Feis Cup consolation for Oldcastle
November 27, 2011Since rejoining the senior ranks following their intermediate championship success in 2009, Oldcastle have struggled to make their mark. Victories have proven very difficult to come by meaning the threat of relegation has never been far from their thoughts.
In 2010, Oldcastle's only win in the senior championship came at the expense of St. Ultan's in a relegation playoff. And after four rounds of this year's Keegan Cup campaign, they were still awaiting their first brace of points, having drawn with Trim and Blackhall Gaels, and lost to Wolfe Tones and Summerhill.
By contrast, the Blues prospered in Division 2 of the All-County League and got their season off to the perfect start by beating Walterstown in the delayed 2010 Feis Cup final. Not surprisingly, manager Seamus Kiernan was left scratching his head as to why championship wins have proven so elusive.
"We're still waiting for our first win in the senior championship if you take last year's playoff against St. Ultan's out of the equation," he ruefully reflects.
"We either draw or lose games narrowly. After winning last year's Feis Cup back in March, we felt we could reach the knockout stages of the championship at least. But unfortunately it wasn't to be. We had targeted the Trim game as one we could win after hammering them by 17 points in the league, but in the end we were lucky to get a draw.
"It's frustrating because we always seem to do well in the other competitions. Even in last year's All-Ireland Sevens we won nine games en route to losing the final to Westport from Mayo."
Like a lot of clubs in the North Meath area, the recession and emigration has taken its toll on Oldcastle as Seamus explains: "Our goalie Seanie Fox has moved to Australia, while Thomas Rahill and Darren Hawden have gone to America.
"If that wasn't bad enough, Jamie and Paddy Rahill, Colm Caffrey and Terry Farrelly had long-term injuries. We were decimated. The fact that Paddy Coakley and Paddy Gilsenan were involved with the county seniors and Robbie Farrelly was with the county minors didn't help either, but I suppose that's a good complaint."
Oldcastle couldn't have asked for a better start to the year when they came from behind to edge out Walterstown in the 2010 Feis Cup final. Walterstown led early on before a Ronan Farrelly penalty - which he earned himself - gave Oldcastle a 1-1 to 0-2 lead. However, Walterstown responded with a goal of their own from Alban Crosbie to take a 1-3 to 1-2 advantage into the break.
Seamus Kiernan's charges resumed with a free from Niall Mangan and further points from Paddy Gilsenan and Terry Farrelly to lead by two. Once again, Alban Crosbie replied for the Blacks, but two more points by Ronan Farrelly from frees sealed a 1-7 to 1-5 victory Oldcastle.
Oldcastle had high hopes for the championship on the back of that success, but a 1-11 to 2-10 defeat to Wolfe Tones in their opening Group A game set the tone for the rest of the campaign. They were expected to ease past a struggling Trim side in their second outing at Kilskyre, but it didn't turn out like that as they needed two late frees from Paddy Gilsenan to earn a 0-14 to 1-11 draw.
The Millbrook Park outfit played all the football in the first half to lead by 0-8 to 0-2 at the interval with Gilsenan, Robert Farrelly and Ronan Farrelly all finding the target. But an Eoin McGrath goal within 45 seconds of the restart kick-started Trim's revival that saw them open up a 1-11 to 0-12 lead before Gilsenan came to Oldcastle's rescue.
Oldcastle's hopes of reaching the quarter-finals were effectively ended when they succumbed to an in-form Summerhill on a 1-5 to 0-14 scoreline in Athboy. The Oldcastle attack found the going tough against a strong Summerhill defence that was superbly marshalled by Davy Dalton and Willie Ryan.
The writing was on the wall for the Blues when they trailed by 0-2 to 0-8 at half-time, and while substitute Conor McHugh punched home a second half goal to give them home, the result was never in doubt.
