Upon the break-up of the great team of the '90s, many predicted the imminent demise of Stabannon Parnells as a senior entity. Some even suggested that the former kingpins would slip rapidly back to the obscurity of junior football. However, a defiant new breed of Stabannon footballer is emerging. These proud young men are a resolute, resilient lot. Padraig Lynch typifies 'The New Stabannon'. The begrudgers gathered, like vultures around a fresh carcass, ready to feast upon the deceased shell of Stabannon Parnells GFC. However, when they swooped, they met with unexpected resistance. There was new blood coursing through the veins of the felled beast and it rose defiantly to its feet, stunning its attackers with fierce counterblows. It would appear, after all, that rumours of Stabannon's demise were greatly exaggerated. When the team that scooped four Joe Ward Cups during the 1990s gradually dissolved, the general consensus among football followers in the Wee County was that Stabannon might cave in altogether. After all, this was a small rural club that had been existing above its means … not just rubbing shoulders with the big boys but invariably beating them. During their glorious era, Stabannon were the envy of most clubs in the county. While some acknowledged their achievements and recognised their greatness, others envied what they accomplished. The green-eyed monster is unforgiving. Thus, the disaffected prepared to celebrate… Meanwhile, within the parish of Stabannon a siege mentality manifested. They knew there were detractors out there who would derive immense satisfaction from any capitulation that might come to pass. This realisation strengthened their resolve. By God, they would hold their senior status. There were new players coming through. These lads had been brought up on a staple diet of success, looking on in admiration as Stabannon ruled the roost. Growing up, they idolised the men who were bringing glory to the parish. They determined that they would do likewise. These players are now filtering onto the Stabannon first team and they are proving a particularly tough nut to crack. So much so that Stabannon have never really looked like losing their senior status no matter how enthusiastically the 'experts' have foretold (or prayed for) it. Indeed, contrary to what was widely predicted, Stabannon again managed to consolidate their senior status in 2004, albeit with victory over Naomh Malachi on the final day of the season. They remain a force to be reckoned with in the SFC and there appears to be a greater likelihood of the mid-Louth men reaching the latter stages of the premier competition than suffering relegation. The new players coming into the first team are readymade chips off the old block. Padraig Lynch, for example, has been first-choice full back for three years - since he was 16! He's a lionhearted performer, epitomising everything that's encouraging about Stabannon #2004. Padraig was a central player on the side that once again left the doomsayers bewildered in the season gone by. Stabannon almost reached the knock-out stage of the senior championship and were one of the most unflinching teams in Division 1B of the all-county league. They made a good start to the year and never looked back. Towards the end of the season, they flirted with relegation. It all came down to a winner-takes-all meeting with Naomh Malachi in the final round of Division 1B. Stabannon held their nerve to stay up. So, despite the obvious disappointment of losing to St Brides in the SFC for the third time in two years - a result which ultimately cost them a place in the business end of the competition - Stabannon can look back upon '04 with a large degree of satisfaction. Once again, the critics had been silenced, nay gagged… Reflecting on their performance in the 2004 Louth SFC (Stabannon finished third in Group C, behind Glyde and St Brides but ahead of Dundalk Gaels), Padraig admits: "We were disappointed not to get out of the group. We thought this would be our year and we were determined to get out of the group to show that the heavy defeat against St Pats in the 2003 quarter-final was a one-off. "After beating the Gaels [0-7 to 0-6 at Ardee on May 23], we gave a good show against Glyde before losing narrowly (1-5 to 1-4 at Louth village on June 19]." The final group game was against 2002 finalists St Brides on July 10 and was effectively an eliminator, with the winner guaranteed to progress. Unfortunately, the Knockbridge men had the upper hand and prevailed by 2-9 to 0-7. "When it comes to the Brides we just don't seem to dislike them enough," Padraig muses. "We should probably have more of a rivalry with them. Even though we had lost to them twice in the group stage last year and were gunning for revenge, we couldn't rise to the challenge and they beat us again, which was very disappointing." In mitigation, Stabannon lost two key players - captain Colm Quinn and Cathal Halpenny - in the first 20 minutes, which left them with a real mountain to climb. "It's very hard for a small club to recover from a double blow like that," says the team's full back. "But Brides were the better team on the day and we can't argue with that fact." Ken Reilly took charge of team affairs in 2004, ably assisted by John Cunningham and Frank Lynch. A number of men trained the side at different times during the year, including Monaghan men Nudie Hughes, Gerry Treanor, Gerry Hoey as well as Ken Reilly and Fergal Bell. "We can't use that as an excuse though," says