Top-of-the-table contenders
December 30, 2009With new coach, Wayne McKeever, taking control for his first full season the response from players was encouraging and it was a very fit Philipstown outfit that set out on the 2009 campaign.
For much of the year, things were going according to plan for St Kevins and as the season was entering the crucial stages in August, they were very much in the shake-up for honours.
However, as one of their leading players, Liam Boylan points out, the promise of a memorable season evaporated in the space of four weeks as the team unexpectedly lost their form and as a result of that brief slump they were left to reflect on what might have been.
Going into the month of August, St Kevins were still very much in contention for the Division 3 league, having lost just once, and were also preparing for a quarter-final clash with Glen Emmets in the Junior Championship.
However, their hopes of Intermediate football came crashing down as they not only lost that championship game, but suffered three league defeats in a row, to see their season effectively ended by the beginning of September.
For Liam and his colleagues it was a bitterly disappointing conclusion to a campaign that had gone so well for much of the year.
"Last year in Division 3 we only won three games so we set out this year determined to improve on that. Wayne McKeever, who had only come in midway through the 2008 season, continued as coach and we really began to see the benefit of his input. He has us really fit from that start which stood to us over the year and we were going well for most of the season.
"However, we have a small squad so when we lost a couple of players through injury at a crucial time it really affected us and as a result, in the space of three or four weeks we found ourselves out of both league and championship.
"I felt that we started off really well and won our first four league games and that gave us a lot of confidence going into the championship," revealed Liam.
St Kevins may not have been at their best in their opening Group B clash but they managed to scrape past John Mitchels by a point, before victory over Dowdallshill had them in a good position to challenge for a knock-out place.
The next game against Naomh Fionnbarra proved crucial as they came through on a 1-8 to 1-5 scoreline a very closely contested game and that result all but saw them qualify at that stage.
"Winning the first three games of the championship was a great boost for us and at that stage we were almost through. In our next game against St Fechins we played well and could have won but they proved what a good side they are by reaching the final and came out on top by three points.
"Our last game against Stabannon meant nothing as we were both through at that stage and again we could have won it but in the end Stabannon claimed the victory."
Looking back, Liam feels that this game may have represented the start of their problems as they began to lose momentum going into the important part of the season.
On August 9th, St Kevins lost only their second league game of the year away to Hunterstown and a week later were facing Glen Emmets for a place in the last four of the Junior Championship.
To add to their difficulties, they lost two vital players, Mark Boylan and Ian Wogan, ahead of the championship quarter-final, but according to Liam, they were still hopeful they had enough quality to come through against Glen Emmets. However, on a disappointing day, it didn't go their way.
"Glen Emmets were one of the favourites for the title but despite this we really felt we had a chance but we just didn't play well on the day. We did have a goal chance in the first half and if that had gone in maybe it would have been different. We battled hard to keep in touch but I suppose we were missing that confidence as a result of being on a losing run and we couldn't stay with them."
It didn't get any better for the Philipstown men and by the first weekend in September they had lost two further league games to Glen Emmets and Lannleire and as a result their hopes of challenging for promotion were over.
"I suppose it is hard on a team when your season comes to such a quick end in the space of a few games, but the reality is that we have a small squad and it is hard to replace players when we have a few injuries.
"Even if we had been able two win one or two more of those crucial league games we would have been in a better position nearing the end of the league and that would have kept the interest alive," added Boylan.
Despite the disappointment in the end, Liam believes that St Kevins can take encouragement from their early season form and look to build on that next year.
"We still have the majority of the team that won the Junior Championship in 2006 so there is undoubtedly still a lot of quality in the team. I suppose when you are a small club with a small pool of players the first challenge is to get everyone out and then to get them fit.
"We do suffer if we lose anyone but we can see from this season that we can compete with the top sides. Our aim will be to improve as a team and come the new season we will once again be aiming to challenge in the league and championship." Tweet