The North Meath men were denied their first victory when a last-gasp Sean Whelan free earned Blackhall Gaels a share of the spoils (0-10 apiece) in a thrilling fourth round tie in Bohermeen. The teams were level five times with Oldcastle never able to put daylight between themselves and Leo Turley's men.
An Alan McCann point had Blackhall ahead by 0-6 to 0-5 at the break, but Oldcastle were back in front shortly after the resumption thanks to scores from Paddy and Eoin Gilsenan. Whelan drew the sides level again and it remained nip and tuck until the final whistle, with a draw probably the fairest outcome. However, a point wasn't much consolation to Oldcastle who still needed to take something from their final group game against Simonstown Gaels to stave off the threat of relegation.
Despite their struggles in the senior championship, Munterconnacht clubman and former Cavan selector Kiernan is adamant that Oldcastle are a better team now than they were when he guided them to intermediate championship honours two years ago.
"I think we're a more streetwise team now," says Seamus, who backroom team this year comprised selectors Brendan Halpin, Liam McPartland and Mickey Kavanagh, physio Dan Smith and medic Dr Anne-Marie Gilsenan.
"We're able to grind out results, despite having less numbers. If we hadn't suffered so much with injuries, I've no doubt we'd be a force to be reckoned with in senior. We can still be a force if the injuries clear up," he insists.
Elsewhere this year, Oldcastle's second team progressed the knockout stages of the junior 'C' championship, while their under 14s reached the Division 3 championship final, only to lose to neighbours Inny Gaels by 3-5 to 4-10.
Favoured by the wind in the first half, the Oldcastle under 14s raced into a 2-3 to 0-1 lead in the first 10 minutes thanks to a brace of goals from full forward Conor Delaney, but the Moylagh/St. Brigid's combination finished the half strongly with a Joseph Blake penalty leaving just two points, 2-4 to 1-5, in it at the interval.
The boys in blue got the perfect start to the second half when Shane Quinn netted inside the first minute. But that was as a good as it got for them as Jordan Lynch, Shane Gibney and Dylan Tighe hit back with goals to give Inny Gaels the silverware.
The Oldcastle team which drew with Blackhall Gaels in the SFC was: P Coakley; S Farrelly, C McPartland, B Curran; P Lynch, T Farrelly, R Pakenham; R McHugh, V Reynolds; P Gilsenan, N Mangan, E Gilsenan; R Kellett, R Farrelly, A McCann. Subs used: C McHugh, JP Farrelly and T Farrelly.
Oldcastle's under 14 Division 3 championship finalists: Cian McKenna; Oran Reilly, Daniel McNamee, Matthew Magowan; Christopher Smith, Stephen Lawless, Ronan Taggart; Shane Carolan, Matthew Taggart; CJ Healy, Shane Quinn, Jason Scully; Eoin McCloskey, Conor Delaney, Keith Cunningham.
Wonderful work going on in Oldcastle
Oldcastle GFC treasurer Eddie O'Reilly was obviously happy to see his club claim the Feis Cup earlier in the year and gain promotion to Division 1 of the A League many months later, while in between it was a case of what might have been if the senior team hadn't been so badly hit by the loss of players through emigration and injury.
There was a proud day for the club back in February when they received the 'ground of the year' award from the County Committee after their superb Millbrook venue was chosen ahead of many other fine pitches around the county. It was fitting recognition for all the hard work which went into its redevelopment over many years.
The continued success of the ladies' section of the Oldcastle club was another source of great satisfaction for the former Minor Football Board PRO, with the victories in the county Intermediate Championship and Division 2 League and an appearance in the Leinster Club final among many highlights.
Oldcastle had previously won the Feis Cup in 1999 with a victory over Summerhill in a replayed final and they regained it in early March of this year when edging out Walterstown in the 2010 decider at Moynalty. With the A League action already up and running and the Senior Championship just around the corner it meant a lot of competitive action early in the year.
