The dream of winning a first Senior Football Championship in 40 years ended in bitter disappointment for Trim, but the 2002 campaign suggested that the Keegan Cup is likely to find a home in the shadow of King John's Castle in the not too distant future. Trim are a generally young team, with a light sprinkling of more experienced campaigners, and the fact that they lost the final by only two points to a by now highly-experienced and battle-hardened Dunshaughlin side should give them renewed hope for next season once the feeling of despondency that comes with losing a decider has eased. The Reds were the surprise packets of the senior championship and at the start of the campaign survival in the top flight was high on the wish list. But they opened well with a three-point win over Cortown, before losing by a point to Kilmainhamwood with an understrength team. They bounced back with a superb performance against Skryne which yielded a five-point victory and made a marvellous recovery to beat Walterstown by two points at the quarter-final stage. And in the semi-final they led Dunboyne by eight points early in the second half, but needed two late points from Paul Gilsenan frees to again win by two. Trim possess a burning desire to add a football title to all the senior hurling successes enjoyed in recent years, especially after the disappointment of the final loss to Navan O'Mahonys in 1997. Losing this year's decider won't diminish that desire and the big hope in the club will be that the experience gained during a highly encouraging and progressive campaign, even if it did end in disappointment, will stand to the younger players. How they react to that defeat will be key to their prospects of achieving their goal. Trim had the chances to win the final once they battled back to draw level. But they failed to take them and they were punished in the severest possible manner as Niall Kelly thumped over a magnificent line ball from out on the right and then David Crimmins pointed to earn the defending champions a 1-11 to 2-6 victory. The challengers had got off to a dream start when Michael Lowther netted after six minutes as he punched a Brendan Murphy '45' to the net, but they struggled to find their form subsequently and went 28 minutes without a score. Darren Fay finally ended that barren spell with a point from a superb long-range free, but Dunshaughlin retired with a 0-6 to 1-1 interval advantage after playing with the wind. The wind appeared to ease in the second half and Dunshaughlin soon stretched the advantage to four points. A Trevor Dowd goal meant the lead stood at six points within five minutes of the restart and Trim looked doomed. But aided by a Fay goal, after his free was dropped to the net by Dunshaughlin defender Michael McHale, they battled back extremely well and were on level terms (1-9 to 2-6) 27 minutes into the half. Trim appeared to be assuming control. But they lacked composure when it mattered most, missed chances which would have put them ahead and Dunshaughlin, demonstrating all their experience and know-how, took full advantage to claim a third successive senior title. Trim selector Martin McCormack knew the final was there for the taking in those key minutes after Trim had drawn level and in the days following the match he was trying to come to terms with the severe disappointment of the defeat. "We never really got off the ground in the first half, despite getting an early goal," the former top hurling referee reflected. "Maybe a few of the lads got stage fright on the big occasion. It's hard to know really. "We were two points behind at half-time and then Dunshaughlin scored two points at the start of the second half. They led by six at one stage, but we managed to get back to level terms and then missed three chances. If one of them had gone over we might well have won. Who knows? They then went up and got two points at the other end and that was that. It was so disappointing." Dunshaughlin have developed into a serious outfit under Eamonn Barry in recent years and are very hard to beat as they work so well for one another and use their experience to telling effect. McCormack fully appreciated that after Trim's loss. "Dunshaughlin's experience was definitely a big factor in their victory," he added. "After all, they have been in the last four senior finals and have won the last three. As a result of all that experience, you can be absolutely sure that they won't get stage fright." Losing a final is a bitter pill to