When Trim reached the Meath SFC final in 2002 they had an extra incentive to lift the title as that year marked the 40th anniversary of their only outright success in the championship. But they failed to find that little bit extra on the run to the finishing line and Dunshaughlin claimed a third triumph on the trot. In the following campaign Trim also had a motivating factor as they sought to return to the decider. It was 50 years since the Keegan Cup was first presented and Navan O'Mahonys defeated them in that famous final. Surviving players from both sides were honoured last September but the present crop of Trim senior footballers were unable to make it back to the big stage. After an impressive run of seven victories in a row, the men in red and white were being touted as very possible winners but this time they faltered at the penultimate hurdle as Simonstown Gaels advanced at their expense. Afterwards Trim supporters were lamenting a lost championship. But that's an old story. Despite having some fine footballers down the decades, the big ball game has always lived in the shadow of hurling in Trim. Since men like Peter Darby, Jim Ryan, Jim Farrell, John Nallen and Lolly McEvoy spearheaded the '62 success, there have only been two appearances in the Keegan Cup decider, in 1997 and 2002. Darren Fay was captain in 2003. The county ace has played in two SFC finals, two more than father Jimmy and uncle Mickey. He may well get the opportunity to be 'third time lucky' but Trim will need to get more steel into their armour if the current crop are to realise their potential. After losing to St Patrick's in the opening round, Trim put together a string of results which suggested that it might be their year. They got their challenge back on track with a 1-15 to 1-10 win over Summerhill and one press report of that second round tie suggested that if the forwards in red and white had showed the same poise and composure when playing into the town goals in the previous November's final they could have dislodged Dunshaughlin. Mickey Lowther sent over eight points, Paul Gilsenan kicked four and Eoin McGrath netted their goal. From the second round on Brendan Murphy, formerly a Meath minor goalkeeper and netminder with a number of soccer clubs including Wimbledon, had transferred from an outfield role to between the posts where he proved quite effective. The 2002 captain Richie Fitzsimons was nowhere to be seen but brother Ronan had moved from the half forward line out to midfield and began to show some of the form which had him on Sean Boylan's squad for a short spell. Later on Benny Murray came back after injury and gave the attack extra experience. Paul Gilsenan was Trim's top scorer on the way to the 2002 final and he showed that he had not lost the finishing touch when notching a goal and two points in the narrow 1-10 to 0-12 victory over Kilmainhamwood in the third round. The town team finished strongly in that game, sending over the last five points of an entertaining encounter at the county ground. A 0-11 to 0-6 success over Cortown made it three wins out of four games with Lowther (five) and Gilsenan sharing nine points. Despite being without Darren Fay, who was ruled out with an injury, Trim comfortably moved nearer to a place in the knock out stages. There was a break of a couple of months between the fourth and fifth rounds but that did not seem to do Trim any harm as they bounced back with a 1-12 to 1-8 win over Dunshaughlin. Ronan Fitzsimons and Frankie Murphy had the better of the midfield exchanges and veteran dual player Declan Murray netted the Reds' goal with six minutes to go. Benny Murray returned after a long spell on the sidelines for that game and Joe Tighe, back with Trim after spells in Galway and Australia, was at full back. After defeating Dunshaughlin, the scalps of Walterstown and Dunboyne were added and the winning roll was gaining momentum. Tighe, centre back on Meath's All-Ireland minor winning team of 1992, turned in a powerful performance in the 1-11 to 1-7 victory over Walterstown in the sixth round. That game was over as a contest when Trim led by 1-8 to 0-1 at the break with Gilsenan netting their goal. One of the local newspapers suggested, "They (Trim) are looking like a side who could go all the way but whether they do that will be down to themselves and not what is written in newspapers." That win put Trim through to the quarter-final stage but they still went all out to maintain the winning streak in a concluding group tie at Dunshaughlin in which referee Cormac Reilly flashed four red cards. Joe Tighe was the only player in red and white to be dismissed but it turned out to be a costly sending-off. Despite pleas for leniency from Dunboyne, the full back was handed down a 12 weeks ban after being reported for kicking. A number of people who saw the incident thought it was harmless enough but referees are always right! Trim further enhanced their title hopes with the way they battled back from being seven points in arrears to Dunboyne at the break and eight early in the second half. The win was achieved in spite of penalty miss by Paul Gilsenan with Mickey Lowther helping himself to 1-4 and Colm McHugh punching over the winner at the end when the read 1-10 to 0-12. Neighbours Dunderry provided the opposition at the quarterfinal stage and the favourites strolled to 0-14 to 0-8 success, having raced into a six points advantage in the opening 16 minutes. Once again there were suggestions that Trim could go all the way. But perhaps the players were believing too much of what was being written about themselves. After bowing out of the SHC the previous weekend, Trim's footballers, many of whom figured on both sides, should have been well focussed. But after scoring so well in the previous rounds, Trim only managed 0-8 to Simonstown Gaels' 1-9 as they toppled over at the