If the injuries recede, Oldcastle will prosper
November 27, 2010Back in 2002 Oldcastle were relegated down to the intermediate grade when they lost the senior relegation shootout to Summerhill. Within six years they were in danger of falling into the junior ranks, but survived in the middle grade thanks to a play-off victory over Ballivor.
That was a dismal day, weather wise, at Martry and despite Oldcastle's easy win over the Ballivor men nobody could possibly have predicted that within a year they would be intermediate champions. But they achieved that triumph in style, beating Kilmainhamwood decisively in the final, and could look forward to playing with the big boys in the senior championship this year.
Seamus Kiernan worked wonders with Oldcastle last year and was still at the helm this term, with Brendan Halpin, Liam McPartland and Mickey Kavanagh acting as selectors. Maintaining their premier status would have been the main priority at the start of the year, but Oldcastle didn't have the luck of the championship draw and they were certainly cursed on the injury front with several key players missing at various stages of the campaign.
They came out in group C which looked ultra tough as it also included 2008 winners Navan O'Mahonys, the team they beat in that year's final Summerhill, a talented Donaghmore/Ashbourne side and Duleek/Bellewstown who demonstrated remarkable improvement this year.
It couldn't have been any more challenging when the race for the Keegan Cup began back in April. O'Mahonys were the fancy of many to regain their title and provided the first round opposition at Athboy where Oldcastle made a productive start and led by 0-6 to 0-3 at the interval thanks to points from Paddy Gilsenan (three), Alan McCann, Ronan Farrelly and Vincent Reynolds.
The danger signs were apparent in the opening half when Stephen Bray and Henry Finnegan, from a penalty, missed goal chances for O'Mahonys and the Brews Hill team resumed smartly when Paddy Smyth netted from a penalty and Bray and Ross Geraghty scored points.
Bray also notched a second half goal and Oldcastle's only scores in this period were points from frees by Gilsenan (three) and Paddy Rahill as O'Mahonys won by 2-9 to 0-10. There were some encouraging signs for Kiernan's men who had a bye in the second round ahead of a meeting with Duleek/Bellewstown at Pairc Tailteann.
Even with a mounting injury list this match offered an opportunity to secure maximum points and Oldcastle were looking good when they held a four-point lead with 11 minutes remaining. However, they conceded the last four points and had to settle for a share of the spoils as it finished 1-7 each.
Oldcastle had made a very good start when Ronan Farrelly kicked two points from play and Rahill got another, but they held only a 0-3 to 0-2 advantage at the end of the opening quarter. Barry Curran scored their fourth point, but disaster struck on 22 minutes when 'keeper Sean Fox failed to deal with Casey Dunne's centre and Stephen Nolan goaled for Duleek/Bellewstown.
Rahill's point had Oldcastle level (0-5 to 1-2) at the interval after Eoin Gilsenan had missed an easy goal chance and they were a point to the good at the three-quarter stage after Paddy and Eoin Gilsenan had added to their points tally.
When Paddy Gilsenan goaled 11 minutes from the end they led by 1-7 to 1-3 and looked to be on course for victory, but Duleek/Bellewstown rallied and eventually secured a draw when Tony Cunningham pointed. It was a disappointment for Oldcastle who had surrendered a winning position.
Athboy was the venue for a meeting with Donaghmore/Ashbourne and it was all to play for at the break when the sides were level (0-8 to 1-5) after Andrew Tormey had goaled from a penalty for Andy McEntee's men. Oldcastle edged ahead on the restart, but a second Tormey goal proved decisive as the team with the very long name won by 2-13 to 0-12.
As was the case against Duleek/Bellewstown, Oldcastle were found wanting in the closing stages when they concluded their group campaign against Summerhill at Pairc Tailteann. This time they gave away a goal and were beaten by the minimum (0-10 to 1-8) which meant the 'Hill were safe and they were in the relegation mire.
