Lannleire flirted with the unthinkable in 2005. At one stage, it looked as if the Dunleer club might suffer the ignominy of demotion to junior football but they managed to consolidate their intermediate status and will be hoping to push for a return to senior ranks during the forthcoming season. Carlos Lambe, who acted as club captain for 2005, insists that Lannleire are far from a spent force. By Gerry Robinson Having slipped from senior to intermediate grade at the end of 2003 and from Division 2A to 2B in '04, Lannleire approached the new season with a mixture of determination and apprehension. The target was to begin a move back in the opposite direction; the fear was that their freefall would continue all the way to the basement grade. The untantalising prospect of junior football loomed menacingly across the horizon. While they didn't manage to reverse the trend, the Dunleer men at least arrested the downward slide and, after a bit of a fright, held firm to their Division 2B status. With a full complement at their disposal in 2006, Lannleire can stake a serious claim for promotion, if not to senior football then at least to Division 2A. That's the firmly-held opinion of attacker and 2005 captain Carlos Lambe, a man who's adamant that the Blue & Whites are punching below their weight and can set the record straight in the coming year. In Division 2B of the 2005 all-county league, Lannleire managed only four victories in total - two against St Fechins and two against Glen Emmets. They seemed in danger of suffering relegation for a third straight season but practically assured themselves of survival with a 1-11 to 0-12 win in Termonfeckin in October. Despite the fact that they hung on, the table did not make for convincing reading: Lannleire finished the year with ten points from twelve games, third from bottom, four points clear of the drop zone but a full ten off the promotion standard set by O'Raghallaighs and St Nicholas. There's a lot of room for improvement. Though their league form was far from spectacular in 2005, Lannleire did exhibit flashes of their old selves in the intermediate championship. We were treated to glimpses of the real Lannleire, particularly in the opening two matches in Group C, wherein back-to-back victories were enough to earn a place in the last eight. In Round One, at Dromiskin on June 11, the Dunleer side scored a superb 2-10 to 2-8 victory over high-flying Na Piarsaigh, one of the favourites for outright intermediate honours. Robert O'Rourke struck for both Lannleire goals in first-half injury time and the winners were further served on the scoreboard by points from Carlos Lambe (0-4), Nicky Malone (0-2), Alan Murphy (0-2), Patrick O'Connor and John Farrelly. It was a magnificent start to their championship campaign and there was a buzz about the clubhouse in the run-up to the Round Two meeting with championship specialists O'Raghallaighs. The display at The Grove on July 1 was even more impressive as the Hoops were ripped apart by a stellar footballing exhibition from Lannleire, 2-7 to 0-5. Corner back Brian McGuinness had an outstanding game at the rear for the Dunleer side, who led by three points after ten minutes courtesy of Carlos Lambe (2) and John Farrelly. Robert O'Rourke's third goal of the championship made it 1-3 to 0-1 at the break. Lambe and Alan Murphy extended the lead to seven points shortly after the turnaround and there was no way back for the Drogheda side with O'Rourke setting up Farrelly for lively Lannleire's second major. Considering that O'Raghallaighs subsequently breezed into Division 2A, this was a stellar victory. Lannleire were already through to the knockout phase when they played their final group game against Sean O'Mahonys at Castlebellingham on July 21 and the 2-10 to 0-6 defeat was of little significance, though it was hardly ideal for team morale with a quarter-final looming. A month later, the concession of three first-half goals proved fatal as Lannleire bowed out of IFC contention on the back of a frustrating 3-7 to 1-7 defeat to Dundalk Gaels, again at the Castlebellingham venue on Friday August 19. It was a disappointing note to bow out on but at least Lannleire will get another bite at the intermediate cherry in 2006. Carlos Lambe is absolutely convinced that the Dunleer outfit can bounce back with a vengeance in '06: "We were relieved in the end, but 2005 wasn't that bad," he insists. "It had been a while since Lannleire did anything worth talking about and we got to a championship quarter-final, which was a good achievement under the circumstances. "We had