Heffernan quietly confident
November 27, 2011Many may feel that anything less than an appearance in the county final would be seen as a poor year for a club of Trim's stature, but that is certainly not the case.
The town team are currently rebuilding in both codes and already the benefit of that work is showing in the hurling. Star forward Neil Heffernan spoke to the Royal County Yearbook about this year's campaign and the rebuilding process.
Under the guidance of former county manager John Andrews, 'new blood' has been installed into the side and the wealth of talent are gaining experience with every campaign.
The draw for this year's SHC campaign was kind to Trim as they faced Dunboyne, O'Mahony's, Drumree, Na Fianna and Gaeil Colmcille, but Neil felt that this had its positives and negatives.
"We were lucky enough with the draw as we felt we were good enough to come out of the group and it also gave the younger fellas on the team the chance to gain more experience along the way," said Neil.
"I do think though that not playing the likes of Kildalkey or Kilmessan early on can go against you as you learn so much from playing the best in the county."
In the first match, Trim faced a Dunboyne side that have regularly reached the penultimate stage of the championship or even the final itself.
Alan Douglas was the main man as Trim withstood a wind-assisted second-half Dunboyne rally.
The Trim number 13 finished with 1-8 to his name but got great assistance in the scoring stakes from Neil Heffernan whose two second-half goals cushioned John Andrews men against a Dunboyne rally.
Heffernan's opening goal three minutes after the restart, quickly followed by a Joey Toole point moved Trim eight points clear, 2-7 to 0-5.
They then quickly sides exchanged points and for the next 15 minutes most of the traffic was towards the town goal as Dunboyne cut the gap to a single point, but Trim pressed on to record a 3-0-9 to 0-14 victory.
"This was a great start to get. We knew that Dunboyne would be a tough match even though there are going through a transition period themselves, but it's always good to get off to a winning start."
The outcome of the second match against Navan O'Mahony's was a second win from as many starts for the Brews Hill outfit while Trim dropped their first points of the campaign after a 0-12 to 0-11 defeat.
O'Mahonys had full-back Richie Hogan dismissed on receipt of two yellow cards in the opening ten minutes. Parity on the pitch was restored when Trim wing-back James Andrews received his second yellow card, in the 43rd minute with his side leading by 0-9 to 0-7.
Douglas shared the scoring honours with Skehan on 0-7. When the latter landed a free in the 47th minute the scores were tied for the first time since the start of the second quarter.
Another point left it 0-10 to 0-9 to Johnny Gorry's charges. Douglas restored parity with a great effort from play. In similar fashion Skehan - who posted O'Mahonys final six scores - had the side in blue and white back in front with assistance from the impressive Niall McKeigue.
Another Douglas free in the 55th minute proved to be Trim's final score. John Andrews' men wasted a couple of good chances to go back in front. Then in the second minute of stoppage time, Brian Dillon's long delivery set up the move that led to the match-winning score.
"This was a game that we should have won in fairness. We certainly had the chances to do so. I missed a goal when my shot came off the crossbar when I should have scored and it was one of those days that one goal would have won it for either side as it turned out."
In the next match Trim faced Na Fianna and regardless of the occasion the clash between these two are always close and this turned out no different. The town team led by 0-8 to 0-6 at half time and the gap was cut to one-point by the final whistle as Trim came out on top by 0-16 to 0-15.
"For some reason, no matter who has the strongest team, matches between us and Na Fianna are always close and that was the case again. This was another game that could have went either way and we were relieved to come away with the two-points."
John Andrews charges were now back on track, but needed more points to ensure qualification to the knockout stages. They were hotly tipped to defeat Drumree, but favourites are there to be knocked and although the game ended in a draw (2-10 to 1-13), it was seen as a bad result for the former Jubilee Cup winners.
"We didn't play well against Drumree, but credit to them they battled hard to get the draw. A point helped us, but we knew that we should have taken full points from this game."
In their last group game, Trim recorded their biggest score in the championship when easily disposing of a poor Gaeil Colmcille side, although at half time not many could have predicted the outcome.
With fifteen minutes of the second half gone they were only five points adrift. Trim then pulled the trigger with a Neill Heffernan goal and from then for the following seven minutes they amassed a score of 3-5 with a sole point reply from their opponents. This completely knocked the wind out of the North Meath side and three further points at the very end completed the rout, leaving the final score at 4-18 to 0-9.
"We were very sluggish in the first half and John Andrews gave us a talking to half time. He actually told us that Drumree were winning, which meant that we had to win and that really spurred us on and we played very well in the second half."
And so on to the quarter-final where Kildalkey would be the opponents. In last year's championship, the 'Village' came out on top by six points when the sides met in the semi-final and the general consensus was that this game would be of a similar outcome.
The opening third of this game was closely contested before Pat O'Halloran's charges upped a gear to move six points clear by half-time, 1-11 to 0-8.