In the long run such a hectic schedule undoubtedly took its toll and, as was the case in their first campaign back in the senior ranks last year, injuries became a problem. Yet, a look at Oldcastle's results in the group stages of the championship demonstrates that they weren't a million miles away from earning a place in the knockout stages.
They were beaten twice and those losses came against two of the strongest teams in the competition. Wolfe Tones defeated them by only two points in the first round and eventual champions Summerhill got the better of them by six in the third round. Oldcastle drew their other three group matches against Trim, Blackhall Gaels and Simonstown Gaels.
That meant they finished with three group points, but it could have been more, and instead of advancing to the quarter-finals they were happy to share the spoils in that last divisional outing at Kells against Simonstown which safeguarded them against a dreaded relegation scrap. Of course, the previous year they did find themselves in relegation trouble after picking up only one group point from four outings, but a comfortable victory over St Ultan's in a play-off steered them clear of danger.
Oldcastle's form in Division 2 of the A League this year was consistent enough to earn them second place behind surprise table-toppers Castletown. Gaining promotion was a significant achievement and means they will be playing their league football against the best teams in the county next year, but there was disappointment when they lost the final to Castletown - an intermediate team.
"It was too long a year and that didn't help at all," said Eddie O'Reilly as he reviewed the 2011 campaign. "We won the 2010 Feis Cup back in March and we were also playing in the league. We have a very small panel. We are here on the border with Moylagh, St Brigid's and Ballinlough beside us.
"But we were close to qualifying for the knockout stages of the senior championship. A few lads went off to the United States for the summer, like Darren Hawden and Thomas Rahill. Unfortunately, we had our share of injuries as well, with players like Cian McPartland, Sean Rahill and Paddy Rahill out.
"In the championship game against Blackhall Gaels, Terry Farrelly played while he was carrying an injury. They are key players. It meant that our numbers were stretched."
So many absentees were always likely to take a toll during the course of the championship's group campaign which, for Oldcastle, involved five matches against Wolfe Tones, Trim, Summerhill, Blackhall and Simonstown.
"We had only 14 players for 45 minutes of our first championship game against Wolfe Tones after Niall Mangan was sent off, yet we could have stolen a draw," Eddie added. "Against Trim we got two late points to earn a draw, but we should have got ourselves well ahead in that particular game.
"We were short players for the Summerhill match, but they were very good that day and won by six points. We missed close in frees against Blackhall. If we had managed to win that game instead of drawing it we were still in with a chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals. The draw in the last game against Simonstown left us safe."
A significant achievement followed when Oldcastle secured promotion to the top division of the league and that was undoubtedly an important step which, all going well, should enhance the development of a team which claimed intermediate honours just two years ago in 2009.
"Gaining promotion to Division 1 of the A League was a big boost for us, but we didn't play well in the final against Castletown," said Eddie. "We were disappointed with the way we performed in that game."
All connected with the Oldcastle club were undoubtedly delighted to see their highly talented goalkeeper Paddy Coakley and ace attacker Paddy Gilsenan figure on the Meath senior panel this year, while Robert Farrelly was part of the county minor set-up. They are players who came through the club's under-age structures.
"Plenty of good work is being done at under-age level in the club which is vitally important," Eddie added.
The same obviously applies to the ladies' football section in Oldcastle because many of their players have been wearing the Meath jersey with distinction, like Kellie Allen, who scored a phenomenal tally of 5-8 in the Intermediate Championship final replay against Clann na nGael at Carlanstown this year, Bridgetta Lynch, Sinead Coyle and Eileen Rahill.
Oldcastle, with so many talented players who have benefited from the dedicated work put into the ladies' game in the club, look well capable of making a big impression at senior level next year and beyond.
"Ladies' football is very strong in the club," Eddie said. "This has been a great year. They won the Intermediate Championship and Division 2 of the league and also reached the Leinster Intermediate Club Championship final which they should really have won. They lost to Stabannon Parnells who are a senior team in Louth. They went on to reach the All-Ireland final. The under-13 and under-19 teams have also enjoyed success, so it's been a great year."
