Improving year on year
December 30, 2009It was 1999 when Kilkerley lost out to Stabannon in the battle for Joe Ward but despite having one of the smallest picks of any club in the senior grade, they have held their own at the top level for the past decade.
While a first ever senior title has never really threatened to come their way in the past 10 years, the club are improving all the time.
While 12 months ago they were sweating over their Division One future, this time around they were still very much in contention for a top four finish before a 0-8 to 0-6 defeat to the Dundalk Gaels in their penultimate game killed off their hopes.
They also went agonisingly close to reaching the knock-out stages of the championship and but for a controversial penalty decision in their defeat to the Sean O'Mahony's in Lordship in round two they would have.
What makes Kilkerley's form this season all the more impressive is the fact that they played the bulk of their campaign without county man Shane Lennon. Every cloud has a silver lining though and while Lennon's absence undoubtedly weakened the side, into the fold this year came an array of youngsters whose performances suggest a major breakthrough might not be that far off.
That's a sentiment that Quigley certainly goes along with and while he admits his side are not one of the major forces in senior football in Louth, he feels that with a bit of luck they could go a long way.
"I think at the start of every year a club has the ambition to do well and get to at least the knock-out stages of the championship and the semi-finals of the Cardinal O'Donnell Cup.
"Of course, you don't always achieve that but if you go out without the ambition to get there then you're in trouble straight away.
"That's the good thing about Kilkerley. They always believe they can do well and it stands to them I feel.
"We feel that on our day we can give anyone a game of it. That doesn't always materialise because of various injuries and with players being away which does have an impact especially when you have a small enough panel like ours.
"However, it wasn't a bad year really. We were still in with a chance of finishing in the top four in the league right until the second last game while we were probably a bit unlucky not to go further in the championship."
Things had started off well for Kilkerley in the championship as they ran out 0-13 to 0-7 winners over St Mary's in Dowdallshill in a match that saw Shane Lennon grab seven points.
Next up was the Sean O'Mahony's on a Monday night in Lordship but despite leading for much of the way courtesy of a personal tally of 2-5 from Lennon, Kilkerley eventually lost out on a 2-8 to 2-6 scoreline after their opponents grabbed two goals inside a minute in the 57th and 58th minutes respectively - the first of which was a highly controversial penalty. It was a defeat which would ultimately cost Kilkerley a place in the latter stages.
They did manage to draw their next match with the Dundalk Gaels in Dowdallshill but after a heavy 4-16 to 0-4 defeat to St Patrick's, they ultimately lost out on a place in the latter stages after failing to beat the Dreadnots in their last game in Dunleer, losing out by a single point on a 1-11 to 1-10 scoreline.
It was the O'Mahony's result that ultimately proved most costly, however, with Quigley describing it as a real turning point in the side's season.
"We probably didn't get the result that we deserved against the Sean O'Mahony's and that would have taken us through," he said.
"Having said that we did well to be still in the running for a place in the knock-out stages right up until the last game. If we had beat the O'Mahony's though it could have made all the difference to our season.
"We definitely feel it was an injustice and of all the years I've been around I've never seen a penalty given like that. It was a mistake by the referee and everyone who was at the game agreed.
"It also didn't help that we didn't have Shane Lennon for any of the games after that. He was unfortunate to get injured for Louth against Tipperary and while we did play well without him, if he had been at full fitness then he would have been a huge benefit to us.
"He puts scores on the board and someone like that would be an asset to any side."
Having said that Quigley took great encouragement from the fact that a number of youngsters came of age in Lennon's absence and feels their breakthrough this season will only benefit the club in the long run.
"Some of the young lads have been like a breath of fresh air for us this year," said Quigley.
"Cathal Bellew has come through from the minor grade and gone straight into our top 12 while Conall McGeough on his day has a left foot that is as good as anyones.
"They still have plenty of developing to do, of course, but this year saw them make a good step up to adult football.
"Overall we're quite happy with what's coming through from underage at the minute. We have a good few minors coming along and there's a really good bunch of U-16s there at the moment and I have no doubt that a lot of them will make the senior team in the next year or two. Our minors won the C Shield this year so that's a sign that there is definitely a bit of talent there.
"I don't think we're that far away from making a bit of a breakthrough. We just need a bit of luck. Anything can happen if you get into a quarter-final or semi-final but we have to get there first," he said.
Despite flirting with relegation last season, Kilkerley were in the running for a place in the semi-finals of the league this year right up until the penultimate game when they lost by 0-8 to 0-6 to the Dundalk Gaels.
Their campaign included wins over the likes of St Patrick's and the Newtown Blues but unfortunately consistency let them down as only once did they put back to back wins together.
Quigley admits it was an issue they needed to work out.
"We're a funny team really. I'd rarely miss a match but I missed our game against Cooley in the league and we got a right hammering that day.
"I remember saying to the young lad after that that I was confident we'd beat St Brides the following Sunday and that prediction turned out to be right.
"I predicted the same after we got hammered by the Pat's in the championship and the same happened again. We went out the previous weekend and beat the Blues in the league.
"I think you'd have to say that consistency is a bit of an issue for us and it has been for a good while. Other teams may say the same but we very rarely put two good performances together for whatever reason and that's something that will have to change if we're ever going to really achieve anything," said Quigley.
Off the field it was another busy year for Kilkerley and he was quick to praise everyone who put an effort into running the club so efficiently.
"We make improvements around the pitch all of the time and work has just begun in the development of a second pitch.
"There's no deadline set for it but we'll get there eventually by doing it bit by bit when the money is available.
"We don't want to go into debt over it but luckily there are people in this club who aren't afraid to put their shoulder to the wheel and push hard for fundraising.
"The Golf Classic, for instance, was another huge success this year and that's a credit to the team of people who organise it because a huge amount of effort goes into it," he said.
Kilkerley might have one of the smallest panels in senior football but they certainly make up for it with their sheer determination to be successful and Quigley, for one, feels that the future is looking good.
"If we can get a bit of consistency into the team then the results will generally follow.
"If you have given it everything and come off second best then you can have no complaints but I still believe we can play at a higher level.
"It's not easy when you have a small panel like ours because injuries and suspensions affect you more than other teams. This year, for example, as well as having Shane injured for a good bit of the year we had Colm McGuinness and Gerard Scully move to Australia to look for work and when you lose good players like that it does upset what you're doing.
"We have a very small panel as it is. When we played the Pat's earlier in the year they had 33 or 34 of a panel whereas we had 22 or 23.
"It is tough but nevertheless we made some good strides this year and if we can keep that going and integrate a few more of the youngsters into the team then hopefully we'll continue improving year on year," said Quigley. Tweet
