championship for the first time in their history, and although success has been thin on the ground since then, the form of the 2009 season has created a great sense of optimism at the Stonetown club. By Eunan Whyte.

On the field of play, there has been a significant improvement in their fortunes and team manager, Micheal McKeown, believes the desire, commitment and effort of the players both in training and in games suggests that that club could become a force at this grade once again over the coming years. Added to this is a healthy underage structure and a very hard-working committee who are determined to get the club back to winning ways.
McKeown, who is also the team trainer and coach, is in a good position to recognise the potential of the team as he was involved with the club back in 1999 when the seeds for their historic 2000 Junior Championship were sewn.
Since then, McKeown has enjoyed a variety of roles in football but jumped at the chance to get back with Annaghminnon when they offer came his way at the start of the season.
"I was involved in the team back in 1999 so I like to think that I had an input into the success that followed, but I moved on to take over the Monaghan Ladies team. I was with the Monaghan Minors after that and then I served as Chairman of the Louth Minor Board.
"However, at the beginning of this year I was a free agent so when I was asked to take over at Annaghminnon, I said why not?", explained Micheal.
Some observers might have felt he was taking on a very difficult task, but given the response of the players and the efforts of everyone involved with the club, he is delighted with the decision.
"I have to say that the atmosphere in the club is absolutely brilliant and although we have a small pool to pick from, the attendance at training has been fantastic all year.
"We have had over 50 training sessions and the players are very young and enthusiastic. Even at the end of September when we weren't in contention for the league, we had 22 at training and I'd say a lot of senior teams wouldn't have come close to that."
That commitment has been the foundation for the progress the team has made this year and Micheal is hoping to build on that over the coming seasons.
"When I came into the club I had a three-year plan and I have to be satisfied with the way it has gone this year. Over the whole of 2008 we gained just one point in the league, but this year with had reached a total of seven with three games remaining which really was a tribute to the effort of the players. That represents real progress as our aim was to finish in a mid-table position.
"Next year we will be looking to build on those displays and aim to do well in the championship also. We showed in this year's championship that we can compete as we only went down to beaten finalists, St Fechins, to a last-minute goal. I believe that with a bit of confidence we can make progress and that would be great for all involved."
Micheal believes that Annaghminnon and other clubs of a similar size would benefit from a change in structures that would see them compete in their own championship as it would help to improve competition and raise standards.
"If you look at the likes of St Mochtas, St Fechins and Lannleire, that have a large population to select from, it is difficult for the small clubs to compete at the same level.
"If you took ourselves along with the likes of St Kevins, Stabannon, Dowdallshill, Sean McDermotts and Westerns, we could have our own championship and that would give the clubs a great boost as some of the teams in the current grade are too strong.
"There is no doubt that you need healthy competition to keep clubs interested as nobody likes to endure heavy defeats. I think it is important to make changes as we don't want any clubs folding because they are such an important part of the local community."
While Micheal would love to see his team competing in a more even grade, he has no doubt that the future of Annaghminnon Rovers is bright both on and off the field.
"Overall, I feel we have had a very good year and I can't ask for more than the commitment given by the players. There is an excellent committee working for this club and seeing the local community getting together is sometimes more important than silverware", added Micheal.
However, as manager, McKeown's main aim is to bring a trophy back to Stonetown and he feels that with some of the younger players coming through, there is a real chance to make that happen.
"Annaghminnon Rovers have a great underage structure and there are a lot of juveniles out training and being developed by the coaches. I think it is a real compliment to those involved that the youth football is so vibrant particularly in an area with so many stronger teams around us.
"There are a couple of very good young lads around the 16/17 years age and we will be looking to introduce three or four of them to the adult teams next year. If we can bring them on, it will certainly strengthen our team and help us to compete at both league and championship.
"I know it will be difficult under the current structures but if we were to get to get a top four finish in the league or make the championship knock-out stages, it would be real progress for us."
Micheal knows that it will take a lot of hard work to achieve those goals over the next two years, but insists that the only way to do it is through hard work.
"The boys have worked so hard at training this year and their fitness levels have really stood to them. By setting them targets we have seen progress over the past couple of months and I believe that if they continue over the winter months it will really stand to them.
"Once you have the required fitness the next thing is to have the right attitude on the field and our lads have shown that this year. If you get a player to give 100 per cent on the field, then you can't ask for any more and a manager has to be happy with that.
"The aim is to get 15 committed players on the field and if we can do that next year, we certainly have the ability to compete."
With the backing of club members, committee, parishioners and players not in question, Micheal believes that Annaghaminnon Rovers is a great example of the real heart of the GAA and he is optimistic that this mix can help bring the good times back to the club in the not too distant future. Tweet

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