Reynolds gave Oldcastle an early lead, but then missed a couple of chances, before Paddy Gilsenan, Ronan Farrelly and Barry Curran pointed to leave them four clear at the end of the first quarter. It got even better when Eoin Gilsenan, Terry and Ronan Farrelly added to their tally for a 0-7 to 0-1 interval cushion.
They were comfortably in front by 0-9 to 0-3 near the three-quarter stage after Reynolds and Ronan Farrelly had been on the mark, but their only other point came from a Reynolds free which left them ahead by 0-10 to 0-6 with eight minutes remaining. They still looked likely to win, but their fortunes changed dramatically.
Points from Stephen Kennedy and Brian Ennis gave Summerhill hope and when substitute Bobby Lyons scrambled home a goal after Fox had parried an initial shot Oldcastle were left beaten, shattered and in relegation trouble. The one point they secured in that draw with Duleek/Bellewstown was never going to be enough and they finished bottom of the section.
The relegation battle was fought out on a round robin system, with Simonstown getting it under way with a 0-17 to 1-12 win over St Ultan's at Kilberry. The Bohermeen/Martry combination were really under pressure when they faced Oldcastle in the second match at Ballinlough and they surrendered their senior status only two years after securing it.
This was a battle of the previous two intermediate champions and Oldcastle scored a thoroughly merited 2-13 to 2-3 victory to secure their footing in the senior championship and leave the third round robin game between themselves and Simonstown meaningless.
Oldcastle started well and boosted by a superb goal from Paddy Gilsenan they led by 1-3 to 0-1. Ronan Farrelly scored a second goal, but St Ultan's got one of their own from a Cian Rennicks penalty and they trailed by 1-2 to 2-4 at the change of ends. Oldcastle pushed clear and a second Ultan's goal from Gary Gorman was no more than a consolation score. Paddy Gilsenan made a personal contribution of 1-5 to a victory which brought a mixture of relief and joy.
"We certainly didn't have any luck with the draw," said coach Seamus Kiernan. "The fact that only two teams got out of the group made it harder. Hopefully, it won't be as hard next year. It would have been dreadful to go back down and it was so important to survive.
"We had problems all year with injuries. Sean Rahill damaged his cruciate ligament in training and didn't play again. Rory McHugh broke a bone in his hand playing with the Meath juniors against Wicklow. Colm Caffrey broke his leg in a Feis Cup game against Ballinlough. That was three of our backs gone. Our defence was decimated.
"Paddy Rahill later did his cruciate and Paddy Gilsenan broke his finger playing with the Meath under-21s. Eoin Gilsenan also got injured with the under-21s. In the game against Summerhill Richie Kellett tore ligaments. He had gained his place this year, but he didn't play for the rest of the season.
"It was one of those years with injuries. We didn't lose anybody to emigration, but injuries were a huge problem. Luckily, Ronan Farrelly and Robbie Pakenham were there to boost us."
The injury jinks hadn't struck seriously when Oldcastle opened the championship against O'Mahonys.
"We were well up for it against O'Mahonys," Seamus added. "We drew with them in the league and led by three points at half-time in the championship game. We gave away a goal from a penalty and that brought them back into it. We stayed in touch, but their second goal killed us.
"We were decimated numbers wise when we played Duleek/Bellewstown, but we probably should have won. We led by four points with 11 minutes left, but fair play to Duleek/Bellewstown, they reeled off the last four points to draw.
"We were drawing at half-time against Donaghmore/Ashbourne and could have been a couple of points up at that stage, but they got on top in the second half and won comfortably.
"Against Summerhill we led by six points at half-time and were playing lovely football. They came back and with 40 seconds to go they got a goal to go ahead. We had no time to recover. It was disappointing, but they learned from that. You have to play to the end. It was the same against Duleek/Bellewstown. If we had taken four points from those games who knows what might have happened.
"The lads knuckled down well for the St Ultan's game. Rory McHugh had come back for the Summerhill match and we also had him against St Ultan's. The injury situation had improved by that stage, but we were still without four of the team from last year's intermediate final.