a lot of lads missing during the year. John O'Connor was out for 18 months with a cruciate and we also had to make do without Fergal Dunne, Andrew Flanagan and Peter Neasy for most of the year. Those are four first-team players and Lannleire can't afford to be missing lads like that. No club can. "It's hard to be too disappointed when you reach a championship quarter-final. We started off by beating Na Piarsaigh, who were one of the favourites, and then we beat O'Raghallaighs. Those were two great victories and we weren't that bothered about the last group game because we had already qualified. "The quarter-final against Dundalk Gaels was a game we could have won, but we were just crap on the day. There's no other way of saying it. We had Declan Martin back and we were flying, but we just didn't perform and that was probably the most disappointing aspect of the whole year. But we have a fairly young team and we acquitted ourselves quite well in general, considering that we started poorly and had so many key men unavailable. "We have a very small panel to choose from and injuries tend to hit us hard. When we have our full squad, the players are there. If we get everybody fit next year, then we should be a force in the intermediate championship." A first-team player for about eight seasons now, the 2005 Lannleire captain is pleased to note that there are a few promising talents starting to come through the ranks. The juvenile structures in Dunleer are strong and lads like (county minor) Darren Noone and Paul McGeough are ready to bolster the first team for the next decade or more. "We have the players, so it's just a matter of keeping them interested," Carlos says. At one stage in '05, it looked as if Lannleire might trade their intermediate status for a place in junior football. Carlos reflects: "We nearly slipped down but the win in Termonfeckin kept us up. It would have been a pure disaster if we'd slipped for a third year in a row. But we held on and now it's time to start climbing again. Next year we'll be looking to go up to 2A and we'll also try to do something in the championship. "We showed in the games against Na Piarsaigh and O'Raghallaighs that we're a good championship side. We didn't play at all in the quarter-final but we know we can do much better and I'm expecting Lannleire to mount a serious challenge in 2006." Con Sands took charge of team affairs in '05, with team stalwart Nicky Malone looking after training. Referring to the former county captain, Carlos notes: "Nicky was injured for a lot of the league games and he actually played in the championship even though he wasn't fully fit. He probably took a bit of a chance and maybe he shouldn't have played, but you never complain when you have a man of Nicky's calibre beside you. Nicky's a good, experienced campaigner and we're hoping he plays on with us for another while because he's a huge asset to the team." In the late 1990s, Malone and Lannleire took the Louth GAA world by storm with an exciting young team that played an exhilarating brand of football. They were a breath of fresh air and deserved a county championship for the entertainment they provided. Unfortunately, a 1998 SFC final defeat to Clan na Gael was as close as they got. That team eventually broke up and Lannleire slid down the pecking order in 2003 and 2004. Unbelievably, Carlos Lambe has yet to win a medal with the first team. "We were flying in 1998/99 and we were regarded as one of the best teams in the county, but it fell apart on us. It just went from bad to worse. But the club is rallying again now and we're capable of coming back with a bang. "Dunleer used to be a small village but it's been a town since '98 and the players have to be there. We had a great young team six or seven years ago with five men on the county senior panel and there's no reason why we can't produce another decent team. There are a lot of lads coming back next year and I'm predicting a dramatic improvement. "We had a close escape in 2005 and hopefully that can spur us into action. This team has a lot to offer and we're looking forward to proving ourselves." The Lannleire side that beat O'Raghallaighs by eight points in the group stage of the 2005 Louth intermediate football championship on July 1: Barry Flanagan; Peter Neasy, Paul Kearney, Brian McGuinness; Brendan McEvoy, John Boylan, Barry Dunne; Nicky Malone, Shane Kennedy; Carlow Lambe (0-4), Robert O'Rourke (1-0), Alan Murphy (0-2); Declan Martin, Patrick O'Connor, John Farrelly (1-1). Sub: Richard Kieran. Tweet

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