A huge amount of dedicated work went into the redevelopment of the Millbrook grounds which were officially opened on the May Bank Holiday Monday last year when Meath played Down in a challenge game ahead of the commencement of their Leinster SFC campaign. Bishop Michael Smith, a native of the parish, performed the blessing.
Millbrook boasts fine facilities and along with Gilson Park it means the Oldcastle club possess two impressive grounds. That must make it far easier to meet the demands which come with fielding so many teams, whether it be for training or the playing of matches. It was a very proud and happy day for all concerned when Millbrook was chosen as the Meath 'ground of the year' for 2010 and an even better one when the trophy was presented in February of this year.
"It's important to pay tribute to the many people involved with the Millbrook project, like club chairman Leo Halpin and groundsman Larry Smith," Eddie said. "Winning the 'ground of the year' award was a great honour for all concerned.
"Maureen Gilsenan, who is joint treasurer with myself, does great work for the club too. Her daughter Ann Marie is the team doctor. She is another great worker. Maureen's sons Paddy and Eoin are also tremendous clubmen who do invaluable work."
Oldcastle is a very vibrant and active GAA club, on and off the field of play, and the Show Hall in the town is used to meet the demands.
"The GAA club has the Show Hall under lease," Eddie added. "It's a great facility to have. It hosts many events, like bowls, bingo, basketball, Irish dancing, a youth club and training in general. It's a great big hall and there's something on in it every day."
Interestingly, next year will mark a significant anniversary for the Oldcastle club as it will be 75 years since it achieved its first championship success. That was the Junior Championship title which came courtesy of a final victory over Ballinabrackey on a 3-4 to 1-1 score line.
Oldcastle ladies are intermediate champions
The intermediate final replay was one of the best club finals to be played in Meath for years. Oldcastle and Clann Na nGael played out a thrilling draw the first time out with Oldcastle squandering a ten point lead with seven minutes remaining. This time however the girls from the North Meath town made no mistake, with a convincing twenty one point victory (8-17 to 3-8) at Carlanstown.
Kellie Allen was the outstanding player on view with the number 9 scoring a massive 5-6 for the winners.
Sinead Coyle got Oldcastle off the mark and when Allen got her first goal they led 1-1 to 0-0 after five minutes. Caitriona Keogan got the first of her three goals to leave it 2-6 to 0-4. Almost immediately Louise O'Connor had the ball in the Oldcastle net to leave it 2-6 to 1-4. Kellie Allen raced through and was fouled, referee Colm McManus awarded a penalty which Allen converted. Further goals from Allen and Keogan put Oldcastle in a commanding position at the break leading 5-6 to 1-4.
Unlike the drawn game there was no let up with Oldcastle in the second half. Sinead Coyle got their opening score yet again. Two more Allen goals and another from Keogan had the winners 8-15 to 1-7 up with ten minutes remaining. Clann na nGael tried to get back into the game with a scoring run of 2-1 but the margin was too big to pull back and Oldcastle ran out convincing winners.
Best for the winners were Deirdre Mangan, Jane Browne, Eileen Rahill, Kellie Allen, Bridgetta Lynch, Stephanie Caffrey, Caitriona Keogan and Sinead Coyle.
After the game Kellie Allen received the Player of the Match award from Geraldine Sheridan while Caitriona Keogan was presented with the Brian McKeown Memorial Cup.
Oldcastle: Shauna Coakley, Eimear McEnroe, Deirdre Mangan, Maggie Caffrey, Ciara Delaney, Jane Browne, Gemma Galligan, Eileen Rahill, Kellie Allen (5-6), Bridgetta Lynch (0-2), Claire Griffin (0-1), Stephanie Caffrey (0-3), Annieka Cadden (0-1), Caitriona Keogan (3-0), Sinead Coyle (0-4). Tweet
