Out of luck
November 30, 2009up nearer the bottom than the top of their section and well out of contention for a place in the business end of the race for the Keegan Cup.
Last year Trim were coached by former Louth manager Paddy Clarke, the man who guided Kilmainhamwood to their 1996 SFC triumph, but they failed to emerge from the group stages for the second successive year when finishing second from bottom of their division after achieving just one victory over the 'Wood who were later relegated back to the intermediate ranks.
Kevin Walsh took over as coach for this year's campaign and Trim again managed just one victory, this time over Rathkenny in the opening round, but that was followed by a two point loss to one of the main contenders for the title, Wolfe Tones, a minimum margin loss to Dunshaughlin and another two point reversal against last year's beaten finalists Summerhill. To say they didn't have much in the way of good fortune would be putting it mildly.
When the championship draws were made earlier in the year Trim came out in group C and the match they appeared most likely to win was in the first round against Rathkenny who were playing in their third senior campaign since winning the intermediate title in 2006. That game took place in Simonstown and brought the desired winning start.
Trim welcomed back former Meath netminder Brendan Murphy after a stint with Longford Town in the League of Ireland and he was highly assured between the posts as they secured a comfortable victory on a 0-16 to 0-5 score line.
Another former Meath player Darren Fay was as good as ever in the centre half-back position, Paul Gilsenan was superb at midfield and Eoin McGrath showed up to good effect in attack. It was still all to play for at half-time when Trim held a narrow 0-5 to 0-3 lead, but they grasped the initiative on the restart and pushed into a commanding 0-11 to 0-3 advantage.
By the time the final whistle sounded they were 11 points to the good, but they hadn't been adequately tested by a very disappointing Rathkenny side. Gilsenan was their top marksman with five points, three of them from frees, and Michael Lowther and McGrath rowed in with three points each.
One thing was certain as Trim headed for Pairc Tailteann and a second round meeting with 2006 champions Wolfe Tones - things would be a great deal tougher. However, this was a match the reds might well have got something out of, but a failure to turn sufficient amounts of possession into scores cost them dearly.
They were looking good at the interval when leading by 0-6 to 0-5 after playing against the wind, but were rocked by a goal from Niall McLoughlin seven minutes into the second period. That gave Wolfe Tones a 1-6 to 0-6 advantage and though Trim restored parity a few times after that they just couldn't hit the front again and Tones finished best to shade the verdict.
Meath's substitute goalkeeper Niall Murray was back between the posts for this match and Trim relied on him to produce a string of great saves, but at the opposite end of the field too many opportunities were missed on a day when Gilsenan top-scored again, this time with four pointed frees, Lowther contributed three and McGrath got two.
The opportunity to bounce back from that defeat and keep their qualification drive alive came with another visit to Pairc Tailteann, this time for a third round meeting with Dunshaughlin who had beaten them by four points in last year's final round of group matches. It was significantly closer this time, but Trim again came out on the wrong end of the result.
Dunshaughlin won by a point on a 1-15 to 2-11 score line, but Trim probably deserved at least a draw as they had what appeared to be a perfectly good point from Ciaran Joyce ruled out 10 minutes into the second half.
They started very encouragingly and Mark McCormack gave them a big boost with a goal which helped open up a 1-3 to 0-0 lead. But they failed to build on that great opening and by the time the interval was reached Dunshaughlin had recovered sufficiently to move into a 0-10 to 1-5 advantage.
That all changed when Neil Heffernan scored a goal and a point early in the second period to leave Trim two clear, but when Conor Staunton notched Dunshaughlin's goal 12 minutes from the end they were on level terms, 1-12 to 2-9. The men in black and amber just did enough after that to seal victory, but Heffernan was unlucky not to net again late in the match when his effort was deflected out for a '45'.
There was still plenty to play for when Trim made a third successive championship journey to Pairc Tailteann for their final group assignment against Summerhill where a 3-5 to 2-10 defeat signalled the end of their qualification hopes and put the 'Hill through.
Just as was the case against Dunshaughlin, Trim made a great start when Ciaran Joyce found the net after seven minutes, but boosted by a goal from Sean Dalton Summerhill moved into a 1-4 to 1-2 interval lead. Worryingly for Trim, Darren Fay didn't reappear for the second period and Summerhill made hay in his absence, opening up a 2-8 to 1-3 advantage by the 42nd minute after Dalton had goaled again.
But Trim had absolutely no intentions of throwing in the towel despite the eight-point deficit and rocked the 'Hill with goals from substitute Derek Donohoe and Eoin McGrath to revive their hopes. The gap stood at just two points with nine minutes remaining, but they couldn't catch last year's runners-up despite their best efforts and there was to be no knockout action.
