Dream year for young gun Andy
December 31, 2010In April 2009, Andy McDonnell's football career lay in tatters. As did his leg. A horrific break to the thigh bone sustained in a club match left the Drogheda youngster in agony and, with such a terrible setback, there would always be questions raised about his future in the game. Incredibly, Andy made a full recovery within a quicker-than-expected timeframe and went on to play an integral role in the Wee County's historic 2010 SFC campaign.
In the Leinster championship quarter-final defeat of Kildare in particular, the Newtown Blues clubman demonstrated his quality to the nation. He featured in all five of Louth's championship matches this year - against Longford, Kildare, Westmeath, Meath and Dublin - experiencing many highs and lows along the way. But they were mostly highs. When the dust settles on the Wee County's unfortunate treatment in the Leinster final, 2010 will still be remembered as a year when Louth made tremendous progress. Andy McDonnell was glad to be part if it all.
Looking back on the season in general, he admits: "Overall, I would be happy. At the start of the year our main objective was to get out of Division Three of the league and then to give Leinster a crack after that. We were very disappointed not to achieve promotion but we really went for it in Leinster and thankfully we managed to get a few wins. The victory over Kildare was a great day for Louth football and I think we proved a lot of people wrong in Navan that day."
Remember, after an inconspicuous league campaign, Louth came from nowhere to reach a first Leinster final in 50 years - a game they would have won only for the referee. Still, it was the county's best season in half a century … and not too many saw it coming. Louth surprised a lot of people in 2010, including their own supporters. Were the players themselves surprised by how well they did?
"Well, it was my first year on the panel and it was all new to me, so it's impossible to compare it to previous years. But there was definitely something there, something about this team. We know we are a good side and we just had to go out and prove it. We were poor enough in the first round against Longford but we then went to Navan against Kildare and put it up to them. After winning that game, everybody's confidence increased.
"We made a strong start and had six points on the board before Kildare scored. We never stopped, even when they came back at us, and we got the goal from Ray Finnegan and kicked on. Kildare asked a lot of questions of us but we believed we could see the game out."
That 1-22 to 1-16 victory over the Lilywhites on Saturday June 5th was one of the games of the year. Andy floated over three excellent points as the Reds announced themselves as a genuine force. How did it feel to participate in what should be remembered as a classic encounter? "From a personal point of view, it was definitely one of my best games for Louth. I think the nerves might have got to me a bit for the Longford game but we were all nice and relaxed for Kildare. It was a big win for the county and for the people of Louth. We hadn't been in a Leinster final in years and Aaron Hoey was the only member of the panel who'd played in a semi-final before, so it was just brilliant for everybody involved."
In the championship, Louth seemed to come from nowhere. Why did they fail to make an impact in the league? "We got good wins in our first two games but then lost to Roscommon in Drogheda, when we should have beaten them. Then against Sligo on a wet day we didn't play to our potential and that result put us under pressure. We needed to win against Antrim in Belfast and I glanced at the scoreboard after 20 minutes and it was something like 1-6 to no score. That was definitely the low point of the entire year. But we all put it out of our heads and, even though the chance of promotion had gone, we went down to Offaly in the last round and put five goals past them. That performance gave us something to build on and things just seemed to click from there on."
Considering that Andy was a senior intercounty rookie, how did he find training at the highest level? Was it tough going? "I suppose the fact that I had been with the Louth U21s and minors was a help as it meant I was used to intercounty set-ups. I adapted well to it. I was lucky that I already knew a couple of the lads and everybody else welcomed me in and made me feel at home. I settled in quickly, and that was the main thing. I got my first chance playing on the 40 against Meath in the Haggardstown tournament in January. It went well and luckily I kept my place for the rest of the year."
It's all quite incredible bearing in mind the serious injury suffered by the young Blues dynamo in 2009. Andy reflects on the moment when his career could have been severely derailed: "The injury happened on the 5th of April, 2009 and I broke the femur, which is the longest and strongest bone in the body. I was told that I could be out for maybe a year. I wore a full-length cast for about ten weeks and then did a lot of gym work and cycling to build the leg back up again. I was able to get back and play a few league games towards the end of the 2009 season, just six months after breaking the leg, and I played in the Cardinal O'Donnell Cup final. Fitzer gave me the call after that and I grabbed the opportunity with both hands. After being out for six months, it was great to be back and it was an unbelievable bonus to be called up for county duty."
Generally speaking, 2010 was a dream year but the climax to the Leinster final had more than a hint of nightmare about it when a poor refereeing decision denied Louth a first provincial title in 53 years. "I still think about it two or three times a week," Andy concedes. "It's difficult to get over it but the simple fact is we need to get over this and move on as footballers, as fans, management and reporters. We all need to move on and build on what we achieved in 2010. It was very disappointing, but that's the way it goes. There's no reason why we can't go out and do it again.
"We were happy that we got Dublin in the Qualifiers and I thought we had the Leinster final out of our system. We were all looking forward to getting back to Croke Park but when you trail to Dublin by 1-3 to no score after ten minutes that's not a place you want to be. We didn't do ourselves justice on the day and it was disappointing to end the year on such a low note."
Can Louth build on their 2010 form in 2011? "I think we can. I believe we are capable of going out there and doing well and hopefully we can put the experience we got this year to good use. I'd say the main thing again will be to get out of Division Three and then, when the championship comes around, we'll look at the draw and see how we go.
"Of course, that's assuming I'm called in again. I'm not the kind of person who takes anything for granted. You never know what happens in life. I'm hoping to get the call again and if I do I'll certainly give it 100%." Tweet
