Transition time in Trim
November 27, 2010Darren Fay, in the eyes of many, was the best full-back ever to play for Meath and the man who won All-Ireland medals in 1996 and 1999 took over the Trim hot seat at a time when the team was very much in transition. They had achieved promotion from Division 2 of the A League late last year after a championship campaign which delivered less than it might have.
Trim were somewhat unfortunate in the qualification stages as they opened up with a comfortable victory over Rathkenny, but went on to suffer narrow defeats against Wolfe Tones (two points), Dunshaughlin (one point) and Summerhill (two points). They avoided a relegation dogfight, but with a bit of luck they might have got themselves into the knockout action.
For the 2010 senior championship they were drawn in group B which also included Skryne, Simonstown, St Patrick's, Wolfe Tones again and Dunboyne and their opening assignment against the Stamullen men at Walterstown afforded an early opportunity to get some points in the bag, even with an understrength team.
However, the concession of four goals meant Trim were never likely to win and in the circumstances they did very well to come away with a draw as it finished 2-12 to 4-6. In an unusual looking lineout they started with Fay at centre-forward, Brendan Murphy at full-forward and Michael Lowther at full-back.
St Patrick's started very brightly and with Barry Campbell registering 1-2 in the first 10 minutes they were looking good. Eoin McGrath kept Trim well in touch with a goal, but with Niall Mooney scoring two more goals for the Stamullen men (one penalty) they opened up a 3-3 to 1-4 interval lead.
Daithi Whyte notched their fourth goal and Trim appeared to be in real trouble, but they produced a spirited rally which included a Neil Heffernan goal and which culminated in McGrath getting the equalising point. Whyte edged St Pat's to the front again, but Heffernan had the last say when he slotted over a late free to force a draw.
Trim's performance in the second round against Wolfe Tones at Pairc Tailteann was poor and they missed good chances in the first quarter as Tones opened up a 0-6 to 0-0 lead. Their only score of the opening period was a Heffernan goal on 20 minutes and the interval deficit stood at 1-0 to 0-8.
Substitute Derek Donohoe finally got Trim's first point seven minutes into the second half and when another replaced, their recruit from Boardsmill Keith Hamilton, added a second they were behind by 1-2 to 0-9 approaching the end of the third quarter. Nine wides in that period seriously undermined Trim's chances of making a recovery and their only other point was scored by Paul Gilsenan.
Summerhill was the venue for a third round meeting with Dunboyne and Trim looked capable of producing a shock when they opened up a 1-2 to 0-1 advantage inside the first 11 minutes. Donohoe scored the goal after a Paul Flanagan pass and they went on to lead by 1-4 to 0-5 at the break.
But Trim failed to build on that early platform and Dunboyne limited them to just four second half points as they caught them and edged ahead. Ronan Fitzsimons and Alan Douglas both had chances to score an equaliser in the closing stages, but they were narrowly off target.
Having conceded four goals in their opening game of the championship against St Patrick's, Trim scored four when the action resumed against Skryne at Dunsany in mid-July. But they still had nothing to show for their efforts as the Taramen won narrowly by 2-16 to 4-6.
Heffernan and Shane Kennedy scored first half goals for Trim and the teams were level (2-3 to 1-6) at the interval. Skryne had twice led by four points in the opening period and despite having a player sent off they took over and were ahead by 2-13 to 2-3 entering the last quarter.
Trim suffered a big blow when Heffernan retired injured, but they still outscored Skryne by 2-3 to 0-3 subsequently, with Donohoe and Conor O'Keeffe bringing their goal tally to four. It had been a gutsy performance, but the reality was that they still had only one point to show for four outings and were anchored to the bottom of the section.
Their opponents in the last round at Dunderry, Simonstown, had three points, the same as St Patrick's. So Trim knew the least they had to do was beat the Navan men and they managed it in dramatic fashion as Gilsenan converted a 13-metre free four minutes into injury time to shade the verdict by 1-7 to 0-9.