Trim player Mark McCormack has had a year to remember as he got married to Trim woman Michelle Gilbane in early August, having spent approximately six months in Australia last year. He is a son of former well known hurling referee Martin McCormack who was a guiding light when Trim reached the SFC final in 2002 where they were beaten by three in-a-row victors Dunshaughlin. Martin played club hurling with Kildalkey for many years.
"We considered ourselves unlucky not to get out of the group," said Mark McCormack. "We thought we could qualify. The championship started with a win over Rathkenny. With all respects to Rathkenny, we are probably a bit better than them and the comfortable win didn't go to our heads.
"That win gave us confidence going into the match against Wolfe Tones. We thought we could at least put it up to them or maybe even beat them. But we didn't take our chances and paid the price. That was a game we really could have won.
"We could have beaten Dunshaughlin as well. Trim teams usually take time to get going in games, but we started very well in that match and opened up a six-point lead. But we have a habit of fading at the most important time in games. We lost by a point which was very disappointing."
But Trim were still in the running for a qualification place as they prepared to play last year's beaten finalists Summerhill in the final round.
"Darren Fay went off injured at half-time in the Summerhill game," Mark added. "He had a back injury. Our captain Maudie Power didn't start because of injury, but he came on for Darren. Just to have Darren there is great and he was a big loss to us in the second half. His experience is a big factor. He's a big man in every sense of the word.
"But we just didn't play well enough in that game and got only eight scores. I know that three of them were goals and goals often win games, but against a team of Summerhill's quality which had reached the final last year it wasn't enough."
It's now a case of looking to the future for the Trim footballers who are still searching for a first Senior Championship title since 1962.
"We need to strengthen the panel," Mark said. "We have some good substitutes, but we don't have too many young players coming through, unlike other clubs which seem to have a conveyor belt of lads coming through. A lot of lads have been on the go for a good while and have plenty of miles on the clock. Fresh legs are needed."
Trim weren't exactly blessed with good fortune in the 2009 championship, with narrow defeats generally the order of the day, but there was enough in their performances to suggest that they could well get the opportunity to play knockout football next year.
Hurlers miss out
A familiar figure was back at the helm of the Trim senior hurling team this year, but there was further disappointment for one of the real traditional powers in the small ball code in the county as they again failed to reach the knockout stages of the championship.
John Andrews is probably too young to be called a living legend, but he is certainly a leading light on the hurling scene in Trim. The former Monaghan and Meath manager won four Senior Championship medals with the club as a player and guided them to three Jubilee Cups in a coaching capacity.
Another of the club's top players of the modern era, Declan Murray, was the manager last year when Trim struggled to hold onto their status in the top flight, with a victory over Killyon in their final group match saving them from the dreaded prospect of a relegation dogfight.
But this year Andrews was back as the red brigade attempted to do much better and, while they weren't haunted by the terrible prospect of slipping down to the intermediate ranks which is almost unimaginable for a club which has won 26 senior titles, they also didn't make it through to play knockout hurling.
Trim's section of the SHC included the reigning champions Kilmessan, who went on to add the provincial intermediate title late last year, as well as Navan O'Mahonys, Rathmolyon, Clann na nGael and 2008 IHC winners Gaeil Colmcille. Getting out of the group wasn't going to be easy, but with half the teams getting a bite at the knockout action via the quarter or semi-finals they had some grounds for optimism.
When the championship action got under way in early May Gaeil Colmcille provided the opposition on a Saturday evening in Athboy and the result rarely looked in doubt as Trim scored a 1-13 to 0-9 victory. A 13th minute goal from Neil Heffernan helped them to a 1-8 to 0-2 interval lead and though they eased up in the second half and the Kells men improved, the victory margin was still seven points.
Gay Kennedy was highly impressive at the heart of the Trim defence, while the main scoring contributions came from Joey Toole who notched seven points and Heffernan who added a brace of points to his goal. It was the winning start Andrews would have wanted, but far more searching tests awaited.
One of them came in the second round at Pairc Tailteann against an improving O'Mahonys' team which scored with regularity to win by 0-19 to 0-10. Trim were far too reliant on Toole's accuracy and he rowed in with eight points of their tally, seven of them from frees. The ace attacker fired over an 80-metre free and Heffernan also split the uprights to leave their side ahead by 0-2 to 0-1 early on, but that was the only time they led.
O'Mahonys finished the first half well to lead by 0-8 to 0-5 at the break and, while Trim managed to stay in touch in the early stages of the second period, the Navan men gradually assumed control and were nine points clear at the final whistle. The long break while Meath participated in the Nicky Rackard Cup suited nobody on the club front, but Trim resumed with a victory.
