By virtue of its size and tradition, Cooley Kickhams is a club where success is measured in terms of winning the Senior Championship and despite their consistent success in the league over the past number of years, the prolonged absence of the Joe Ward Cup from Fr McEvoy Park continues to cast a shadow. By Eunan Whyte.

At the start of every season, Cooley are considered to be among the favourites for Louth's top honour and many will argue that the weight of expectation is greater there than in any other club in the county.
There are few followers of GAA who are unaware of the fact that Kickhams last claimed the Joe Ward Cup back in 1990 and with each passing year the pressure mounts to set the record straight.
Once again the 2009 season dawned with the club hoping that this would be the year and in an effort to achieve their goal, they turned to one of their Senior Championship legends, Peadar Gallagher, to manage the team.
Gallagher was part of the all-conquering 1970s team and his crowning glory came in 1976 when he lifted the Joe Ward Cup following his side's victory over Mattock Rangers.
Over the course of an up and down season, it appeared that Cooley would finally earn their reward only to lost out in the Senior Final, with their disappointment magnified by their inexplicably poor performance against Mattock.
For Peadar and his players, it remains almost impossible to put a finger on just why they failed to perform in any sector of the game, but he his hoping that the club can bounce back next year and set the record straight.
It all seemed to be falling into place for Cooley as they recovered from losing their opening two championship matches before three wins in a row saw them through to the semi-final. They then overcame a difficult game against Glyde Rangers and were fancied to complete the job in the final, only to see their dream turn into a nightmare at Clan na Gael Park.
Reflecting on that 3-12 to 0-9 defeat remains difficult for all involved with Cooley and the most difficult thing for Peadar is that the team didn't even come close to showing their true ability.
"The simple fact is that we just didn't turn up against Mattock and that is very difficult to accept. If we had lost by a point and given everything we had, then we could turn around and say that the better team had won, but this way there was no consolation for us.
"I know the ability of our players and equally I know the limitations, but the level of performance that day was very poor. Absolutely nothing went right for us and we seemed to have a lack of composure all over.
"It looked like a case of stage fright because the intensity was just not in our game as had been the case in the previous four games when we played at such a high tempo.
"I am bitterly disappointed for the lads as it wasn't a case of one or two not performing, but it was all over the pitch. It is hard to take because we all know that they have much more ability than they showed on that day," explained Peadar.
It is no surprise that it has taken players a long time to come to terms with the manner of the defeat, but Gallagher believes that the progress made over the course of the year should not be forgotten and he hopes that players will not give up on the Joe Ward dream.
The manager is hoping to remain at the helm and with lessons learned from this campaign, hopes to bring the team to the next level.
"There is no doubt that the lads were very sore after the final, but I hope players who are considering their future decide to stay and give it at least another year. The bottom line is that no matter how bad they are feeling, it would be an awful way to retire on the back of that performance.
"At Cooley Kickhams, we probably have the biggest adult squad in the county and there is a lot of quality there. We have also won the Junior 2A Championship and reached the Junior League final so there is a lot of ability coming through. We have to look at that talent and give them the chance at senior level. Hopefully they will step up to the mark as we need to freshen things up."
The manager was also keen to reflect on some of the positives of the year that offer encouragement for next season.
"I suppose the thing about Cooley Kickhams is that everything is measured in terms of the Joe Ward Cup, but we have to look at the fact that we have made progress this year.
"Like many observers, I am happier with the style of football we are playing which has gone back to the more traditional Cooley approach, while our discipline has improved over the year.
"As one of the big clubs in Louth, Cooley will always be challenging for the top honours and next year will be no different. A lot of things need to be worked on and I know that I have learned a lot this year. I firmly believe that if we have the commitment and dedication from the players we can make the breakthrough but we have to get over this fear of losing which seems to overcome the will to win when we get to finals."
The manner of their recovery and some of the performances in the group stages is also something positive to reflect on as Cooley hit back after a very poor start that saw many people write off their chances early in the season.
Peadar reveals that at the start of the championship season not all players he had in mind were available or fully fit, while a number of players being part of the Louth set-up meant they were not available for club training.
As a result, the preparations for the group stages were affected and the team got off to the worst possible start by losing to St Bride's and Glyde Rangers. Many felt that Cooley would not make it through to the knock-out stages, but the manner of the players' response showed the ability and determination in the squad.
"After those games we had a few meetings and asked ourselves where we were going from here. After that everyone just knuckled down at training and there was a real fight for places on the team.
"One of the things that stood to us was that every game was a championship final after that as we knew that if we lost, we were out. The lads went out with that attitude and had more fire in their play and in the victories over Mattock, Naomh Mairtin and Newtown Blues, I just couldn't fault them. They were three massive games and we ran up big scores as we really started playing as a team.
"It was great to see the buzz and confidence in the team after that and while the semi-final was very close I felt that the fact that we came through really showed the mettle in this team. I really thought that win would really bring us on mentally and have us prepared for the final, but it wasn't the case."
For Peadar and everyone at Cooley Kickhams, the 2010 season will start like every other over the past two decades with the aim to win the Senior Championship, and he is hoping that if the players can put this year's disappointment behind them, they can bounce back in style. Tweet

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