St Fechins will look back on the 2010 season with a great deal of satisfaction after a campaign in which they have enjoyed success at many levels. By Eunan Whyte. 

While the adult footballers grabbed the headlines by winning two trophies, this very progressive club can also boast success at underage level, hurling and ladies football. It is not surprising that their magnificent facilities at Beaulieu are in almost constant use as the club builds for a very bright future.
In terms of adult football it proved to be a very memorable year for the Fechins as they reclaimed their place in the Division 2 League, while also adding the Kevin Mullen Shield trophy to their cabinet.
Although the Junior Championship title eluded them, PRO Michael Mooney, insists that it will be high on their list of priorities next year as they aim to build on the 2010 successes.
"Last year we were disappointed with the way we went in the league and the championship, particularly after losing the final. However, this season the lads put in a big effort and we were rewarded for the efforts. Although we were disappointed at going out to Naomh Fionnbarra in the championship, I think that worked in our favour in terms of the league as it made us more determined to succeed.
"We were on top of the league for most of the season and then when we faced Togher in the last game to decider the winners, it was great to see the lads respond to the challenge and come out on top.
"It will be good for this team to go up to a higher level as there is definitely the makings of a very good side. Apart from two or three experienced lads it is quite a young team so there is good reason to be optimistic for the future.
"We know it will be difficult in the league next year but our aim will be to consolidate our position and then hopefully we will have a good shot at winning the Junior Championship which would be a great boost for the club," explained Michael.
In recent years St Fechins have added a new string to their bow with the establishment of a hurling section within the club. A lot of hard work has been put into that end of things by a number of dedicated members and the signs are that those efforts are already paying off.
Mark Stephenson is one man who is heavily involved in promoting hurling and he is delighted to be able to reflect on a very productive season.
"Overall our senior hurlers performed very well this year and we came very close to beating Pearse Og and eventual champions, Naomh Moninne, in the Senior Championship. The senior league didn't go as well as we had expected and we were hampered in the early stages by having a lot of lads away in college, and when it resumed later in the year we were out of contention.
"The thing we will remember most is that we came within 30 seconds of winning our first senior title when we were beaten by a last minute Pearse Og goal in the Winter League Final in May. We led for most of the way and into injury time only to have victory snatched from us which was very disappointing," explained Mark.
The underage section continues to make progress and Mark points out that there were a number of high profile victories and a number of players emerging to represent Louth at various levels.
"The minors have a very good set of players and there were four or five involved with the county team that defeated Wicklow in the Leinster Championship but lost in the semi-final. That team lost out in the championship semi-final and also reached the league semi-final.
"The U-16 team had a really good year and were unbeaten all season with the highlight being their victory over Knockbridge in the championship final replay while they had eight players representing Louth.
"Meanwhile the U-14 team battled very well and got to the final where they lost to Knockbridge and two players from this team got on the DJ Carey

