While recent times have proved testing for the Wolfe Tones GFC adult team, the Drogheda club continues to excel in juvenile matters. Two-thousand-and-five was another successful year for the Tones at juvenile and nursery levels. These players are the future lifeblood of a determined club that is hanging on grittily against the odds. Judging by the impressive underage displays in '05, there's every chance of a happy ending to this particular story. The adult team has hit upon hard times these past few seasons but that has done nothing to curtail the enthusiasm of the loyal Wolfe Tones clubmen hell-bent on safeguarding the club's future. The Tones committee have long since embarked on a long-term plan to breathe new life into the club via a concerted input into the juvenile section. So far, so good. The great work is ongoing and will almost certainly bear fruit somewhere down the line. There was never going to be a quick fix for the unfortunate situation Wolfe Tones found themselves in but the vision, industry and commitment of a few is set to save the day. By implementing strong juvenile structures, Wolfe Tones are building towards a brighter future. In a nutshell, Tones are not just holding their own at underage level - they are, in fact, exceptionally strong. Amalgamated with St Nicholas, they were a force at all grades from U14 to minor in '05, winning the county U15 'A' league, while the club's nursery teams demonstrated a remarkable degree of consistency. At U10, 11, 12 and 13 levels, Wolfe Tones made the Top Four 'A' grade in the Drogheda leagues on all four counts - a statistic that proves Mickey Kelly's teams are heading in the right direction. Tones are putting it up to all the leading clubs in town at nursery level and this is a source of much encouragement to all associated with the club. As they felt that they would be unable to compete at the highest level due to lack of players, Wolfe Tones opted out of the Junior 1 (Division Three) league in 2005. Instead, they competed in Junior 2 Division 4C, playing a total of seven or eight games, winning four times, before withdrawing from the competition. Club chairman Paddy Fanning notes: "Due to the disjointed nature of the league we were unable to fulfil all our fixtures. When you're forced to go eight or nine weeks without a game you'll struggle at the best of times…" In Group A of the JFC, Wolfe Tones fielded for all three games against Annaghminnon Rovers, Dowdallshill and St Kevins. The latter two went on to contest the junior decider. "We felt we were a little bit unlucky in the first half of the opening match against Annaghminnon," Paddy reflects. "We gave our best performance of the year in the second championship match against Dowdallshill. We were within a point well into the second half but they pulled away for a big win in the end. Still, it was a very good performance from our lads on the day. That was the highlight of the year as far as the adult team was concerned." The junior team was again managed by John Gallagher, with Noel Donnelly and Paddy Thornton as selectors. All three put in a tremendous effort over the course of the year and this is much appreciated. Paddy Fanning and David Tully will be taking over the first team in 2006. "We're hoping to field again next year," confirms the former. "We have a few minors coming through and hopefully we'll be okay. Myself and David will try to take over the team and our aim will be to try and get a bit of momentum going with what will be a very young team." The Tones used between 20 and 25 players on the first team in 2005, but are now set to lose a few of the elder statesmen who have made it clear that they'll not be involved again next term. "Those lads have done their bit," Paddy concedes. "We have some young lads coming through, but you need a game every week to keep them focused. They were good lads when they were getting football but we have to offer them regular games and a reason to keep training. Otherwise, we'll lose them. "The challenge is to come up with a balanced team and to field for every game. We need to get together a regular panel of at least 18/20 lads, who are committed to training and playing for the Tones and to keep the flag flying." In 2005, the Tones amalgamated with the Nicks at U14, 15, 16 and minor levels. The minor team wasn't as successful as had been hoped. Paddy, who managed the team, states: "We thought we would do well because we had won the U16 on our own two years ago. We expected to do well in both the Division One league and championship. But we had lost five or six players from the U16 team through one thing and another. We lost to Dundalk Gaels in the minor championship - a match we could have won - and we also got to the final of the secondary minor competition. "At U16 level, we had a great run in the league and championship, where we went nine games unbeaten. But disaster struck in the championship final when we had five players sent off against Geraldines, who won well. It was a disappointing day as we had beaten them in the league. "The U15s started in August and had a great year, winning the U15 'A' league. The U14s won the Louth league Division Two and got to the second round of the championship, so we were happy with their progress too." All in all, it was a reasonable year, then. The chairman notes: "We're still hanging in there and hope strings eternal. On paper, we have ten or eleven lads who want to play regularly and we just need to unearth a few more. If we could get a few results early on and go on a run, then things might turn around. "We have a good pitch and no problem at all with facilities. In fact, we're planning to build a new clubroom onto the clubhouse in 2006. We have sponsorship of our gear and the finances are okay. There are lot of people coming into the area and getting involved in looking after teams, so we have a lot going for us. It's just in first-team matters that things aren't 100%, but we're doing well at juvenile level and in every other regard." Mickey Kelly is investing great work with kids at club and county level. He had a busy year again in 2005. Reflecting on a good showing from the Tones right across the board, he insists: "We're certainly not struggling at underage. We have plenty of players, and good ones at that. On Thursday nights between 8s and 13s we could have up to 100 kids training from April 1 right through to the cut-off point in the first week of September." The U10, 11, 12 and 13 teams all made the 'A' section in Drogheda and all four sides reached finals. Unfortunately, silverware somehow eluded the club. "Drogheda is divided into two sections and, as far as I know, we were the only club to make the 'A' section (Top Four) with all four teams. We're very happy about that. "We're trying to build towards a good adult team, starting at grassroots. Myself and Paddy have been involved for ten years now - he had this year's minor team from U10 and I've had next year's minor team from U10 level. "We're building for the future, so that some day the Tones can get back into football properly. We're under no illusions - we know we're only making up the numbers at adult level at the moment. We have no problem at underage level and we have lads who can hold their own against the Blues or the Plunketts any day. We're hoping to build on that." Tweet

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