After their run to last year's JFC 'B' quarter-final, St. Paul's had high hopes of building on that this year. Alas, it wasn't to be, but key forward Fergal O'Neill refuses to be disheartened and is convinced that better days lie ahead.

Without a ground they can call home and an underage structure of their own, St. Paul's face a constant battle against the odds. But despite these obstacles and the club's status as one of the minnows of Meath football, Fergal O'Neill is always proud to pull on the red and black jersey.

"We mightn't be the most glamorous of clubs, but we're very close-knit. There's a real family atmosphere in the club, and that's why you would want to keep it going," he says.
"Ideally we'd like to own our grounds instead of leasing them from a local builder. We lost our old pitch when the new M3 motorway went through it a few years ago. But everything we need is there for us. We've as good a set-up as anyone. If we had an underage club of our own, I'm sure we'd be more successful, but there's nothing stopping lads from Dunboyne joining us - without needing a transfer - once they go beyond minor."

St. Paul's have had precious little to shout about since they beat Moylagh by 0-11 to 0-9 to claim their one and only JFC in 1999. After holding their own in the IFC the following year, they were relegated back to the junior ranks in 2001 and they suffered a further blow two years after that when they were demoted to JFC 'B'. They also dropped down the grades in the All-County League. Division 3 winners in 2003, they have been plying their trade in Division 5 for the past number of years.

The Clonee men's appearance in last year's JFC 'B' quarter-final, which they lost in heartbreaking circumstances to St. Vincent's, suggested that they were climbing back up the ladder again, so their failure to build on that progress this season was obviously a source of great disappointment to all associated with the club. Their only win in Group A of the JFC 'B' came against Drumree in their first game, while their next best result was a draw with Seneschalstown's second team.

Fergal, who plays hurling with Dunboyne and was corner back of this year's Meath under 21 hurling team (he broke his toe in their Leinster 'A' championship opener against Louth and missed the final against Westmeath), attributes St. Paul's disappointing campaign to the fact that they hadn't got a settled team.
"It was a tough year, we didn't do as well as last year, but we did the best we could in the circumstances and managed to fulfil all our fixtures," he explains.

"We lost the spine of our team in Joe Sweeney, who was injured, and Dave Coleman, Declan Cunningham and Sean Hanniffy, who moved to Australia. We got in players like Paddy Dobbs, who played underage with Dunboyne before concentrating on soccer, Mark Reilly came to us from Ratoath and Robbie Cogan and Cormac O'Neill also joined us. But the team wasn't settled like it was last year."
St. Paul's were managed this year by Martin Connolly, whose son Philip is a regular on their junior 'B' team. Club secretary David Higgins and Davy Donnelly acted as selectors, while Ciaran Cline, who also served as a Dunboyne senior hurling selector this year, took training sessions twice a week.

Eleven-point winners over Drumree in last year's championship, St. Paul's were made work a lot harder for their 1-8 to 0-7 victory over the same opposition in this year's Group A opener in Dunshaughlin. Stevie Dunne's fisted second half goal from midfielder Richie Gibbons' speculative ball in, coupled with good displays from Fergal O'Neill, Dan Coyne and Mark Reilly, paved the way for what proved to be the Dublin-border club's solitary championship win in 2011.

Paul's lost their second outing to Clonard by 1-6 to 1-15 in Summerhill. After a slow start, Martin Connolly's charges were revived by a Richie Gibbons point and a Cathal Donnelly goal which left them three points adrift, 1-2 to 0-8, at the break.
They further reduced the deficit on the restart before disaster struck when they lost long-serving corner back Nicky Gogan to a red card. Thereafter, Clonard took control to run out comfortable winners.

Summerhill was also the setting for St. Paul's 2-4 to 1-16 third round loss to Dunshaughlin. Forced to field without their two first-choice corner backs Gogan and Mark Reilly, St. Paul's trailed by the minimum at half-time, 1-3 to 1-4, with Daniel Coyne accounting for their goal. But they fell away badly in the second half when Cathal Donnelly's goal proved to be no more than a consolation score.
Jonathan Gilsenan's last-gasp pointed free for Seneschalstown denied St. Paul's their second victory at Ratoath. The Yellow Furze side led by 0-3 to 0-1 at the interval, but despite losing Paddy Dobbs to an ankle injury, St. Paul's battled back to take a two-point lead before late scores from Paul Garry and Gilsenan earned Seneschalstown a share of the spoils on a 0-6 each scoreline.
The Clonee men's hopes of reaching the knockout stages were well and truly ended when they lost to Gaeil Colmcille by 1-5 to 2-12 at Navan O'Mahony's. Fionn Ferguson's goal had the Kells side 1-6 to 1-2 in front at the halfway stage, and a second major from Joe Flanagan sealed the deal. Another loss to St. Mary's, 1-5 to 2-13, left St. Paul's with nothing but pride to play for in their final group game against bottom side Blackhall Gaels.

"We need to be competitive for the full 60 minutes, and not just for 30 or 40 minutes," stresses Fergal, whose cousins Anthony and Alan Barker also play for St. Paul's.
"We have to stay focused, even when things are going against us, if we want to improve next year. We competed strongly last year and we want to get back up to that level."
At this stage, there are only six members of St. Paul's 1999 JFC winning squad still playing with the club - Barry and Eamonn Moyles, Alan Barker, Philip Connolly, Aidan Minch and Nicky Gogan - and O'Neill feels there will be a massive void left in the team if they decide to retire.

"We need to get more players in to strengthen our squad. If the older lads decide to bow out, we could be in trouble," he warns.
Fergal was delighted to see St. Paul's clubman Tom Keague appointed as a Meath senior football selector following the resignations of Liam Harnan and Barry Callaghan on the eve of this year's Leinster championship. Now living in Coole, Co. Westmeath, Keague is still a regular fixture at St. Paul's matches.

"It's great to have one of our own in there with the Meath set-up. He still goes to a lot of our matches and gives us advice. He even togs out sometimes when we are short on numbers. His involvement with Meath has helped put St. Paul's back on the map."
The St. Paul's team which defeated Drumree in their JFC 'B' clash last April was: B O'Sullivan; M Reilly, B Moyles, N Gogan; C O'Neill, E Moyles, A Barker; D Coyne, R Gibbons; F O'Neill, C Donnelly, P Dobbs; S Dunne, P Connolly, C Daly. Sub used: P Tierney. Tweet

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