Squad. The U-12 squad won the O Broin Blitz for a second year, while the U-11s also had a great season.
"Overall we are making great progress and we also have up to 60 players at U-8 and U-10 with a team of dedicated coaches putting in a great deal of work," added Mark.
The underage ladies section is another part of the club that is thriving and despite a difficult start to the year for the club, Dorothy McCullough reveals that they have continued to make progress.
"This year we had teams playing U-10, U-12, U-14 and U-16 and had a very good season despite the sad loss of one of our most dedicated members, Marie Fanning.
"Marie died suddenly on the 27th of December 2009 aged 54. Marie was a mentor and coach to numerous under age teams and the Ladies teams. She also coached the children in the two parish schools. She was a referee for the U12 girls home matches last year and would have been very proud of their achievements this year. May she rest in peace.
"Well done to the 80-plus girls and their coaches who turned out for training and for games every week. The U-10s played in the county blitz that was held over the summer in various clubs. They won many of their matches and greatly improved their skills over the season.
"Our U-12s had one of their best seasons to date. They won the league title beating Naomh Mairtin in a thrilling final. They were runners up in the championship final but lost out to St Mochtas. Our U-14 team also had a great season finishing in the top four of the league. The U-16 team had a mixed season but battled on to the end," added Dorothy.
St Fechins underage
St Fechins U-10 played in all regional and all county blitzes entering two teams each occasion with the squad as follows: Cathal Doherty, James Farrell, Christopher Whelan, Keller, Andy Boylan, Jack Murray, Charles Gallen, Conor De Renzy, David Kiel, Dylan Matthews, Jake Digney, Jake Moran, Jamie Cooney, Karl Meegan, Stephen McAleese, Morgan O'Neill, Liam Woods, Luke Campbell, Max McGloin, Dan McCabe, Mickey Redmond, Sean Foran, Todd Lynch. 
The U-12s competed in the Og Sport Lu Blitzes and hosted four of the Blitzes in St. Fechin's. The U12 Point Kicking Competition winners were as follows: 1st Joseph Corrigan; 2nd Ross Berkery; 3rd Sam McGrane.
The U12 Team was as follows: Niall McDonnell, Barry Lally, Shane McCabe, Ciaran McAleer, Ciaran King, Evan McGrane, Padraig O'Donohoe, Cormac Hughes, Ross Berkery, Joseph Corrigan, Cormac Maher, Ryan Collier, Ronan Browne, David Beirth, Jack Latvis, Luke McGuinness, Jack Boylan, Jack McCarthy, Niall Griffin, Todd Reilly. 
The U14 Team had a great year, starting in early January in Darver with the 7 a side Blitz. The team played in the Division 2A league where they lost to St Mary's in the final and reached the U-14 Feile B Final only to lose to Mellifont Rovers by three points.
The results of the point kicking competition was:  1st Conor Barnes 2nd and 3rd Tommy Brady. 
The U14 Team was made up as follows: Ian Collins, Peter McArdle, Andrew King, Jack Matthews, Tom Burke, Alan Murphy, Paul Mathews, Conor Barnes, George Blake, Michael Briscoe, Ciaran McDonnell, Nicholas Campbell, Donnchadha McQuillan, Liam McGrath, Cathal Duffy, Tommy Brady, Andrew Kinch, Emmet Meegan, Fintan Gibney, Niall Brodigan, Cormac Hughes, Michael Ryan 
The Girls 12 team played 12 league matches came in joint second with the Geraldines, played them in semis and played Monasteboice in final going on to win League. In the championship they reached the final but lost out to St Mochtas. 
The highlight of the season for the juveniles was the performance of the Minor team in winning league and championship titles, and they were the first victories at this level as a stand alone club.
The Minor Team were under the management of Aidan Greene, Alf McGlew, (who have been with the group since U8 level), Frank Flanagan and Colm Mulholland.
The Championship Final saw St Fechin's get off to a great start with the midfield duo of Dermot McConnell and Ryan Sheridan (0-7) winning the midfield battle and supplying the forwards who put St. Fechin's in front by two points within five minutes. Goalkeeper Keith McCarthy made a string of fine saves, and the fullback line of Niall McCabe, Barry Plunkett and Eoin Moore were very solid, supporting midfield in their attacking role.
The half backs Donal Ryan, Robert Flynn and Patrick Winters held a strong St. Pat's Half Forwards from creating scoring chances. St. Fechin's half forwards Leo McGrane, Eoin Duffy (0-3), and Conor Nolan showed great awareness and applied constant pressure on the Pat's half back line.
The full forward line of Jamie King (1-1), Hugh Carolan (2-0) and Adam Sheridan worked tirelessly throughout. Players who were introduced into the game in the final stages were Colm Butterly, James Griffin, David Stephenson, Michael Flanagan, Harry McCarthy and Conor McGeough 

St. Fechin's Ladies
2010 was a challenging, yet enjoyable year for St. Fechins Ladies ending with a squad of twenty-two Ladies, managed by Matt McDermott and trained by Daragh McKeon, Paul Brennan and Gerard Halpin.
The Ladies started the league campaign well, but a few defeats on the trot put pay to any chances of winning the league. With that, all our efforts went into making a serious challenge for the championship.
An opening win over Cuchulainn Gaels in the Championship brought confidence to the team and meant automatic qualification to the quarter-final. Awaiting us there was Naomh Fionnbarra. This led to a very tight encounter in the semi-final against Glen Emmets, but the ladies battled through ending in victory.
Again the ladies had found themselves on the pitch of yet another County final. The Ladies faced Newton Blues in Haggardstown on a summer's day. After weeks of hard, trying training sessions the girls were fit and up for the challenge. Unfortunately St. Fechins did not take the silverware home, but remain optimistic for 2011. St. Fechins goalkeeper Danielle Leddy was awarded player of the match. Tweet

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