Doran's opening goal arrived at the town end in the 20th minute after Trim 'keeper Brian Carley saved his initial shot brilliantly.
That left if 1-7 to 0-5 and the champions might have got in for a second goal before half-time but Carley saved well from Fergus McMahon.
Damien McGee's attempt to pull a goal back for Trim was comfortably dealt with by Kildalkey custodian Conor Flynn.
Trim had the sun and the breeze at their backs from the resumption but made no inroads on the deficit in the third quarter.
Two Neil Heffernan points in quick succession left Trim a manageable six points, 0-11 to 1-14, in arrears after 41 minutes.
Three minutes later Doran struck for his second goal and quickly followed it up with a point, to leave it 2-15 to 0-11 heading into the final quarter.
Alan Douglas' accuracy from play and placed balls improved the complexion of the board from Trim's perspective and he finished with a dozen points to his credit.
Just over two minutes of stoppage time yielded Doran's third goal while a Kirby pointed free brought the curtain down on the evening as Kildalkey advanced on a scoreline of 3-20 to 0-17.
"Kildalkey are very strong and they have set the benchmark at present. Of course, it was disappointing to lose the quarterfinal especially in the manner that we did, but there are many positives that we can take from the campaign and with another year's experience under our belts, who knows what we could do next year."
End of an era for Trim
Trim's 62-year sojourn in senior football came to an end this year when they were edged out by Duleek/Bellewstown in a relegation playoff. While demotion to the intermediate ranks was a huge blow to one of the county's top dual clubs, selector John Leonard is confident they will bounce back.
One of the big stories of the 2011 Meath SFC was Trim's demotion to the intermediate grade after 62 years as a senior club. A shattering 1-11 to 2-9 relegation playoff defeat to Duleek/Bellewstown at Pairc Tailteann last September marked the end of an era for football in the former county town. Only Skryne have operated in the top flight longer.
As much of a shock as it was to everyone associated with the club, the threat of relegation had been hanging over Trim for a few years. There had been a gradual decline in the club's fortunes since they lost the 2002 Keegan Cup decider to Dunshaughlin, and with emigration and injury depriving them of some of their leading performers this year, they couldn't escape the dreaded drop.
"The senior championship will be a strange place without us, but there is a steely determination to get straight back up and hopefully we'll be a senior club again by this time next year," an optimistic Trim selector John Leonard says.
"The common theme running through the club since we were relegated is that we need to bounce back quickly. If that doesn't happen, we could be down in intermediate for a while and the lads know that. It will take a big effort to win the intermediate championship next year, but I'm convinced we have the players to do it. We had a very good minor team this year and I know the players who are still around from 2002 are determined not to finish the careers as intermediate footballers. They want to finish up where they started."
While pointing out that Trim got very little luck this year, Leonard - who was also a selector in 2002 - makes no excuses for their demise.
"You could blame things like emigration and the fact that we are a dual club, but we're not making excuses. Certainly, Colm Doyle and Ciaran Joyce, who both moved abroad, were big losses and so too was Darren Fay, who joined Dunderry. But he lives in Dunderry now and owes Trim nothing.
"About 50 per cent of our players also play hurling, but that has never been an issue before and it's not an issue now. We've always been proud to call ourselves a dual club. For as long as I can remember, every year we've gone out with the intention of winning both the Keegan and Jubilee Cups.
"My biggest concern going forward is emigration. Our minors contested a Division 2 championship final this year and it would be a terrible shame to see them having to leave the country in the next few years. But if the work's not there, there's not a whole lot you can do and I suppose every other club in the country is in the same boat."
At the start of the year, Cortown man Kit Henry - who led Mattock Rangers to back-to-back Louth SFC successes in 2009 and 2010 - was appointed Trim supremo in succession to former county full back Darren Fay, who acted as player/manager last year. Henry's selectors were local men Eunan McCaffrey, Kevin Walsh and John Leonard.
Drawn in Group A of the SFC, the Boynesiders got off to the worst possible start when they suffered a 0-6 to 3-15 drubbing at the hands of Summerhill. The first half was a horror show as far as Trim were concerned with the 'Hill having 1-7 on the scoreboard before the wearers of red and white finally got off the mark in the 23rd minute. By half-time, Summerhill had stretched their lead to 15 points and while Trim improved slightly after the restart, they were left completely demoralised after substitute Bobby Lyons swooped for the winners' third goal 10 minutes from time.
Twelve days later, Trim restored some lost pride when they drew with Oldcastle. Another heavy defeat looked to be on the cards when they trailed by 0-2 to 0-8 at the interval, but within a minute of the restart they had halved the deficit thanks to an Eoin McGrath goal. Oldcastle grabbed the next two points, but Trim were growing in confidence and after Paul McGrath and Michael Lowther both hit a brace of points, they were unlucky not to take the lead when Lowther had a goal disallowed for 'square ball'.
