Gaels have plenty to build on
December 31, 2010This season was no different for the men from The Ramparts as they assembled in January with the aim of securing a return to the Division 1 League.
However, according to David McComish, that challenge failed to materialise and the club ended the season with the feeling that they failed to live up to their potential.
"Overall I think we left a lot behind us this year and realistically you would have to say that we underachieved. In recent years the bar has been raised at this club and we know that we have much more to offer than we showed this year," he explained.
A number of factors contributed to their failure to build of a head of steam including a crippling injury list that saw their squad decimated in the crucial early months.
It certainly wasn't all bad news for the Gaels as they proved in the group stages of the championship that they are not short on quality and those performances will serve as encouragement for seasons to come.
"After very indifferent performances in the Sheelan Cup and Division 2 League we were beginning to show a bit of form coming in to the championship and it was in the group stages that we played our best football of the season.
"The game against the Dreadnots was a hell of a game. It was up and down the whole time and it wasn't until the closing stages that we went ahead. However, even then they came back with three points from Paraic Smith but we got a goal injury time to snatch victory.
"I have to say it was one of the best games I was ever involved in and we were on a real high afterwards," added David.
Although there was a break after that match due to Louth's involvement in the Leinster and All-Ireland championships, the lay-off certainly didn't affect the confidence of Dundalk Gaels as they prepared for a crucial game with Glyde Rangers.
That fixture saw the Dundalk men turn in another good display against a demoralised Tallanstown to seal top spot in the group.
"We played the Tallanstown side after they had lost to Dreadnots so it was not as important as it might have been, but we certainly needed to win to finish top of the group which was our aim.
"Glyde were handicapped by suspensions but all we could do was win the game and we managed to achieve that so we were happy. At the start of the campaign we would have settled for that because it was a very competitive group. Thankfully the draw wasn't as tough as it might have been as we managed to avoid the big teams and we went in believing that we could make the last eight."
The reward for the Dundalk Gaels was a meeting with Cooley Kickhams in the quarter-final and although the peninsula side were strong favourites, the Dundalk men went into the match hoping to build on their previous victories.
Unfortunately for David and his colleagues, they failed to mount a challenge and in the end made a disappointing exit from the championship.
"We wanted to put in a good performance but we really never got out of the blocks. I don't think we were helped by the fact that it was a very wet and a bad day for football, when a dry day probably would have suited us better.
"Cooley began by going four points up and then got a goal which effectively killed off the game. Brian White was also in top form and had an excellent outing," he continued.
While David admits it was a very disappointing way to go out of the championship he points out that the club have hopes of making progress over the coming years.
"The ultimate aim of any senior club is to win the Joe Ward Cup and we have to set our goals high and aim for the ultimate prize.
"On one level we were happy to reach the championship quarter-finals and secure our place in senior football for next year, but at the same time we believe that there are better performances to come.
"As a team we are still maturing and hopefully we can continue to make progress as we believe that on our day we can match most teams. It is a matter of getting our heads down and making sure we can deliver those displays on a consistent basis.
"The panel has strengthened this year with the likes of Ciaran Culligan, myself and David Moley coming back after missing last year, while there are a few young players coming up through the ranks. Nicholas O'Callaghan and Gary Shevlin were involved with the Louth minors this year and they have
been regulars with us.
"We have also had Derek Crilly with Louth and Jamie Faulkner on the junior team, while Sean McCann, David Maloney and Eanna McArdle were part of the U21 squad that was very unlucky to lose to Dublin in the Leinster Championship, so there is plenty of quality there.
"It is vital that we are able to keep the panel together and I think if we get our heads right and get fit, we really can give it a good go over the next couple of seasons," explained McComish who is hoping to avoid another slow start when they regroup for 2011.
"There was a reasonable amount of optimism around the club at the start of the year as Dermot Culligan came in as manager, while Wayne Callan was training the team. However, from an early stage we began to be hampered by injuries and at one stage I think there were about 15 players unavailable which made things very difficult for us.
"As a result the league didn't start too well for us and we lost our first two games before getting off the mark against St Mochtas. After that our form was patchy with more losses than wins, but after the championship we set out to put things right with the hope that a couple of wins would put is back in contention for a play-off place."
While overall, the Dundalk club will be disappointed with their performances this year, they will concentrate on the positives as they look to getting back to winning ways in 2011.
Off the field of play, it was an important year for the club as in April they unveiled development plans which will include a floodlit 40m x 30m all-weather pitch which will be used for training while the current dressing rooms will be converted into one meeting/committee room. It will also house a small function room for various presentations and a kitchen. Tweet