"They did what they had to do and won well. We hope to get promoted to Division 1 of the league. That's a priority. We need a cleaner bill of health next year. I don't think we can be so unlucky again."
A home to be proud of
When Bishop Michael Smith, an Oldcastle native, performed the official blessing of Oldcastle's fabulous facilities at Millbrook on the May Bank Holiday Monday this year it was the culmination of a huge amount of work by the club over many years.
The land at Millbrook was purchased from the Land Commission in 1969 for less than £700 and a look at the end result demonstrates what a great buy it was. The magnificent pitch is a major feature, as is the covered stand for spectators and the impressive clubhouse. Overall, it's a tremendous facility.
A highlight of the day was a senior football challenge match in which Down defeated Meath by 1-14 to 0-13 as the championship build-up continued. Paddy Gilsenan started at right corner-forward and scored two points, while Eoin Gilsenan was in the other corner and contributed a point. Cian McPartland and Sean Fox were introduced as substitutes
The sun shines on Millbrook's opening
The sun shone approvingly on Oldcastle's special day last May when one of the parish's own sons Bishop Michael Smith performed the blessing to mark the official opening of the club's superb ground at Millbrook, just outside the town.
Approximately six months earlier there was another special day at Pairc Tailteann in Navan when Oldcastle put a few difficult years firmly behind them by winning the Intermediate Football Championship in great style and returning to the senior ranks from where they had been demoted in 2002.
Oldcastle cherished their years in the senior championship and reached the final in 1998 when they were beaten by Dunboyne. Now that they are back in the top flight they would dearly love to win a first senior title and club chairman Leo Halpin expressed the feelings of all Oldcastle people present at the Millbrook opening when he said he hoped the next time such a huge crowd was at the venue it would be to welcome the Keegan Cup.
If the trophy which has been presented to the winners of the senior championship since 1953 does make its way to Millbrook at any time in the future it will visit a hugely impressive facility which is a tremendous credit to all those who were involved in its development down the years.
Bishop Smith was clearly impressed by what he saw. "Anything that enhances the community, especially for the many young people, has to be applauded," he said. "This is a tremendous testimony to Leo Halpin and all involved in the development. The club is making an immense contribution to the community."
The pitch looked superb as Down and Meath played a challenge match as part of the opening and under-10 teams from Oldcastle, Moylagh, St Brigid's and Ballinlough also got an opportunity to try it out. Of course, the venue had staged a big game last November when Oldcastle played Maynooth in the Leinster Club IFC.
Paddy and Owen Gilsenan both started for Meath in the defeat to the Mourne men and Cian McPartland and Seanie Fox were introduced as substitutes. That added a strong local flavour to the action
The decision to purchase the land at Millbrook from the Land Commission back in 1969 was certainly a prudent one. A sum of less that £700 probably represented a big amount back then, but it now looks like a real bargain when the extent of the development is taken into consideration.
Millbrook was always a sports field and was rented from the Harman family for a nominal fee. Millbrook GFC used it around the 1950s and 1960s and it was also used for hurling, camogie and athletics. The Land Commission took it over in the 1960s and an approach was made to them about buying it, which happened in '69. Millbrook was used up to the early 1980s when Gilson Park in Oldcastle was upgraded with dressingrooms, a new pitch, etc.
"It was a big operation," said Oldcastle club chairman Leo Halpin about the Millbrook development. "We had a serious amount of work to carry out, but it was well worth it. We even had to move a river. We had serious problems with drainage, but we got it right.
"We bought an additional piece of land which was adjoining the ground. That enabled us to make the pitch longer and we provided a car park and an additional training pitch. It's all floodlit and we have an electronic scoreboard. We also developed a running track around the pitch. That's very helpful for training. Every little bit helps.
"We have a new clubhouse and a covered stand area for spectators which will come in handy when the weather is wet. I'm very pleased with it all. We still have a few little things to do, but we're delighted with what we have done.
