In keeping with recent custom, Roche Emmets carried plenty of ambition into the 2004 season. They were gunning for a decent showing in the SFC but such an eventuality was not forthcoming. Alas, for the second successive year, they failed to win a match in the premier competition - much to the obvious dismay of team captain Colm Callaghan and everybody else associated with the Faughart club. At least they fared better in Division 1B of the all-county league, finishing in second place and thereby securing promotion to Division 1A for the coming season. At the turn of the century, Roche Emmets appeared to be on the verge of a major breakthrough. The Joe Ward Cup loomed tantalisingly within their grasp and many felt that it was only a matter of time before Louth football's most coveted prize was delivered to Faughart. They reached back-to-back senior championship semi-finals in 1999 and 2000, losing to Kilkerley Emmets and eventual champions Newtown Blues (after a replay) respectively. In '00, Roche ended a senior silverware famine that dated back to 1970 by capturing the Jimmy McShane Cup (Division 1B league title). Now they really were sucking diesel… It got even better in 2001 when a famous ACC Cup/Cardinal O'Donnell Cup double was completed. By landing two of the County Board's three senior trophies that year, Roche underlined their standing as genuine SFC contenders. Since then: nada. Gradually, the team began to break up and the club entered a transition period. Two-thousand-and-two was a disappointing season and they have failed to win a championship match in each of the subsequent two campaigns. In 2004, Roche were in Group A - they hoped to sneak through to the last eight but lost all three games, to Naomh Mairtin, Clan na Gael and St Patricks. While the poor championship showing was a blow, Roche at least salvaged some pride with an encouraging league innings as they endeavoured to recover their Division 1A status. Ardee St Marys set the pace at the top of 1B all year, but Roche were always in contention for the runners-up spot, which came with the prize of automatic promotion. They duly stayed the course to gain promotion to the top flight, which means Roche will compete for the Cardinal O'Donnell Cup in 2005. Still, the league run was only a small consolation as Roche's main objective for the 2004 season was to make an impression in the SFC, as Colm Callaghan - who captained the team - attests: "The championship is the only thing we haven't won at this stage and that is our main ambition. We won the league and the ACC Cup three years ago and now it's the Joe Ward we want." Even though they'd failed to make it into the latter stages of the competition the previous year, Colm admits that Roche were aiming big in the 2004 SFC: "You go all out to win the championship every year. That has to be the main aim and we were hoping to give it a good shot. "However, we've lost some of the big name players from our team of a few years ago and a lot of new faces have been brought in. It's a whole new team we've been fielding for the past two years." Paddy Martin took over the team in 2003 and the Carrickmacross man was at the helm again in '04. He has been making steady progress in the painstaking task of building a new side. "He started from scratch and he has given everybody a chance to show what they can do. He tried everybody in a variety of different positions in 2003 and has given us all a fair go." Towards the latter part of 2004, the patience was rewarded when Roche Emmets began to field a settled team. While they will gladly forget the 2004 championship, the league went much better. From the halfway stage onwards in particular, Roche played with a definite spring in their step. "We played a lot better after we went out of the championship and there was a good shape to the team, which has to be a good sign for the future," says Colm. Roche kicked off their championship campaign against Naomh Mairtin in Dunleer on May 22, but were edged out by a single point, 1-12 to 2-8. Eight days later, they were well and truly thumped by the Clans in Knockbridge, 2-17 to 0-7. Neither team had anything to play for in the final Group A outing against the Pats at Dowdallshill on June 19 - the Lordship men won by 2-13 to 0-7 to bring the curtain down ingloriously on a very disappointing campaign for Roche Emmets. "The championship didn't work out at all this year," Colm accepts. "In fact, it was one of the worst championships we've had. We have a young squad and it looks like we're going to have to persevere with what we've got because there's not a lot coming through from underage at the moment. We did have a good U14 team this year, however, so it's important that we look after them." Though Group A was difficult, Roche fancied their chances of splitting the Pats and the Clans. Colm notes: "At underage, there was little or nothing between ourselves, the Pats and the Blues. We were the top teams at juvenile level and I always felt that the Pats didn't like playing us. Unfortunately, by the time we met them in the championship it was a nothing game. "We always seem to play the Mairtins in the championship and it's usually a 50/50 game. The same applied in 2004 but they appear to have the upper hand at the moment and they just about came out on top. It wasn't an ideal start - a win would've given us more confidence for the Clans game a week later. "But the Clans are the Clans and they taught us a lesson. We didn't necessarily think we'd win the group but with so many good teams, we felt that second place might be there for the taking." In their defence, Roche had a lot of injuries during the year, especially around championship time. The team captain continues: "We were under pressure after losing the first game and were depending on results going right for us in other games. But then we took a real trouncing in the Clans game - it was the worst beating I can remember since I started to play for Roche. "By the time we got to the third game against the Pats it was of no significance whatsoever. They were already through and we were already out. We used the game to experiment and try a few things out. By then, we were concentrating on the league. "But we're very disappointed with the way the championship went." Colm is convinced that Roche can turn the corner, even without some of the big name players who captured the headlines at the turn of the decade/century/millennium. He explains: "There are no superstars on this team. We all play for each other and I think we'll get there. It's a real team effort now and every man gives 100%. We also had a bit of a problem with discipline in the past, but we've addressed that issue as well. Playing in Division 1A next year will give us a better idea of where we're heading. It was important to move up and we'll benefit from regular games against the top senior sides in the county. "We've been pretty much at our lowest for the past two years and things can only get better. We have decent players and we know we can do a lot better." A stalwart of the team at 29, Colm has been living in Belfast for the past six years (in his capacity as a computer programmer with Kainos Software), travelling home regularly for training and matches. His brother Kevin also lives in northern capital and the siblings make the two-hour round trip together. Regarding Roche's near misses in 1999 and 2000, Colm states: "We definitely feel that we left one behind us. We got to two semi-finals and were very close. In '99 we threw it away against Kilkerley in Dowdallshill when we let in two soft goals. They were then hammered by Stabannon in the final but, funnily, Stabannon never like playing us and we could have pushed them in the final. We were close again in 2000 when we drew with the Blues in the semi-final but then lost the second match." Thus, Roche contested three semi-finals inside two years, but never actually made it through to a county decider. Colm continues: "We had won three minor championships and two U21s. When that team came through to senior, everybody expected us to win a Joe Ward, but it never happened. Many of those players have moved on now and it's a new-look Roche team these days, with loads of new faces. Hopefully, we can get back on track and challenge for major honours again." All in all, Colm is optimistic about the future: "There's a good bond in the club and we're training two or three nights a week. There's never any bother getting lads out. We had 25 or 30 at the start of the year and, when the lads keep showing up, it makes a big difference. "We also managed to get a sponsor this year for the first time - Cuchulainn Crystal, who are located beside the football field. So, things are looking up." Tweet

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