Fitzsimons, Gilsenan and Donohoe scored first half points for Trim, but Simonstown finished the period well to edge into a 0-6 to 0-3 interval lead. Douglas and Gilsenan reduced the deficit to the minimum with points and after a 15-minute lapse without a score substitute John Lunney got the Gaels' first score of the second half to leave them ahead by 0-7 to 0-5 with seven minutes remaining.
They also led by 0-8 to 0-6 and with the excitement intensifying Lowther goaled for Trim to give them the lead. Shane Barry appeared to have earned a draw for Simonstown, but the real drama was still to come as Heffernan was fouled and Gilsenan slotted over a precious score for the reds.
Somehow, Trim had managed to avoid falling into the relegation mire and instead it was Simonstown who had that dreaded prospect to look forward to. It was Trim's only win of the championship, but what a time to get it.
Darren Fay played in the early games of the championship, combined with his role as manager, and long serving player Paul Gilsenan was impressed with the new coach. Paul, who is 29, has been playing at senior level for the club for over a dozen years - football and hurling.
He was a substitute when Trim lost the 1997 SFC final to Navan O'Mahonys and was a member of the starting 15 when they went under to Dunshaughlin in the decider in 2002. Eight years later he scored that late point against Simonstown which guaranteed survival.
"Darren was great to work with," he said. "He's a legend in the county and lads look up to him. He's so dedicated. We had a very good meeting at the start of the year. He doesn't say much, but when he does speak you listen."
Trim conceded four goals in their opening championship game against St Patricks, but still managed to draw.
"We were missing a lot of lads for our first championship match against St Patrick's," Paul added. "Our defence was very makeshift and we gave away four goals, three of them in the first half. They built up a big lead, but we came back and should have won in the end.
"The second game against Wolfe Tones in Navan was terrible. It was a damp, dreary day and it was a low-scoring match. We missed a lot of chances, but really neither team played well that day. Tones would say that too.
"We should have beaten Dunboyne. We started very well and got an early goal. We were on top for a good part of that match, but in the end we seemed to run out of steam.
"The Skryne match was our worst performance of the year by a mile. We were level at half-time and they had a man sent off. We thought we would push on and win at that stage, but instead they went away from us in the second half."
Trim were staring at a relegation dogfight as they prepared for their last group assignment against Simonstown, but they responded with their only win of the campaign to secure their survival.
"Darren told us we had nothing to lose," Paul said. "He told us to just go out and play. We have often been burdened with pressure because of what has happened in the past, but I don't think we really felt any going into that game.
"We had a bit of luck in the end, but we haven't always had a lot of that. We were probably due some. It was a great game to win. It has been said in the past that we lacked character, but we showed it there."
That precious victory enabled Trim to steer clear of the dreaded relegation battle and it's a success which might just spur them on to greater things in the future.
Bright future
for Trim
The re-emergence of Trim senior hurlers in 2010 took many surprise, as for the first since 2004 they reached the knockout stages of the championship and in doing so made every other club in the county sit up and take notice.
For a club of Trim's stature, it was no surprise that they weren't out of the limelight for too long, but given the youthfulness of their squad this year the turnaround was a remarkable achievement.
Twelve of the squad were under the age of 22 and ten of those dozen started the semi final against Kildalkey. From last December, the decision was made to build a side made up of young players.
Experienced coach and clubman John Andrews was asked to take over the seniors and he took the job last December. At that meeting he outlined his plans to build a new team and he got the backing of the committee to do so.
"I felt that the only way forward was to build a new team with the young lads that were coming through. To be honest, I said to the lads that it could take a few years of struggling before we would be competing at the top level again, but I guess I got that wrong," he joked.
Andrews has been coaching sides since he took over the club's junior team in 1992 and has built up many years experience since during spells with the Meath and Monaghan hurlers, and the Royal County Ladies' football team. He also knows what it takes to guide Trim to senior championships having lead them to the Jubilee Cup on three occasions in 1998, 2000 and 2001.