The momentum remained firmly with the team in red and white, however, and they eventually drew level in the 53rd minute before taking a two-point lead. But two frees from Paddy Gilsenan in injury-time salvaged a 0-14 to 1-11 draw for the 2009 intermediate winners.
Kit Henry's charges produced another brave performance against Simonstown in round three, but it wasn't enough as they succumbed to a late rally from the Navan men. Eoin McGrath's 18th minute goal helped Trim to a slender 1-7 to 1-6 interval lead and the second half was only 20 seconds old when half-time substitute Neil Heffernan - who had arrived late after sitting exams in IT Tralee earlier in the day - fired home their second goal.
Simonstown replied with five unanswered points to take the lead by the 43rd minute, but Trim had regained parity with four minutes remaining. However, late points from Wayne McCarthy, Shane O'Rourke and Shane Barry gave Simonstown a 1-17 to 2-11 win.
In their fourth outing against Wolfe Tones in Dunderry, Trim suffered a disastrous 1-4 to 1-19 loss which left them needing to beat Blackhall Gaels in their final group match. They also needed Simonstown to do them a huge favour by beating Oldcastle to avoid the relegation playoffs. As it transpired, Trim secured their first win of the campaign against Blackhall, but Simonstown's draw with Oldcastle left Kit Henry's side propping up the group on score difference.
Trim showed plenty of spirit to overcome Blackhall by 1-15 to 1-10 at Summerhill, but the victory wasn't enough to stave off their relegation worries. The town side's hopes of retaining their senior status suffered the first of two crushing blows when they went down to Nobber on a 3-8 to 1-16 scoreline at Bohermeen. Despite a brace of first half goals from Neil Heffernan, Trim trailed by 2-2 to 1-10 at the break. They reduced the deficit to the minimum early in the second half but allowed Nobber to pull away again and a late goal from Mark Gilsenan couldn't save them.
Trim entered the last chance saloon against Duleek/Bellewstown knowing that anything less than a victory would condemn them to the drop. Duleek/Bellewstown played a large part of the game with 13 men following the 15th and 35th minute dismissals of Stephen McArdle and Podge Howard, but Trim failed to take advantage, despite holding their opponents scoreless in the second half, and eventually lost by the minimum.
John Leonard prefers to look at the glass half-full rather than half-empty and sees relegation as an opportunity for Trim to regroup and rebuild.
"The intermediate championship will be a good place to blood some of our good minors," he contends.
"We blooded Colm O'Flaherty, Darryl Phelan and Shane Lenehane this year and our aim is to bring another three or four young players through next year. I thought we showed great character after the heavy defeats to Summerhill and Wolfe Tones this year, bouncing back to draw with Oldcastle and defeat Blackhall, but we didn't get the bit of luck that was needed to stay clear of the relegation zone.
"However, we are where we are and the worst thing we can do is feel sorry for ourselves. We are looking forward to 2012 when nothing less than an intermediate title will satisfy our needs."
Crowned JFC 'B' winners in 2010, Trim's second team had a reasonable JFC 'A' campaign this year with saw them record wins over Kilbride and Wolfe Tones, but lose to Slane, Ratoath and local rivals Ballivor.
Trim lined out as follows in their only SFC victory of the year against Blackhall Gaels: B Murphy; C Flaherty, S Farrell, R Brennan; D Phelan, P Flanagan, M Power; M Lowther, A Douglas; P Gilsenan, E McGrath, J Toher; M Gilsenan, D Donohue, N Heffernan. Sub used: A Kane.
Trim land U16FL honours
A brace of goals from Kevin Nally and the accuracy of midfielder Robert Burke led Trim to a comfortable victory over Duleek/Bellewstown (3-11 to 1-6) in the Meath U16 Division 4 football league final at Pairc Tailteann.
Trim got the perfect start when impressive midfielder Robert Burke soloed through the Duleek defence to score a goal. Trim were 1-2 up before Duleek/Bellewstown landed a score. The East Meath boys battled bravely and playing with the wind into the O'Mahony's end went in at the interval 2-3 to 0-5 in arrears. Trim's second goal came from Kevin Nally.
Playing with the elements in the second half Trim proved too good for their opposition and would have had another goal early but for a brilliant save from keeper Dylan Moore at the feet of Trim's Harry Purcell. Another Nally goal left Trim 3-9 to 1-5 ahead after 20 minutes. Darren McGarry saved a penalty near the end for the winners.
Best for the winners were Cian Downes, James Foley, Robert Burke, Luke Moran, Eoin O'Connor, Kevin Nally and Harry Purcell.
Trim: Darren McGarry, Jack McGowan, Rory McGrath, James Cullen, Cian Downes, James Foley, Robert Burke (1-8), Luke Moran , Eoin O'Connor, Colm Moriarty, Kevin Nally (2-1), David Rennick, Harry Purcell (0-2). Subs: Brian McKeown, Dominic Phelan and Conor Fay. Tweet