That came against Clann na nGael at Pairc Tailteann where a Heffernan goal 11 minutes from the end proved highly significant in a 1-11 to 0-11 success. Andrews' team started brightly and opened up a 0-5 to 0-0 advantage after 11 minutes, with Toole contributing four fine points, but Clann na nGael recovered sufficiently to be on level terms (0-6 each) at the change of ends.
Trim also started the second half well thanks to points from Toole and Douglas, but Clann na nGael came back again to lead by 0-10 to 0-9. Toole levelled the scores from a free and Heffernan got the all important goal after Colm Doyle's clearance was broken down brilliantly by Niall Murray. The sides exchanged points after that and Trim had secured their second championship victory from three outings.
But a true test of their progress was around the corner against Kilmessan who were looking good to make it back to back titles at that stage. The eagerly-awaited clash took place at Ratoath where a phenomenal contribution of 14 points from Toole, made up of 11 frees, one line cut and two scores from play, was a highlight.
But that tally just wasn't enough as a 50th minute goal by an unmarked Ger O'Neill proved vital for the champions who won by 1-16 to 0-17. It meant that after four rounds Kilmessan were on top of the pile with a maximum haul of eight points, followed by O'Mahonys on five, Trim and Clann na nGael on four, Rathmolyon on three and Gaeil Colmcille on zero.
When Trim and Rathmolyon met in the last round of group matches they both had everything to play for, but the conditions at Kiltale favoured nobody and made good hurling next to impossible. This was a physical encounter in which Rathmolyon's Eamon Regan and Gary Cole and Trim's Alan Douglas were sent off in the second half.
Toole for Trim and Daniel Whelan for Rathmolyon scored first half goals and the Village were marginally ahead by 1-3 to 1-2 at the break. Gary Cole found the net for Rathmolyon four minutes into the second half, but Toole replied with a goal for Trim to keep the contest very much in the melting pot.
Whelan's second goal appeared to hand Rathmolyon the initiative as they went three points ahead, but Niall Murray had the final say when his goal three minutes into injury time earned Trim a draw (3-5 each). However, it was an outcome that suited neither team as results elsewhere conspired to leave both of them out of contention for the quarter or semi-finals.
Kilmessan had totally dominated group B, taking maximum points from their five matches, and the two quarter-final spots were claimed by Clann na nGael on six points and O'Mahonys with five. Luckless Trim were also on five, but the Navan men went through on the back of their earlier victory over the reds. It was a painful way to exit the championship.
This was the vastly experienced Ronan Fitzsimons' 14th season playing at senior level for Trim and the dual player is the holder of four Senior Hurling Championship medals with the club, won in 1995, 1998, 2000 and 2001.
Club football hasn't been so kind to him, however, and he tasted defeat in two Senior Championship finals - in 1997 when Navan O'Mahonys foiled them and in 2002 when Dunshaughlin beat them to claim the title for the third successive year.
Ronan was happy with the way Trim started the 2009 SHC, but was disappointed that they didn't advance from their group.
"It was a big disappointment," he said. "We hoped to get out of the group and take it from there. We hoped we could improve in the knockout stages and get a run going. We had a good win against Gaeil Colmcille to start with. We faded in the second half, but we were happy with the win. We were getting going slowly but surely.
"The performance against O'Mahonys was disappointing. Trim never played at all in that game. In the end that defeat cost us. They went through because they beat us in that match. We didn't play overly well against Clann na nGael, but still beat them. The long break between the second and third rounds didn't help. It was a poor game, but we were happy to win.
"We were just beaten by Kilmessan. I think some people thought it was going to be easy for Kilmessan, but we had some good training sessions leading up to that game. With a bit of luck we might have got something out of that game, but we were happy with the way we played. We were improving.
"It was an awful day when we played Rathmolyon in Kiltale. An intermediate hurling game had been played on the pitch the evening before and a camogie challenge that morning. The pitch was barely playable. There were a few skirmishes; the pitch didn't help.
"We were happy at half-time when we were a point behind after playing into the wind, but they got two goals in the second half. We got a late goal to earn a draw and we thought we were through, but other results went against us. It was a disappointment, but that's the way it goes."
Looking ahead, how does Ronan view Trim's prospects in the championship of 2010 and beyond?
"The age profile of the team isn't particularly old, but there is a good crossover of lads playing football, seven or eight" he added. "It can be hard to get either going. It's a tricky one. But we have good young lads coming through and that's a hopeful sign for the future." Tweet