The former Meath coach admits that he had a nice blend of experience and youth to work with in the squad and that the unity shown by the players was evident from an early stage.
"Aside from the young lads, we had the likes of Jimmy Canty, who was captain, Benny Keogh and Gay Kennedy, while Joey Toole and Ronan Fitzsimons came back later in the year and this helped balance the side a great deal. All the lads get on very well and they would have the craic together and go out together, which is a huge thing. Having the likes of Gay Kennedy in the dressingroom is brilliant as not only is he the most experienced player there; he is also a great character and would have great time for all the young lads."
Andrews' young guns couldn't have asked for a tougher start in the championship as the faced old rivals and annual title favourites Kilmessan in the opening round.
This would be a real test of character for this new Trim side, but for 45 minutes of the game they matched their more illustrious opponents in every department.
"It was a tough start for the lads, but I was very impressed with them in that game. Okay, Kilmessan did pull away near the end and to be fair, they gave us a fair trimming, but with 15 minutes to go, it was a draw and you had to look at the positives. There is no point looking at the negatives with such a young side. Confidence is the key to them improving."
Their first outing may have resulted in a 13-point defeat, and one could be forgiven for worrying that loss could affect the side for the remainder of the campaign, but John feels those fears were put aside in their next match. An experienced Rathmolyon side were next in the group and this was another tricky tie for the town team.
"I really believe that was the turning point for this side. We were a few points down, but the lads started to believe in themselves and knew that they could actually go on and win that match, which they did by three points. They came out of that game with a lot of confidence and they really kicked on from there."
Despite having so many young players in the side, John admits that a few of them have been playing senior hurling for three or four years now and that has stood to them.
"The likes of Neil Heffernan, Alan Douglas, Colm Doyle and Ciaran Joyce have all being on the senior team for the past four years and they are still only under-21. So it was just a case of getting a win under their belts, which we did in the Rathmolyon game."
That certainly proved to be the case as Trim grew in confidence with each game. A seven point win over Kiltale in their third group game made a lot of teams sit up and take notice and this was followed by wins over Gaeil Colmcille and Na Fianna to ensure a place in the knockout stages.
"It was great to reach the quarterfinals, but once we were there, we said that we would give it our best shot and see how it goes. We were in bonus territory, but the lads didn't want to leave it at that."
Killyon and Trim have had many great battles down through the years and they renewed rivalry in the quarterfinal. There was plenty at stake and none more so than a place in the last four.
Nonetheless, Trim produced an excellent display and were on top in nearly every position on the field as they ran out convincing winners to book a meeting with defending champions Kildalkey in the semi final.
"The younger guys on the team were learning all the time and with each game they were gaining more and more confidence. We were well on top against Killyon I thought and we deserved to win that game."
The semi final was played on a wet and windy Saturday afternoon in mid-September as the relatively small crowd huddled in the Pairc Tailteann stand. Following a one-sided first semi final where Kilmessan trashed Kiltale, the spectators were hoping for a more exciting contest in the second clash of the day and they were not to be disappointed as both side gave it their all. Kildalkey's experience shone through in the end as they progressed to their second successive final, but the Trim lads walked off the field day with their heads held high.
"In fairness, they give it everything that day. I thought Ronan Fitzsimons was excellent and he was my man of the match. Ronan had made an agreement with us to return to the hurling once the football was over as he was struggling with injury and fair play to him he did that. After the game, he said to him that we have to start planning for next year, and I'm delighted that he will be on board again.
"We have to step it up next year, the element of surprise is gone from the other teams as they know they will have to step it up as well as we are not a soft touch anymore. If you had asked me 12 months ago about the future of Trim hurling, I would have said its not too bright, but now it certainly is and we're already looking forward to 2011."
Players like Damien McGee, Ryan Andrews and James Toher to name just a few have a great future in the game and these players not only made their mark in the senior championship, but they also helped the club win their first minor title in 28 years.
