Annaghminnon Rovers may not have set the Wee County's playing fields alight during the 2005 season, yet midfielder and captain for the year Aidan Kerr saw enough to convince him that the club will book a return to intermediate ranks within the next two years. The decision to field a second team proved an inspired move and Aidan expects the Red & Whites to reap the benefits in the not-too-distant future. Appearances can be deceptive. On the face of it, Annaghminnon Rovers appeared to endure a very torrid 2005, yet this is very patently not the case, according to the man who acted as club captain for the year. Former Killanny player Aidan Kerr is adamant that the club made genuine strides in the right direction, despite what results and league tables might suggest. There's logic to Aidan's assertions, too, not least because the Rovers have been blatantly underachieving and are more than capable of upping their performances by at least another 50%. Such an improvement would surely yield another JFC for the Wee County's most overlooked club. The results achieved in '05 do not inspire confidence. Rovers picked up only five points from their entire league programme - a draw with Young Irelands, a thumping victory over junior championship winners Dowdallshill and a last-round defeat of a depleted St Kevins outfit - and finished the year propping up the other 35 clubs in the county at the foot of Division Three (Wolfe Tones didn't take part in the league this year). In the junior championship, Annaghminnon started brightly with a facile victory over the Tones but then fell to successive defeats to St Kevins and Dowdallshill, who went on to contest the decider. So where does the confidence emanate from? Two factors. First of all is the unshakeable feeling that Annaghminnon aren't doing themselves justice. Secondly, the club's second string demonstrated excellent form in the Division 4C league over the course of the year, pushing hard for a place in the final. At the time of writing, they lay in third place, with the top two progressing to the decider and Dreadnots already virtually assured of top spot. Two-thousand-and-five captain Aidan Kerr believes that the players from this team will have a big role to play with the club's first XV in '06 and backs them to make a telling impression. With more strength in depth, added experience and increased confidence, Annaghminnon could be a dramatically improved proposition in the coming season. While accepting that he was disappointed by Annaghminnon's general form in 2005, Aidan is far from disconsolate. To the contrary, the hardworking midfielder is upbeat, drawing a lot of positives from what transpired during the course of the year. "We tried to go all out for the championship but we never got it going at all," he says. "The results didn't do us justice. They aren't a fair reflection of the talent we have in the team and they certainly give a false impression of our prospects for 2006. I think we'll do much better next year than people expect. "There are a lot of good young lads coming through and that's showing in the second team. Unfortunately, the first team never got going. We were especially disappointed with our performance in our second championship outing, against the Kevins. We really felt we could beat them but didn't give a good account of ourselves at all. The heads then dropped for the Dreadnots game and that was it. It was a disappointing way to go out because we really wanted to make a big impression in the junior championship and we know we can do a lot better." Annaghminnon opened their Group A JFC account with a comfortable 1-15 to 1-3 defeat of Wolfe Tones at Dunleer in early August but were well beaten by the Kevins in Tallanstown two weeks later, 2-15 to 1-6. With a play-off place still a distinct possibility, they faced Dowdallshill at Louth village on Sunday August 28 but, unfortunately, fell to a 3-10 to 3-2 defeat. Dowdallshill and St Kevins qualified from the group. Both went on to contest the JFC decider, with ultimate honours and promotion to the middle grade going to the inspired St Brigid's Park men. Aidan reflects: "We didn't get 100% from our most senior players this year and relied too much on the younger players, who were a bit raw and inexperienced. But I still think we'll surprise a few people next year! "We still had 15 to 20 lads togging out for training into October/November. The second team had a great year and that will stand us in good stead. There's great spirit in that team and we'll be a different proposition altogether if we can transfer that spirit into the first team next year. "As far as I know, we hadn't fielded a second string for six or seven years but it was an inspired move to put the team out in 2005 and they came along in leaps and bounds. We had fringe players in 2004 who were becoming disillusioned because they weren't getting any football, but they made a big impact with the seconds and I'm sure those lads will be relied upon heavily in 2006. They improved beyond recognition. The regular football made a big difference and we've unearthed some good talent. "Our second string was a young, enthusiastic side and they were a joy to watch. Their passing, fitness and team spirit were all very impressive and we're looking forward to integrating a lot of those lads into the first team next season. "One of the problems with junior football is that you can go six to eight weeks without a game, which makes things very difficult for everybody. It's hard to expect lads to give the required level of commitment under those circumstances. "With only seven teams, the junior championship isn't an ideal competition. It can be over very quickly. We never got going at all in the league and we can't really complain with where we finished on the Division Three table." Gerry Pepper, Seamus Quinn and Sean Kerr were over the second team in '05, with Tony Martin and Brendan Pepper acting as first-team player-managers. The objective was to try and win the JFC for a second time in five seasons. "We decided to go for the championship," Aidan confirms. "We beat the Tones well and had a good chance against the Kevins but we never got out of first gear. "We still have the backbone of the 2001 championship-winning team. If anything, we're actually stronger than we were that year, so we have to improve our performances. I'm sure we'll be a different proposition in 2006." What's the target for '06? "If we could get more commitment from the senior players and gel the young lads in we might surprise a lot of people. People think we're the whipping boys of Louth football but we have five or six lads that any junior or intermediate team in the county would be glad of, so we have plenty to offer. I think we can at least reach a junior final next year." The Annaghminnon captain attended the 2005 JFC final as an interested spectator. What did he make of the match? Could Annaghminnon have competed at that level? "I thought the Kevins would win it. They're very physical at the back and they fight for everything. I was surprised Dowdallshill beat them and I don't think there's that much between ourselves and Dowdallshill. "We're not that far behind them. Unfortunately, they had us beat at half time in the championship. We didn't play in the first half and went 3-8 to 0-1 behind, but we had nothing to lose in the second half and showed up better. They didn't do anything this year that we're not capable of. But we have to get the commitment and then go out and prove ourselves. Aidan Kerr transferred from Killanny, across the Monaghan border, to Annaghminnon in 2002 and played two years of intermediate football before the Red & Whites slipped back down to Division Three. In his first year with the club, he was one of four Annaghminnon players who featured on the Louth junior panel. "We managed to stay up intermediate before and we can go back up and stay there again. It's a pity junior football in the county is overlooked. The County Board looks at senior first, then intermediate, and squeezes junior games in anywhere it can. Six or eight weeks between games is unacceptable - and our seconds had a three-month lay-off between games! "We're planning to return to training early and we'll have a new set-up, with a new manager in place. A couple of players are coming back and we're also going to have a few new players next year, so we could be dark horses. There's good spirit in the club and we're going to give it a real go. We'll be there or thereabouts… [Aidan pauses before ominously concluding] …Expect to see Annaghminnon Rovers move up to intermediate within the next two years." Tweet

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