Cortown endured a Jekyll and Hyde season in 2002. They came within a whisker of regaining their division one league status, yet found themselves embroiled in senior championship relegation trouble at the tail end of the season. Club secretary Pat Keane attempts to unravel the enigma. Cortown entered 2002 with high hopes. Promotion to division one of the league, and a quarter or semi-final berth in the championship was seen as realistic targets. Neither was achieved, yet the north-Meath outfit can look back on the year with a sense of pride. Longstanding club secretary Pat Keane felt their senior football championship prospects were hampered from the outset, because of their division two league status, yet he was hopeful the club could mount a serious championship challenge. "We lost our division one status a few years ago and it really hurt. That is the division we want to play in. We want to be playing against all the top teams. Promotion was therefore our target at the start of the season," Pat recalls. He continued: "We also felt we could build on our quarter-final defeat at the hands of Walterstown in the championship last year. We felt we had an outside chance in the championship." Cortown's promotion ambitions went swimmingly until Ballivor torpedoed them at the final hurdle. Having amassed a total of 17 points (eight wins and one draw) from their previous 10 outings, the club needed just a point to secure promotion. It all went horribly wrong on that fateful night in Cortown. "We were missing a few lads on the night, but so were Ballivor, so that can't be used as an excuse. They were going well in the intermediate championship and were really pumped up for the game. We just didn't get our game going on the night. It was really disappointing," Pat recalls ruefully. On league form it was a game Cortown were expected to win. Ballivor were sitting comfortably in mid-table and focusing on the Intermediate Championship, but as with life, nothing is straightforward in weird and wonderful world of gaelic football. Nevertheless, Cortown can look back on their 2002 league campaign as an important stepping-stone towards regaining their division one status. They missed out by the narrowest of margins, but the experience gained by Cortown's 'cubs' will stand them in good stead next time round. Pitted against Skryne, Trim and Kilmainhamwood in the group stages of the senior championship, Cortown were optimistic of advancing to the quarterfinals. In a four-team group, it is vital to get points on the board from the opening fixture. Surprisingly, Cortown fired blanks in their first two championship outings going under to Trim and Skryne. The club's never say die spirit, commitment and passion for the game wasn't enough to thwart the teams that went on to top the group. They then had an agonising 13-week wait before meeting Kilmainhamwood in their final group match. Pat recalled: "We are the type of team that needs to be getting games in quick succession. We need to build up a momentum and get a run going. Thankfully, the break didn't do us any harm and we were able to beat Kilmainhamwood." He continued: "Four team groups are very unpredictable. If Skryne had beaten Trim in their last match, it would have left, Trim, Kilmainhamwood and ourselves in a three-way play-off to see who went out of the group along with Skryne." "But Trim surprised everyone and beat Skryne. That left Kilmainhamwood and ourselves in a play-off to see who went into the relegation play-offs. That is how close the whole thing was." Kilmainhamwood duly exacted revenge for their earlier championship humbling to plunge Cortown deep into relegation trouble. But when the going gets tough, Cortown gets going. Cortown were forced to field without Sylvie Skelton, Trevor Coyne and John Henry while Glen Loughran played carrying a heavy injury. Playing through the pain barrier, Loughran notched a telling 0-5 on the day. Pat reflected: "We were devastated by injuries in the run-up to the Summerhill match. But when the chips were down the players' true character shone through. Packie Henry hadn't kicked a ball all year, but when he heard we had an injury crisis, he put in a few training sessions before the match and made himself available if he was needed. That type of spirit typifies the club. He came off the bench to getting the winning goal." Given that Cortown gave championship debuts this year to no less than seven players - Darragh O'Halloran, Gerry Coyne, John Fagan, Declan Casserly, Stephen Fitzmaurice, Paddy and Colm Kerrigan, perhaps the club's hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the championship were a tad ambitious. In hindsight Pat admits that the "cubs" were taking a big step up in class. "The lads came off our Junior B team. There is a huge difference in the pace of the game. I am sure they will learn from the experience and they will be better prepared next year. Equally there is a big difference in division one and division two in the league. That is why we want to get back there next year.' Despite their brush with relegation, Pat is confident the club can regain their division one status next year and launch a serious challenge in the senior championship. "We are only a small club with a small pick. But we make the best of what we have. There is a great spirit in the club. We mightn't have the best footballers in the county but we compensate for that by giving 100 per cent commitment." Under the watchful eye of Tony Coogan, Cortown National School is a veritable hotbed of footballing talent. With a steady stream of underage talent coming through from St Cuthbert's, Pat believes the club's future is bright, but warns against complacency. "We need more people to get involved in the underage set-up. That is the future of the club, and we need to look after our young talent." Tweet

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