Following wins over Clann na nGael and the amalgamation side of Rathmolyon/Longwood, Trim booked their place in the minor 'A' final where they would face yet another combination, this time in the form of Killyon/Boardsmill.
John and club stalwart Paddy McGee have overseen the fortunes of these players since they were eight years of age and this success was a culmination of all their hard work over the years.
It has been a long time in the wilderness for the club at this level and they certainly left it late before they bagged this title with Damien McGee firing the ball between the posts from a last-gasp free to give them their narrow win.
There was almost four minutes of injury-time played when Trim won a free around midfield. Up stepped McGee who had the wind as an ally. He lifted and struck the sliotar with the required amount of power and direction to take it the distance with a few yards to spare. It was the most dramatic way to finish off a game that was packed with craft and commitment from both sides. Killyon/Boardsmill had hardly enough time to puck the ball out before referee Richard Morris blew the final whistle.
The defeat must have been pretty galling for the Killyon players especially as their club suffered defeats in minor finals in recent years before amalgamating with Boardsmill.
All those involved with Trim will be hoping that this is another step towards taking the club back to centre stage. They won a MHC B title last year and under manager John Andrews, they did the business at the higher level this time around.
Trim minor hurlers - Paul Melia; Shane Downes, Dermot Whelan, Ciaran O'Rourke; James Andrews (0-1), David Foley, Aaron Winters; Ryan Andrews, Damien McGee (0-8); Sean McGee (0-1), James Toher, Kieran Connor (0-2); Garrett White, Colm McGrath, Shane Lenihan. Subs - D Melia for White, White for Lenihan.
Junior B honours for Trim
Trim achieved their first adult football championship success in a dozen years when they edged out Moynalty in the Junior B FC final at Pairc Tailteann to give Darren Fay his initial success as a coach.
Former Meath team mate Tommy Dowd was the Moynalty coach and he and his players were left to rue their wastefulness as they tallied seven wides in each half and also failed to take a couple of goal chances. The net result was a minimum margin defeat as Trim won by 2-4 to 0-9.
This was Trim's fourth Junior B success, the previous one being won in 1998, and they had to work hard to achieve it. The first score didn't come until the ninth minute when Stephen Blackburn pointed for Moynalty who were losing the final for the second successive year.
Trim responded in the best possible way when Paul Campbell goaled from a tight angle after his initial effort had been saved by Moynalty 'keeper David Murtagh. But they wasted chances subsequently and their only other first half score was a pointed free from substitute Sean Murphy after 27 minutes as they trailed by 1-1 to 0-5 at the break.
They made a great start to the second period when John Quinn goaled after 30 seconds and with Moynalty managing only one third quarter point that score proved invaluable. The north Meath men were also denied goals when Christy Cahill hit the crossbar and Trim 'keeper Tosh Barry produced a brilliant save from Bob Maguire.
Trim replied with points from Mark Gilsenan (two) and team captain Jimmy Canty to push ahead, but gutsy Moynalty battled away and gradually reduced the deficit to the minimum thanks to the accuracy of Maguire from frees. The town side was under pressure in the closing stages and they were happy to hear the final whistle.
The winners scored only six times, compared to nine from Moynalty, but goals usually win games and the major Trim scored in each half proved to be vitally important. It was a proud moment for Canty when he took possession of the Larry Kearns Memorial Cup.
Trim had earlier beaten St Vincent's by 2-8 to 0-8 in the semi-final.
The Trim team in the final was - T Barry; C O'Flaherty, D Foley, E Kelly; R Andrews, G Kennedy, S Moriarty; J Quinn (1-0), S Doyle; D McGee J Canty (0-1), P Campbell (1-0); D Higgins, M Gilsenan (0-2, one free), A O'Brien. Subs - S Murphy (0-1, free) for O'Brien, E Dunne for Moriarty, S McDonagh for McGee, E Reilly for Canty. Tweet