"Thankfully, we got good funding from the National Lottery a few years ago which was a big help to us, but we're still looking for anything we can get."
When the decision was made over four decades ago to purchase the land at Millbrook from the Land Commission it was certainly an inspired one and the end result is something the Oldcastle club can be justifiably proud of.
"It sounded like a lot of money back then, but the people who were involved in acquiring the land did a great job," Leo added. "Brendan Smith was a big driving force behind it all. He is still a trustee of the club. I came up with the idea to develop Millbrook and went down to see what Frank Govern thought.
"He thought it sounded like a good idea and said we should go ahead with it. Frank did a tremendous amount of work on the project. He was brilliant, but sadly he never got to see it completed."
With Millbrook successfully developed Oldcastle are now the owners of two very good homes and with the club fielding so many teams in various grades this should make things a great deal more straight forward when it comes to facilitating them all for training and games.
"We also have Gilson Park in Oldcastle," Leo said. "That's a prized possession. It's very handy for the schools to use and we also train on it. It helps to take the pressure off the Millbrook pitch. We're about to tighten up Gilson Park. Having the two grounds is a great plus when you are fielding a lot of teams.
"We start at under-12 and also field under-14, 16, minor, under-21, junior C and senior teams. Ladies' football is also very big in the club. A lot of work goes into it from people like John McNamee and John McEnroe. There's a lot of demand on the pitches with all those teams to look after."
The weather in Ireland can be very hit and miss, even during the summer months, and it's even known to rain from time to time! As a result, organising committees need to have a bit of luck on their side. But Oldcastle got it spot on when they chose the May Bank Holiday Monday this year to hold their official opening and blessing of the Millbrook ground.
"We were blessed with very good weather for the opening which was great, a big help," Leo added. "The whole day went off very well."
The Millbrook Development Committee has thanked all those who helped in any way towards the project, including Oldcastle GFC for its great support; the fundraisers, especially those involved with the blotto and the annual car draw, and any outside bodies, including other clubs.
They also expressed their thanks to groundsman Larry Smith for all his valuable work.
Oldcastle experienced a few less than happy years on the field of play as they suffered demotion from the senior championship in 2002 when they lost the relegation play-off to Summerhill on a dreadfully cold and wet day in Kells. Six years later they were on the brink of falling into the junior ranks, but hung on when they beat Ballivor in the intermediate relegation decider on another bleak day at Martry.
But the talent was clearly there and a wonderful campaign culminated in a brilliant victory over Kilmainhamwood in the intermediate final last autumn. It represented a dramatic turnaround in the fortunes of the team in a very short space of time and Leo was as thrilled as anybody associated with the club after that triumph.
"Winning the intermediate championship last year was a great thing for the parish," he remarked. "It was great to go back up to the senior ranks. We had an awful lot of injuries this year, but we have great young players coming through. Seamus Kiernan is a brilliant man and with a clean bill of health we can give the senior championship a good run."
With their safety secured in the senior championship this year Oldcastle participated in the All-Ireland Intermediate Sevens competition in Ratoath and adapted very well to the particular demands of this type of football, reaching the final after a long and successful schedule. They were beaten by Westport, 0-4 to 0-5.
"We did very well in the All-Ireland Intermediate Sevens in Ratoath," Leo said. "We lost the final to Westport by only a point. We beat the champions from Kerry, Tyrone, Galway, Down and Dublin along the way which was a big achievement. Fatigue was what beat us in the final, but it was a great competition and it was very well organised."
The Oldcastle panel consisted of Tommy Rahill, who received the player of the tournament award, Barry Curran, Eoin Gilsenan, Paddy Gilsenan, Conor McHugh, Alan McCann, Shane Farrelly, Robbie Farrelly, Noel McEnroe and Darren Hawdon.
The Oldcastle club has reaped the rich rewards of a great deal of hard and committed work recently - on and off the field of play. Last year's intermediate championship success took little time to plan compared to the Millbrook project, but both were equally satisfying on completion. Tweet