penultimate hurdle. Both sides hit a ridiculous amount of wides and the losers failed to register in the last 20 minutes plus. They had Mark Daly in goals instead of the holidaying Brendan Murphy, who was missed. David Hegarty continued at full back while Benny Murray was unable to start because of an injury. A splendid point by Ronan Fitzsimons nine minutes into the second half should have inspired Trim. But it didn't and that turned out to be their last score in the 2003 Meath SFC. Selectors Martin McCormack, Enda Markey and John Leonard had reasons to feel disappointed. So had the supporters who followed the team through thick and thin over a number of years. But after building up such an impressive run of wins, the players probably feel that they did not do themselves justice on the first Sunday of September. Like Skryne, they had been very impressive in the group stages but were found wanting in the home straight. Over the last two years Trim's SFC record reads: played 15, won 11, and lost four. After just surviving in a relegation play-off against Carnaross in 1999, they have been an ever present in the closing stages since. Trim are the second longest serving senior football club in Meath, being in the top grade since gaining intermediate honours in 1949. But their appearances in SFC finals over the years have been few. They did manage to reach the decider two years in succession in the early '60s. In 1961 they lost to Navan O'Mahonys, who were completing a famous five in a row, before beating Ballinlough by 3-8 to 0-7 in the '62 decider. Teams did not have alternative strips in those days and Trim wore a set of jerseys borrowed from Navan O'Mahonys. Maybe the club should consider changing their colours from red and white to blue and white in an attempt to end their SFC drought! Still looking ahead to the 2004 Meath SFC, Trim have better prospects than most of the other 15 teams. But they will need to believe in themselves a bit more and they probably lack a leader like John Nallen, who was their most influential figure when the title was gained over 40 years ago. Dunshaughlin had Dermot Kealy and Blackhall Gaels had Anthony Moyles. Of course, Darren Fay could fill that role and Trim will look to their best known player. Brendan Murphy in goals and Joe Tighe at full back should continue to be pluses for Trim but they will need to find more consistent scoring at the other end if the long barren spell is to be ended. So, once again Trim look back at a football year with regret. One can't help wondering if the story will be any different this time next year. Semi Setback After fighting off the threat of relegation the previous year, Trim hoped to bounce back in emphatic style in 2003 and win the Meath Senior Hurling Championship. By Paul Clarke. It all went very much to plan during the group stages, but Dunboyne ended Trim's dreams of lifting the Jubilee Cup at the semi-final stage when winning by six points to qualify for the decider for the second successive year. Trim were champions in 2001, but the fact that they struggled to such a degree the following year was quite astonishing as they eventually secured their survival in the top flight by edging out Athboy by just two points in a do or die relegation final. From being the fancy of many to retain their title that year, Trim just managed to avoid the horror of dropping down to the intermediate ranks and after that major scare they were always likely to mount a serious assault for the biggest prize in Meath hurling in 2003. John Andrews' side were drawn in Group A of the Senior Championship, along with Wolfe Tones, Rathmolyon, Boardsmill, Kiltale and reigning champions Kilmessan. They couldn't have asked for a more searching test of their resolve and well being than an opening round match against great rivals Kilmessan and they responded to the challenge admirably by scoring a 3-9 to 2-9 victory over the champions in a thrilling encounter at Boardsmill. It was just the start to the championship Trim wanted and the form of Joey Toole in that clash must have given their supporters renewed hope for the campaign as a whole as he racked up a highly impressive tally of 1-7 from full-forward. Declan Murray and Ronan Fitzsimons were highly impressive for Trim at midfield and they were in a commanding position at the interval when leading by 3-5 to 1-4 after Benny Murray, Toole and Fitzsimons had found the net. Kilmessan rallied in the second-half, but Trim had inflicted sufficient damage in the opening period and had three points to spare at the final whistle. "It was very important for us to get off to a good start against Kilmessan, especially after the way it went the previous year when we had to fight off relegation," recalled Ronan Fitzsimons. "We were delighted with the win. It got us off on the right note." Kiltale put a slight dent in Trim's ambitions when holding them to a draw in the second round at Longwood, but that was the only blemish in an otherwise highly promising group campaign. Wolfe Tones proved no match for Andrews' team in the third round at Athboy as Trim won by all of 20 points on a 2-18 to 0-4 score line. Toole notched 1-10 to bring his combined total for three championship outings to 2-23. A goal from Shane Ashe helped Trim to a very comfortable 1-9 to 0-2 interval lead and they could even afford the luxury of 18 wides over the hour. Trim had to battle all the way to maintain their unbeaten run when they faced Rathmolyon in the fourth round at Boardsmill. Rathmolyon had Neil Cole sent off inside the opening 30 seconds, but showed commendable determination and led by 0-11 to 0-7 at half-time after playing with the aid of the wind. Trim held them to just a point in the second period and with Toole again superbly accurate, notching nine points over the hour, they won by 0-14 to 0-12. The men in red secured qualification for the