Bright sparks
December 31, 2003
Kilbride Football Club possesses a highly successful and proud past and, with an eye on the future, they are very optimistic that further glory will come to them in the years ahead.
The more mature members of the Kilbride club will have very fond memories of the 1960s and early '70s when a superb team, led by the mighty Quinn clan and with a host of other highly talented players, took the Royal County football scene by storm and proved to be an extremely able and spirited side.
Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of their memorable and historic first Senior Football Championship triumph in 1964 and that followed on from a remarkable rise to prominence as they won the Junior Championship in 1960 and followed this breakthrough by taking the intermediate title just two years later.
It's an accurate indication of just how good Kilbride were in those glorious days that they were able to move up another step and take that initial Keegan Cup just two further years later in '64, but that was only just the beginning of a highly successful association the club enjoyed with the Royal County's premier football competition.
They won the Senior Championship again in 1967, but their most magnificent and memorable run of success in the competition was just around the corner as they claimed the title on three successive occasions between 1969 and '71.
Those were simply wonderful days for the Kilbride club and how they would love to revisit them in the future.
The fact that they rose from the junior ranks by winning that particular championship title in 1960 to be senior kingpins just four short years later gives an accurate indication of what a great bunch of talented, hard-working players they were, as making such a remarkable transformation over such a short period of time takes an enormous amount of doing.
That magnificent rise to prominence should also act as a spur to the present Kilbride team and surely demonstrates just what can be achieved, even by a small rural club.
Hopes of winning the Junior Football Championship didn't come to fruition during the 2003 campaign, with very narrow defeats putting paid to their prospects of reaching the knock-out stages, but there were encouraging signs that Kilbride are putting a team together that will be in a position to challenge for honours in the not too distant future.
The club was very proud of the fact that one of its most talented players, Andrew Rennicks, was a member of the Meath squad that won the Leinster and All-Ireland Junior Football Championship titles in 2003 and he is certainly a very key member of their set-up who can have a major say in what they hope will be a very successful future.
Also significant for Kilbride was the fact that three players lined out with the Meath senior team in a challenge match against Louth at the St. Fechin's club in the Wee County in early September and acquitted themselves very well. Rennicks was one of them, with the other two being Brian White and John Bruton.
All three are among the players Kilbride will be looking to as they attempt to win the Junior Championship title in 2004.
As for the 2003 championship, Kilbride were drawn in Group A, a section that also included Ballinabrackey, Gaeil Colmcille, Kilmainham, Moylagh and a Ratoath side which included former Dublin senior goalkeeper Davy Byrne and which went on to make a hugh impression in the competition, reaching the final where they lost to Wolfe Tones.
Kilbride's opening assignment was against Kilmainham at Bective, but they didn't get the start to the championship they would have hoped for as they went under by 1-10 to 2-8.
The concession of two first-half goals didn't help Kilbride's cause and they trailed by 1-5 to 2-5 at the interval. David Harford was Kilbride's top marksman with a tally of seven points, but it wasn't sufficient as they were defeated by a point.
That loss left the pressure on and they certainly needed to respond positively when they met Moylagh in the second round at Kilberry. They did just that and this time won by a point on a 1-7 to 0-9 score line.
Kilbride, who were coached by Dublin man Martin McCarthy, trailed the north Meath side by 0-4 to 0-6 at half-time, but impressive displays from Robert Rooney, Dermot White, Brian White, Andrew Rennicks, David Harford and Kevin Gavin helped them to recover and turn that two-point deficit into a victory by the narrowest of margins.
Next up for Kilbride were Ratoath - who were already making a good impression in the competition - at Donaghmore and this proved to be a highly entertaining match which, unfortunately for Kilbride, resulted in their second defeat of the championship, this time by just two points.
Ratoath built up a very comprehensive 1-9 to 0-3 lead at the interval after playing with the advantage of the wind, but Kilbride battled back from that nine-point deficit and restricted Ratoath to only a point in the second period, while registering eight themselves. However, that brave effort just wasn't enough and Ratoath edged through by 1-10 to 0-11.
Ballinabrackey were another of the stronger teams in the Junior Championship race and they provided Kilbride's opposition in the fourth round at Summerhill. Maintaining the trend of suffering very narrow defeats, Kilbride were beaten by a point on a 0-12 to 0-13 score line.
Andrew Rennicks, John Bruton, David Harford, Brian White, Pat McDonagh and Richard Bruton were particularly effective for Kilbride in another entertaining match, but their efforts weren't sufficient as the south Meath side shaded the verdict to maintain their challenge for a place in the quarter-finals.
Kilbride were scheduled to play Kells side Gaeil Colmcille in their concluding group outing, but that match didn't materialise as they received a walk-over.
One victory may have been all that Kilbride had to show from the four Junior Championship matches they played as they finished fourth in the group, which was dominated by Ratoath, but a scrutiny of their results indicates that, in reality, they weren't actually that far away from reaching the knock-out stages.
Their heaviest defeat, if that's what it can be called, was by only two points against Ratoath, a team that was good enough to go all the way to the final, while they lost to both Kilmainham and Ballinabrackey by a point.
They also proved quite consistent in Div. 4 of the All-County A League and weren't too far off earning a place in the final.
Club committee member Pat Donnellan looked back at the campaign, and particularly those narrow championship defeats, and is optimistic about the future.
"There were a couple of missed opportunities in the Junior Championship," he recalled. "It was very frustrating, but it also shows that the potential is there and the feeling in the club is that we can turn the corner sooner rather than later.
"Our junior team is generally young, with experience to go with it. We would also hope to strengthen the team and are also exploring the possibility of establishing a second team in 2004. It will require a huge effort as we are still a very small parish, but we are certainly optimistic.
"Three of our players, Brian White, Andrew Rennicks and John Bruton, played for Meath in a challenge match against Louth. That was very much a boost for us and they are players with very good potential."
Meath's fifth All-Ireland Junior Championship triumph was a success which also brought satisfaction and pride to the Kilbride club.
"Andrew Rennicks was part of the Meath panel that won the All-Ireland junior title and we were very proud of that," Donnellan added. "He is a very good player with a great will to win. He also has plenty of time on his side which is very encouraging."
With their sights very much on the future, Kilbride are placing a big emphasis on trying to regenerate the juvenile side of the club and they have also started a ladies' under-age section in the last couple of years, with Pat Ryan doing great work there.
They have also completed a floodlighting system which should prove to be of enormous benefit as they strive for success.
"We have completed our floodlighting system," Pat said. "They are top class lights and are very necessary. They will help in the training of teams and will help to motivate players. It shows that the club is moving in the right direction."
That they certainly are and it will be a surprise if Kilbride don't start to make a serious challenge for Junior Championship honours in the very near future.
Footnote: Kilbride GFC launched their website during the year and it can be accessed at www.kilbridegfc.com
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