St Nicholas may not have enjoyed the success on the field of play that they had hoped for in 2010, but nevertheless they will look back on the season as one of their proudest ever. By Eunan Whyte

In a year when the team competing in the Division 3 League and Junior Championship failed to find their top form, the Nicks still had plenty to celebrate. 
In June the club held the official opening of their field, while in the same month they were represented on Louth's Leinster Junior Championship winning team by Paddy O'Boyle. 
For the man who was involved in both those occasions, Paddy O'Boyle, it was a season to remember, although he would have loved to have rounded it all off with club success. 
Not only did the player help Louth to the Leinster title, but he also had the honour of captaining the Wee County in the challenge game against Galway to mark the official opening of Jimmy Pentony Park on Sunday June 13th and it is an honour he will never forget. 
"I suppose it has been a good year for me and that really was a great honour. To line out for your county is a great experience but to captain Louth is just brilliant. Not too many people get to lead the Louth team out on their home pitch so that really was a special day for me and everyone at the club," revealed O'Boyle. 
Paddy didn't have to wait too long for another special occasion as at the end of June he helped Louth to win the Leinster Junior title by defeating Cavan in the decider at the Gaelic Grounds.  
It is an occasion that ranks with the best moments of his career so far for Paddy who believes that the spirit in the squad was the key to that success. 
"It was a brilliant feeling to win the Leinster title in front of a big crowd at Drogheda. We proved throughout that campaign that we could play in all types of conditions and will battled right to the end each time. 
"Even when we were four points behind Cavan in the Leinster Final with ten minutes to play, we didn't panic. I don't think anybody thought about the scoreboard, we just kept plugging away and came out on top. That was the sort of attitude we had in our squad and it was essential in coming out with a one point victory. 
"It was great to be involved on that team as any Leinster title is a memorable one and you have to look at the likes of Mark Stanfield who played with Louth for years and yet that was his first provincial final, so you have to enjoy them when they come around. For me it was as good was winning the Junior Championship with the Nicks two years ago," he added. 
Unfortunately the campaign ended in disappointment when they lost to Sligo in the All-Ireland semi-final and the fact that the Connacht champions went on to win the title makes it harder to take. 
"It was very disappointing to lose in the semi-final because we felt the All-Ireland was there to be won. We were all gutted at the end and then to see that Sligo went on to beat Kerry in the final made it even harder," explained Paddy. 
Paddy would have loved to have matched that success on the club front, but the Rathmullen side ended with season with nothing to show for their efforts in a season where they just failed to get going. 
"Like everyone else at the start of the season we set out to win the league and championship but we just didn't hit top form at any stage. We were missing a few players at different times and that seemed to affect us. 
"We were all raring to go at the start of the year because we wanted to do something in what was a special year for the club, but despite the hard work put in by Dee McCarthy and his selectors, it just didn't happen." 
Despite that disappointment, O'Boyle believes there is more to come from the Nicks and they will be back challenging in 2011. 
"We still have a good few of the players that won the championship in 2008 and there are a number of promising young players coming through the ranks so hopefully we can regroup next year and push on from there," he added. 
It was a proud day for the St Nicholas Club on Sunday June 13th as they had the official opening of their impressive facilities at Jimmy Pentony Park. 
The honour of cutting the ribbon fell to Jimmy's wife, Betty, and County Board Chairman, Padraic O'Connor on what proved to be a memorable day for the Drogheda club. 
According to St Nicholas PRO, Declan Heeney, the club was delighted with the way the day turned and even the disappointing weather conditions failed to spoil the day. 
One of the highlights was the meeting of Louth and Galway in a senior challenge and the icing on the cake for the Nicks was that Paddy O'Boyle captained the Wee County. 
"It was a great honour for both Paddy and the club to have one of our own leading the team onto the pitch and that is something we will remember for a long time," revealed Declan. 
"It certainly was a great time to get Louth because the county was on a high after the win over Kildare. Naturally a lot of people wanted to see them play and we had up to one thousand in field for the game. 
"It really was a great day as we were able to showcase our facilities to the rest of the county and we were proud to do so after all the hard work that has been done in recent years. 
"Aside from the football club, it really was a community event and we started with a Mass in the Holy Family Church on Saturday evening. 
"At the official opening we had the County Board Chairman, Padraic O'Connor, and Betty Pentony, while Mayor of Drogheda, Michael O'Dowd and Club Secretary, John Heeney, said a few words. Fr Bradley was present to bless the pitch before the team took to the field," added Declan. 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
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