semi-finals as group winners when they scored a very comfortable 0-18 to 1-1 victory over Boardsmill in their concluding group match at Longwood. They led all the way, including by 0-8 to 0-1 at the break, and Toole again helped himself to nine points as he maintained his tremendous scoring form. After such a progressive qualification campaign hopes had to be high in the Trim camp as they prepared to play Dunboyne at the semi-final stage in Pairc Tailteann, but they turned in a below par performance and lost by 0-11 to 2-11. The sides were level on 0-7 each at half-time, but two second-half goals from top-scorer Neville Reilly and John Watters propelled Dunboyne to the final and a repeat of the previous year's decider against Kilmessan. What had looked like a campaign that could bring outright success during the group stages had ended in bitter disappointment at the penultimate hurdle for Trim. "Apart from drawing with Kiltale, we won all our other group games and were quite consistent," Fitzsimons added. "We were happy to get through the group stages and thought we were playing reasonably well. "But Dunboyne knocked us out in the semi-finals. They got a goal at a really bad time for us and it's just hard to come back from a late score like that. "We had a few injury worries going into the game, but Dunboyne, in fairness, were the better team on the day and deserved to win." The disappointment of failing to reach the final will ease with time and Trim can only look ahead to 2004 and hope they can clinch another Jubilee Cup. "It's great to have John Andrews there as coach," Fitzsimons added as he focused his thoughts ahead to next year when he is again likely to be a key figure in both the senior hurling and football teams for Trim. "I'm hopeful for next year. We'll just take each game as it comes, hopefully make it to the knock-out stages and just take it from there." And what of the pressures that go with being a dual player at senior level? "It can be a problem having so many players who play both hurling and football," he said. "You could be playing two matches a week at certain times of the year. But it's a good problem to have really. Not many clubs are as competitive as we are in both codes and most clubs would love to be in our position." Trim won the Under-16 Hurling Championship in 2003 and Fitzsimons believes the talent is being nurtured that will keep the club at the forefront of the small ball code in the county in the years ahead. "There is a lot of work going on with the young lads in the club," he added. "There has been talk of us dying off. I don't think so." The future of Trim hurling looked extremely bright at Pairc Tailteann in late August when the club won the Under-16 Championship by defeating Kilmessan in a final that was a fine advertisement for the game at under-age level in the county. Trim won by 11 points on a 6-7 to 2-8 score line, but the quality of the play overall wasn't reflected on the score board as both sides contributed to a thrilling match which certainly provided good value for the admission fee. Kyle Gorry, Niall Murray, Keith Toole, Neil Heffernan and Gavin Quinn were among Trim's most prominent players over the hour, but it was Kilmessan who started in more impressive and productive fashion as they built up a 0-6 to 0-2 advantage after 25 minutes. Trim looked to be in some trouble as Kilmessan had the appearance of likely winners at that stage, but the boys in red produced a three-goal blitz and by half-time they had turned that four-point deficit into a two-point advantage as they led by 3-2 to 1-6. Two of those goals came inside the space of just 30 seconds in the 26th minute. Heffernan got the first and Toole fired home the second after taking a pass from Murray, and suddenly Trim were looking like a transformed team. A minute of first-half injury-time had elapsed when Murray climbed highest after a Thomas Farrell centre to finish to the net for the third Trim goal. Kilmessan had time to pull back a goal deep into first-half injury-time when Christopher Curtis blasted a penalty to the net and, with just two points between the sides, the second-half had all the makings of a very interesting contest. However, that was as close as Kilmessan managed to get and they didn't score again until the start of the final quarter as Trim assumed command on the scoreboard. Heffernan scored their fourth goal and his superb run down the wing and centre set up the fifth for Murray, before Gorry notched a sixth two minutes later. There was no way back for Kilmessan after that and Trim were worthy winners of a title that provided a great boost for the under-age section of the club. The Trim team and scorers in the final were - Alan Douglas; Barry Flynn, Gavin Quinn, Colm Doyle; Ciaran Joyce, Colm Hackett, Davy Lynch; Ronan Golden (0-1), Patrick Burke; Thomas Farrell (0-1), Keith Toole (1-0), Owen O'Connor (0-1); Kyle Gorry (1-2), Niall Murray (2-1), Neil Heffernan (2-1). Subs - Dwayne Smith for Toole, Cian Dunne for Flynn, Gary Scully, Stephen Lynch, Tiernan Byrne. U11's look promising There's plenty of talent in the youngest age groups in the Trim hurling set-up and the under-11s proved it when they defeated Navan O'Mahonys by 1-3 to 1-1 in the Championship 'A' final at Kilmessan. Scores were few and far between in the first-half, at the end of which the sides were level on 0-1 each, but Trim did enough in the second period to secure the title as a goal from Ian Keogh proved decisive. Gareth Whyte, Sean Magee and James and Ryan Andrews were particularly prominent for Trim. Trim - C. Connor; P. Smyth, M. Linehan, D. Melia; T. Farrelly, G. Whyte, S. Magee; R. Andrews (0-1), J. Toher; S. Fitzgerald, D. Whelan, J. Andrews; I. Keogh (1-0), D. Magee (0-2), C. Connor. Subs - C. Conroy for Fitzgerald, A. Winters for Keogh. Tweet

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