Padraig, "because the training was always varied and was enjoyable." Had Stabannon beaten the Brides in the Group C decider, they'd have faced Cooley Kickhams at the quarter-final stage. Such an outing would have represented the perfect setting to show that what befell the Green & Golds in the last eight the previous year was a cruel flash in the pan. While the fixture never materialised, Stabannon at least proved the knockers wrong by preserving their top-flight status: "People have been waiting for us to fall for five or six years but we're still up there competing. They can keep trying to put us down but they won't succeed. When the big clubs feel that they can put us down to intermediate or junior level, it only adds to our determination. "There's great team spirit in Stabannon and we have the bond that is associated with rural clubs. Even though we only have the bare 20, we have unity and we want to play for the parish. There's a spirit here that will not be broken. People might think we're ready to fade but we showed in the league in 2004 that we can still hold our own and we still have a midfield pairing that's better than anyone else we came up against during the year. "We're well able to hold our own and we're hoping that when the young lads gain more experience we'll get even better. "The team had changed a lot in the past two or three years. We have a side consisting solely of players from the parish and at least half the team are under 23. People think we're an old team but there's plenty of 18-year-olds and 21-year-olds playing every week. There are a few older lads on every team in the county, and we're no different. Pat Butterly decided to retire after the championship in 2004, so there'll be even more young lads getting their chance in 2005. "And these lads will be determined, As a club, we've proven people wrong. We haven't collapsed. The hunger is still there." As Padraig Lynch and his peers grew up, the diet in Stabannon was one of endless glory. They looked on, enchanted, from the sidelines as the Parnells romped to SFC triumphs in 1991, '94, '96 and '97. That team was an inspiration, as the current full back reveals: "When you were a young lad, you always wanted to play with the club and I couldn't wait. I watched the exploits of that team and I wanted to do the same. I certainly didn't think I'd break into the team when I was 16 and that I'd get to play with most of those lads who won senior championships. That was a great experience. "Those fellas always had a good long summer. But I think there could be a senior championship in the present team. I don't want to be remembered for playing for the club for 15 years and winning nothing. We want to win things - a league or a championship or an ACC Cup. That's what we aspire towards. The junior team had a great year in 2004, which was great for the club, because the more games each player gets the better it is for everybody." Padraig was on the Louth minor team in 2002 and 2003. (In '03, the Wee County were very unlucky to lose to Dublin in a provincial semi-final replay.) In 2004, he was full back on the DKIT side that won the All-Ireland Freshers competition - a wonderful achievement. "That was a great win for Dundalk," he recollects. "I never played on a team before where there was so much craic and such a good camaraderie. We went up to the pitch every day and trained together. "It was a great experience to beat Carlow in the semi-final, because they had six of Laois' All-Ireland minor winning team. Nobody gave us a chance but we beat them by a point, which proves that it's not necessarily the best players who win games but the hungriest ones. We had players from Louth, Cavan, Monaghan and Leitrim on our team. There's not too many players from those counties winning All-Irelands these days, so we were delighted to win it and we followed it up with a week of celebrating!" Alas, Stabannon may have had little to celebrate, but it was nonetheless a fairly decent year. What was their target at the outset? "To get a few wins under our belt early on and to get safe in the league, so that the pressure would be off and we could enjoy our championship football. The more you enjoy it, the better you play. We ended up closer to the bottom of the table than we had hoped, but it worked our alright in the end." And the target for 2005? "At the start of the year, every team will start out hoping to hold their own. We're hoping to go one better and reach the quarter-finals. We're still upset over the 2003 quarter-final and we'd like to get back there and set the record straight. What we really want is to beat one of the big teams in the championship. We'd like to take some major scalps…" Finally, Padraig was keen to pay tribute to Stabannon's great man Mickey Reynolds, who passed away during the year, much to the sadness of everybody associated with Stabannon Parnells GFC and, indeed, Louth GAA. Mickey was a great influence on and example to every player who has pulled on a Stabannon shirt in the past 50 years and more. The young full back acknowledges the tremendous esteem in which Mickey was held: "Mickey Reynolds was the father figure of our club. You could say he was Mr Stabannon. He was involved in everything the club did and he was always around to help out. He will be greatly missed, but we hope to do his memory proud. Mickey will never be forgotten in Stabannon and we're more determined than ever now to win something - as a tribute to one of our all-time great clubmen." Tweet

Most Read Stories