Two-thousand-and-five was a testing year for Glyde Rangers. The club was rocked by tragedy and the entire Tallanstown community plunged into a state of shock when key player John O'Brien lost his life in a motorcycle accident. In the face of terrible adversity, the team soldiered on, determined to do John's memory proud. Conor Sheridan reflects on a campaign that Glyde emerged from with great credit and dignity, writes Gerry Robinson. Glyde Rangers went into the new year full of hope but that sense of optimism received a crushing blow with news of the tragic loss of the late John O'Brien in early March. The No.7 jersey that the 21-year-old had worn with such distinction was retired for the season and everybody tried to come to terms with the randomness and the cruelty of such a massive loss. For the remainder of the year, John's friends and brothers put in a huge effort which, amazingly, almost yielded a SFC quarter-final place. The Tallanstown side came within touching distance of the knockout stage of the Joe Ward Cup, beating champions-elect Mattock Rangers in their final group outing before losing a play-off to the Collon men and exiting the championship with heads held high. In the league, meanwhile, Glyde's Division 1A status came under threat, but they dug their heels in to secure top grade football once again in '06. The character the team displayed over the course of the year was nothing short of exceptional. When unthinkable pressure was applied, Glyde stood firm and they remain well placed to launch a bid for major honours in the coming season. Looking back on how the team performed in 2005, county player Conor Sheridan notes: "We were a bit disappointed that we didn't do better in the championship. After John passed away, we held a meeting and set ourselves an aim of staying up. We almost managed to put together a decent run in the senior championship but it didn't work out. It was always going to be tough after what happened because John was a key player and so are his three brothers. We were also short a few lads who were on holidays, which didn't help. In the end, we were happy just to stay up and we'll give it our best shot again next year." Glyde had reached the Cardinal O'Donnell Cup final in 2004 but, in '05, their Division 1A survival went down to the penultimate round clash with Roche Emmets, when a 1-9 to 2-5 victory was enough to guarantee top level football for the Tallanstown men for another year. For the 2005 SFC, the Blue & Whites were pitted in Group B, which was clearly the most difficult of the four sections. The outcome of this group was decided by a three-way play-off and the two clubs that edged Tallanstown out (Mattock Rangers and Newtown Blues) went on to contest the county final. Glyde, for their part, were desperately unlucky not to claim a place in the last eight. They opened with a 0-14 to 1-4 defeat of O'Connells at Louth village on June 5 but then fell to a narrow 1-7 to 0-7 defeat to the Blues at Stabannon on June 24. With their championship survival on the line, Glyde had to beat Mattock in their Round Three encounter to remain in contention. They duly obliged with an excellent 1-10 to 1-8 victory at Ardee on July 22. This threw the group wide open. When the Blues and Mattock came out of the hat together, it meant Glyde would only have one opportunity to progress. The Drogheda side inflicted a heavy defeat on Mattock, who provided Glyde's opposition in the second play-off game. The Tallanstown team were very unlucky to slip to a narrow 1-7 to 0-7 defeat at Ardee on August 14. With Conor Sheridan brilliantly deployed in a sweeping role, they led by 0-4 to 0-1 at the end of the first quarter but were ultimately undone by David Reid's goal in first-half injury time. Trevor O'Brien also uncharacteristically missed a penalty, an incident that summed up Glyde's day as Mattock got out of jail and went on to claim their second SFC. As for Glyde, it was a case of what might have been. They had contested the business end of the senior championship in 2004 and felt they could build on that by qualifying for the last eight again. "We were going for the championship," Conor confirms. "Right up until the Collon game, we were there or thereabouts and we felt we had a good chance, but it didn't work out." Thus, for the second time in three years, play-off woe deprived Glyde of a quarter-final spot. In fairness, though, they gave as good as they got against some big hitters in Group B. "We knew we had a tough draw and that it wouldn't be easy getting out of the group. We got a good start against O'Connells and were unlucky against the Blues, who got a bit of a break for their goal. We had to beat Mattock to force the play-off but it was always going to be very hard to beat them again in the next match. It was another close game but they were too good for us on the night. We missed a lot of chances and it was a very disappointing result." Gerry Fitzpatrick and Fergal Reel were in charge of team affairs at the start of the season but were replaced by Enda Sheridan, Aidan Sheridan, John Bird and Tommy Byrne later in the year. Against the odds, the team managed to consolidate and they can go into the new season with confidence anew. "We have been knocking on the door for a few years now but we still haven't made the breakthrough," says Conor, who has been on the first team for four years, winning a Division 1B medal in 2003. "We will definitely be pushing for a major success next year. Staying in the top half of senior football means we have everything to play for again. With difficult games against quality opposition in the league, we should be able to get our eye in for the championship." Glyde Rangers are now very much an established senior act, able to stand toe-to-toe with the very best in the Wee County on any given day. "We have a good team with a lot of good players and we're not in awe of any side in the county," says Conor. "Maybe we just need a bit of luck to get us across the winning line in a big game and then we can take it on from there. Ultimately, though, we'll have to make it happen. We felt we should have beaten Mattock in our play-off last year and I think some of the Mattock players would even admit themselves that they were happy to get through that one. "Those are the games we have to start winning. We can't keep leaving it behind us. We can't consider ourselves to be one of the top three or four teams in the county until we start winning against the top clubs on a regular basis, and that's what we're aspiring towards. We've been at the same level for a couple of years now and it's time to take it a step further." Conor Sheridan won a minor championship with Baile Talun in 2001 and was on the excellent Louth minor team beaten by Dublin after a replayed Leinster semi-final two years later. Though still only 20, he joined a growing Glyde contingent on the Louth senior squad in 2005, playing in both league and championship. He was also on the county U21 side that defeated Carlow before losing narrowly to Dublin at the Ramparts on St Patrick's Day and will be eligible for intercounty U21 action again in 2006. "It was a great experience playing for Louth," he says. "It's something every player wants and I was lucky to get that chance. Hopefully I'll have many more opportunities to play for my county." For a man so young, Conor Sheridan has also made a big impact with club and county. The Tallanstown footballer should feature prominently on both fronts for the next decade or more. Tweet

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