Dreadnots' target at the start of the 2005 campaign was to retain their senior status. Nothing overly ambitious. Though it proved to be yet another protracted affair, spilling over into late autumn, the 2004 intermediate champions achieved their pre-season goal with some spirited displays in Division 1B of the all-county league. It's a competitive league at the best of times, so midfield stalwart Paddy McGuigan was pleased with the way things worked out for the Clogherhead men. By Gerry Robinson Setting one's sights too high can all too often lead to disappointment. Better not to overdo things on the ambition front, then. Dreadnots adopted a suitably practical approach in '05 and the strategy served them well. Having clinched an epic 2004 county IFC victory with a one-point defeat of O'Raghallaighs in the final at Dunleer in early October, the coastal combo went into the new year with modest expectations. Realistically, they didn't think they'd be taking Joe Ward home … best to leave that for another year. In the meantime, it was all about consolidation; making sure their hard-earned senior status was safeguarded. The path between senior and intermediate fare has been much-travelled by the Clogherhead men in recent times, and they were reluctant to pass down the road again at the end of 2005. Thus, a stall was set out, with survival the stated and obvious aim. Mission Accomplished. A crucial cog in the centre of the pitch for Dreadnots, veteran campaigner Paddy McGuigan looks back on the year with more than a modicum of gratification. Dreadnots will be senior again in 2006 and that's what really matters. Sean McEntee took charge of team affairs in 2005. It was his third year over the Dreadnots first team and Sean was determined that the good work of '04 would not come undone. As Paddy notes: "He brought us out of intermediate the previous year and the aim this time was to consolidate. The target was to stay senior and make sure we had senior football in Clogherhead again in 2006. We weren't too ambitious beyond that. "We felt that we were too good to be playing intermediate football, but that doesn't give you an automatic right to be senior. Once you get up to Division One, you have to stay there. You have to earn it. If we didn't hold onto our senior status, then winning the intermediate championship would have been all for nothing. We didn't want to waste that achievement and go back to Square One." Of course, Paddy and some of his team-mates had prior experience of top-flight football from four years earlier and it was imperative that this was put to good effect. Thus, the responsibility of steering the younger lads through rested with the more seasoned campaigners. They grasped the nettle with both hands. Paddy reflects: "We got a spin in senior a few years ago [in 2001, after winning the 2000 intermediate double] but we lost our senior status immediately, due mainly to injuries. A few of us were only breaking onto the team the last time Dreadnots played senior football before that [in 1992], so we haven't had an awful lot of senior football in the past decade. That's why we were so determined to hold on this time. "I suppose the experience of lads like myself, Colin Kelly, Darren Malone and Stephen Marley had a big bearing on our intermediate success in 2004 and the same players had to take some of the responsibility again in 2005. We knew what it was like to go up and then go straight back down again, and we didn't want a repeat of that. There's a lot of good young talent coming through and senior football is the rightful place for them." The way the season in Louth gets dragged out every year, it's impossible for teams to retain any degree of consistency. This in turn renders the league competitions into something of a lottery, with promotion and relegation issues invariably muddied and close-fought. Division 1B in 2005 was no different. By early October, nothing had been decided, but Dreadnots were sitting just outside the danger zone, albeit with fellow relegation candidates O'Connells and Stabannon still to play. In the end, they pulled clear with something to spare. They kept training going twice a week and muscled their way to safety with a series of assured displays. Dreadnots will be senior again in 2006. "We're very happy with mid-table," Paddy concedes. "We grinded out a couple of good results in September (a 2-8 to 2-7 victory over the Plunketts and a 1-11 to 1-10 defeat of the Brides on successive Sundays) and those performances set up us nicely for the run-in." Dreadnots opened their 2005 SFC campaign against Roche Emmets at Knockbridge on May 29. Operating on the forty, Colin Kelly had a very influential match, kicking seven points as the sides drew on a scoreline of 0-11 apiece. Dreadnots did most of the front-running but were unable to shake off their gritty opponents, who would go on to qualify for the knockout stage. Ardee was the venue for Dreadnots' second championship outing of the year and this time they managed an excellent one-point victory over former kingpins Stabannon, 1-10 to 1-9 on June 19. Gary Shevlin got the winners' goal on 18 minutes and the Clogherhead men laid the foundation for victory with an exceptional first-half display. Unfortunately, things acquired the shape of the proverbial pear against Naomh Mairtin in the final Group D match on July 22. The Monasterboice men prevailed by twelve points and Dreadnots' SFC aspirations were smothered in the cradle. It was an abrupt termination, with the business end beckoning, but one got the impression that perhaps the Clogherhead lads weren't exactly disconsolate. After all, they had more pressing priorities in Division 1B. A fair assessment? "We definitely treated the championship as a bonus. We took it from game to game, and if we won well and good. But the league was always going to be our bread and butter. "We got a good result against Stabannon and a draw with Roche, which left us in a position to get out of the group. But Naomh Mairtin are a good team and they outgunned us on the day. Although we said we'd take it as it came, we were still disappointed to go out. Summer football is what it's all about and we'd have loved a bit of a run." Would it be fair to describe Dreadnots as a championship team? After all, they won the JFC in '99 and the IFC in 2000 and 2004. And in 2001, they reached the latter stages of the SFC. "I suppose we do play some of our best football in the championship," Paddy agrees. "In my time, we've won about 90% of our championship matches. We have a lot of talent in the club and our players are always capable of driving forward on the day and giving it a good shot. "With the young lads that are coming through now, we can get even stronger. We had five minors on the first team last year and if we can build a team around those lads we can go all the way in the SFC one day, which is our ultimate aim." Standards in the county are levelling out. There are at least ten clubs in the county who could realistically expect to be claiming Joe inside the next three years. Do Dreadnots consider themselves to be one of those? "Yes, if you're in the senior championship you might as well give it a lash. There are better training facilities now and villages like our own are getting behind their clubs, realising that the clubs are flying the flag for their area. It's good for everybody, and the players thrive on the support. We feel that we can beat anybody on our day." Though he'd been involved the previous season, Paddy McGuigan didn't feature for Louth in 2005. He explains: "I had a run in 2004 but didn't feature in the championship. I had given it everything and ended up out on the fringes." He hasn't ruled out an intercounty return, however, under the right circumstances. "I have always left it open. I definitely haven't written myself off or made myself unavailable. If I'm in good shape and feel myself that I'm going well, then I would definitely be prepared to get involved again if the right offer was there. "That said, it takes up a lot of time and effort and you would want to be getting regular first-team action to make it worthwhile." The doomsayers have attacked Louth football like vultures feasting on roadkill. How does Paddy view the present state of play in the Wee County? "There has been a lot of disharmony and too many factions in the county. Some clubs have gripes and we've had people competing against each other at committee level. Obviously, this doesn't make for an ideal environment. "If we are to look at a role model, it has to be Tyrone, where everything is ultimately geared towards the county team and success at senior level. I feel that the talent is still in Louth if we nurture and harness it properly. Tyrone get the best out of what they have and I would like to think that their success will act as a wake-up call for a lot of counties, including Louth. "Clubs in the county could be treated better. The fixtures committee got it wrong for the third year running. There were teams without any proper games for up to eight weeks during the summer. This is ludicrous. When the weather is good and the days are long, lads are mad to play football. That's what we're here for. If we want to keep people interested and away from other sports, then the very least we can do is give them one game a week in the summer." During the summer of 2006, Paddy McGuigan and Dreadnots will contest the Louth senior football championship for a second successive season. It's all part of the long-term plan in Clogherhead. Tweet

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