One to watch
December 30, 2009For some clubs, a loss in a championship final might represent a disappointing season, but those involved in St Fechins are determined to look on the 2009 as a positive year and another step in re-emergence of the former kingpins of Louth football.
One man who has seen some difficult times on the playing field in recent years, David Savage, has been at the heart of this year's revival with the junior team selector believing that 2009 will be remembered as a successful one for the club.
"I think overall we can look back at this year with some satisfaction in that although we were disappointed with our league showing, we had a successful championship and came very close to winning the title against St Mochtas", explained David who admitted that the club did expect a big improvement this year.
"To be honest, at the start of the year I did think we would make progress. No disrespect to the previous management teams, but when you get a manager of the calibre of Tony Kearney, you expect to show an improvement.
"Perhaps we did exceed our expectations in reaching the Championship Final but the lads put in a great effort and in the end were unfortunate not to go all the way," said David who acted as selector alongside Terry Judge and Tom Sweeney.
"To be honest, we started the season with the aim of making it out of our group and into the knock-out stages, and with a bit of luck get through to the last four. On that basis we have to consider this a good year but as you hit your targets for the year you tend to get greedy and always hope to do better."
David and his fellow selectors couldn't have asked for more as they got off to a flying start in Group B of the Junior Championship with victory over Dowdallshill at the beginning of May.
That set the tone for the remainder of the competition and they finished top of the table with maximum points from their five games. As a result they faced one of the title favourites, Glen Emmets, in the semi-final and thanks to another fine display came out on top with a 1-13 to 2-7 victory which David feels proved how strong a side they were.
"People had been saying that we came through the weaker group of the competition but beating the Emmets showed just what we were capable."
It also gave the players great confidence and despite going into the final against St Mochtas as underdogs, there was a great belief in Termonfeckin that they could cause an upset. Unfortunately it wasn't to be and Savage feels that in the end it came down to his side's inexperience on the day.
"The most disappointing thing about the final was that we gave them too much of a head start and although we came back to dominate the game, the cuteness on their behalf to slow the game down at a crucial stage was vital.
"There is not doubt that the experience stood to them as in our team we only had two lads over 30 and a total of seven under 21. Having said that, we almost got there and but for a great save near the end we could have been champions."
While there was naturally a great sense of disappointment in the club following the 0-15 to 0-12 defeat, David adds that already they are looking to next season but he is fully aware that it will take a lot of hard work to go all the way in 2010.
"There is no doubt that the pressure will be on us next year to build on this year's performances. A lot of people have said that we will be challenging to get back up again next year and that is what we our aiming for.
"The reality is that we will be looking to improve our league form and without writing off the championship, that is what we will be concentrating on. One of the main disappointments of this season was that we didn't figure as well in the league as we would have like to. There were a number of games in which we just didn't perform and that meant that we were out of running for promotion.
"If you look at the championship final, there is no doubt that playing regular Division 2 football stood to St Mochtas and our aim has to be to get out of Division 3. If you are playing better teams on a weekly basis it will stand to you and your overall game will improve.
"I feel that if a team moves up in the league it certainly improves their chances in the championship and that is what we want to achieve. I know that there is great expectation in the club after this year and we have a great support base so hopefully we can deliver success in the not too distant future."
David's sense of optimism for the future is boosted by the level of commitment shown by the players this year and knows that if this effort can continue they have every chance on continuing their progress.
"The players have shown a great attitude over the season and were always willing to learn and put in the effort. It is a great sign when there hasn't been less than 25 at a training session and in most cases we have had over 30.
"I think the management team under Tony Kearney has worked well as he is a brilliant manager and myself, Terry and Tom also have a good input to make it a healthy mix."
According to David the progress made at adult level this year would mean very little if they didn't have a good youth structure at the club as he reveals there is a big focus on producing young players to make St Fechins a force to be reckoned with in the future.
"The club has put in a lot of work at underage level in recent years and the performances on the pitch show that this is paying dividends. In the past couple of years we have reached a Minor Championship Final and lost two semi-finals to the Geraldines and it is great to see so many of those players pushing through to the adult team. This season also saw us win the U-14 A Championship which was a great achievement, while the U-16s reached the final.
"It is fantastic for our club to see up to 120 kids out training on a Friday and the challenge for us is to build on that level of interest and it was great for them to see the club in the Junior Final. It was 25 years since we were in a championship decider so it is important for the younger members of the club to experience a big day like that.
"Overall, there is no doubt that we had a good year and the future is bright for the club, so hopefully with the players getting a taste for success they can continue to show the dedication and hopefully get their reward next year," concluded David. Tweet
