Bellewstown, to say the very least, endured a difficult and unsuccessful year in 2002 which saw them relegated in both the championship and league and the hope for next year will be that things can only get better. The decision to stay in the junior football ranks certainly proved to be less than prudent and Bellewstown will have to line out in the Junior B competition in 2003 after being relegated from the JFC - a championship they won back in 1986 when everything looked so bright and positive for the club. But 2002 wasn't so bright or positive for Bellewstown. They were drawn in Div. A of the junior championship, in a section that also included Moylagh, St. Michael's, Wolfe Tones, Moynalty and Bective, and, sadly, they lost all five matches, including a couple of them by wide margins to Moylagh and Wolfe Tones. That pointless group campaign left them in serious trouble as they attempted to survive in the Junior A ranks and a relegation play-off loomed against a St. Paul's side which always looked likely to prove too strong for them. And that's exactly how it turned out as the Clonee side came out on top by all of 12 points on a 2-13 to 1-4 scoreline. Unfortunately, the situation in Div. 4 of the All-County 'A' League was equally gloomy for the Bellewstown club and its supporters. Having come up from Div. 5 last year, it was a case of heading straight back down as they failed to win a match from 11 outings in the competition. After just one draw they finished well adrift at the bottom of the table with a solitary point and were demoted. To make things even more depressing, they were unable to field a team in the Junior C Championship. Unfortunately for Bellewstown, they don't have the rapidly developing populations of nearby areas like Stamullen, Julianstown and Duleek where houses appear to be growing as quick as grass in recent years. They are linked with Duleek at under-age level, but the vast majority of the players on these teams tend to be from Duleek . As one club official put it: "We're only a bit of a parish. Two-thirds of it is in Duleek and one-third is in Stamullen and the parish rule is a problem." Sixteen years ago things were so different for the Bellewstown club and its passionate band of supporters who brought so much colour and atmosphere to matches around the county. That was 1986 and what a memorable year it proved to be for the club. Winning the JFC title for the first time was the undoubted highlight, but they also held the official opening of their grounds, Howard Park, in May of that year when Meath, on the verge of winning a first Leinster senior title in 16 years, played Louth in a challenge match to mark the very special occasion. It was a very proud day for the club as years of hard work, loyalty and dedication on behalf of the members came to fruition with the opening of a superb facility for the local community. That historic evening came approximately 20 years after the club was founded and named St. Teresa's GFC, Bellewstown. The first chairman was National School teacher James Coyne. How fitting it was that Bellewstown should also win the JFC the same year, making it an extra special one for the club. The '86 junior final against Navan side Simonstown Gaels at Kells proved very low scoring, as defences were generally on top and forwards were afforded little space. Bellewstown edged through by a point (0-5 to 0-4), thanks in no small way to a brilliant performance from midfielder Ray Nulty, who was partnered by Martin Flynn who had a spell on the Meath senior panel during the earlier days of Sean Boylan's reign as team manager and won an O'Byrne Cup medal. It was an historic and proud day for the club from the Hill and especially captain Peter Collins who had the great honour of accepting the Matthew Ginnity Cup from County Board chairman Fintan Ginnity who was in his first year in the chair. Bellewstown's team in the final comprised: M. Boyle; N. Howard, G. Moore, PJ Cudden; R. Power, H. Calvey, P. McHugh; M. Flynn (0-1), R. Nulty; R. Dunne, D. Whearty (0-1), P. Collins (0-1); P. Joyce (0-2), M. McEntaggart, S. Mills. Subs - J. Brannigan for Mills, B. Power for McHugh. It was very much a case of fortune favouring the brave for Bellewstown who had opted to promote themselves to the junior A ranks after experiencing bitter disappointment in two Div. 3 FC finals in the space of three years. A decision was taken in the early part of 1983 to secure the services of one of Meath's 1967 All-Ireland heroes Pat 'Red' Collier to coach the team and after losing just once, to Robinstown, Bellewstown got the better of Drumconrath at the semi-final stage to reach the club's first championship final, the Div. 3 decider against An Gaeltacht. Black and yellow flags and hats were in very plentiful supply on the final Sunday of September, but the Bellewstown team and their loyal fans were to experience great disappointment as they lost by two points (1-9 to 2-4) after holding a very useful seven-point advantage (2-3 to 0-2) at the end of the opening quarter. After a very poor season on the playing field in '84, as they struggled after that big disappointment, Bellewstown were back in the Div. 3 final a year later and again a big crowd from the Hill travelled to Pairc Tailteann, Navan. But again there was bitter disappointment as Longwood won the decider by 1-6 to 0-6, despite a strong rally in the second half from Bellewstown as they attempted to play a game of catch-up. The following December the brave decision to upgrade the team to junior A status and also enter a second team in the Junior B championship was taken at the AGM and what a prudent step it proved to be when, approximately nine months later, they made up for previous disappointments in Div. 3 championship finals by winning the Junior A title. A year later Bellewstown enjoyed further success when they lifted the Cooney Cup as winners of the Div. 4 A League. Regrettably, life is proving to be something of a struggle for the club at the moment, but the big hope has to be that, somehow, Bellewstown GFC can get through these less successful times and enjoy more fruitful years in the future. After all, the rural club is a very important part of the GAA. Tweet

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