swallow, but Trim can take positives from a campaign that brought them so close to a first SFC title since Peter Darby led them to Keegan Cup glory in 1962. They can certainly look back on their performance against Skryne as a high point and if they can achieve a greater degree of consistency in their displays anything is possible. "Trim can certainly take positives from the championship," McCormack said. "We have a lot of young lads and with the exception of Kevin Walsh and Declan Murray they are generally a youthful team. We also know that we are right up among the top teams now and will be no pushover. "Hopefully, the boys will have the hunger again next year. Our first round game will be a really big one." For the record, the Trim team in the final was - M. Daly; P. Hegarty, D. Hegarty, P. McGuinness; Richie Fitzsimons, K. Walsh, M. Power; D. Fay (1-1), B. Murphy; Ronan Fitzsimons, F. Murphy, D. Murray (0-1); E. McGrath (0-1), M. Lowther (1-1), P. Gilsenan (0-2). Subs - S. Murphy for Richie Fitzsimons, K. Meehan for F. Murphy. Dunshaughlin also proved to be Trim's barrier to success in the Feis Cup, with the senior champions beating the Reds by 1-10 to 0-7 at the semi-final stage. At the start of the year the Trim hurlers appeared to represent Trim's best chance of senior glory, but the defending champions found themselves battling for survival rather than challenging for honours. It represented one of the big surprises of the competition. Trim opened in positive fashion with a 4-12 to 2-14 victory over Rathmolyon and few would have bet against them at least qualifying for the semi-finals at that stage. But four successive defeats followed as they lost to Dunboyne (4-12 to 2-10), Killyon (2-5 to 1-6), Longwood (1-11 to 0-13) and Kildalkey (3-7 to 0-15). Those results meant they finished bottom of Group A on two points along with Kildalkey, coached by former Trim player Eunan McCaffrey, and a divisional relegation play-off followed which Trim lost by 2-11 to 2-9. Amazingly, they were just one game short of relegation, but Trim won that do-or-died shoot-out against Athboy by 1-6 to 1-4 to preserve their senior status. It wasn't the sort of senior championship the club could have anticipated and that serious scare which the threat of the dreaded drop brought looks certain to provide the necessary wake-up call which will spur them to a much more successful campaign in 2003. Trim's Neil Heffernan must have set some sort of scoring record when he finished with the incredible personal tally of 8-1 in the Under-14 Hurling Championship final against Navan O'Mahonys at Longwood. That sensational return was recorded despite being withdrawn five minutes from the end and helped Trim to a runaway 11-5 to 0-5 victory. Neil scored three goals in the opening five minutes and notched his side's first five goals in an incredible exhibition of marksmanship. Gavin Quinn was another of Trim's star performers, excelling at centre half-back, while Tiernan Byrne, Emmet Butterly, Kevin Toole, Ronan Golden and Thomas Farrell also proved particularly effective in a memorable performance. Trim had earlier won the National Feile Div. 3 title, so 2002 certainly proved to be a year to remember for the club's under-14 hurlers. The Trim team in the county final was - A. Douglas; S. Lynch, D. Smith, B. Flynn; T. Byrne, G. Quinn, E. Butterly; C. Joyce, K. Toole (1-1); C. Dunne, R. Golden, T. Farrell (1-1); K. Gorry (0-2), D. Lynch (1-0), N. Heffernan (8-1). Subs - I. Caldwell for D. Lynch, I. Douglas for Heffernan. Trim just failed to make it a magnificent double at under-14 level when they lost the Football Championship final to Yellow Furze at Pairc Tailteann, going under by just two points on a 1-13 to 2-8 score line after an enthralling encounter which provided outstanding entertainment for those lucky enough to be present. Neil Heffernan was again the scorer in chief for the Trim lads, this time accounting for 2-5 of his side's tally, with 2-4 of those scores coming from play. Trim certainly gave it one mighty effort. They trailed by 1-4 to 0-9 at half-time, but battled back to lead narrowly in the last quarter. However, they were just edged out at the finish after a brave performance. The Trim team in the final was - N. Murray; T. Byrne, D. Lynch, B. Flynn; C. Delargy, G. Quinn, E. Englishby; S. Doyle (0-1), R. Golden; K. Shaughnessy (0-2), G. O'Neill, A. Douglas; A. Craig, C. Joyce, N. Heffernan (2-5). Sub - C. Doyle for O'Neill. Trim's fire burns brightly Trim's secretary Fergal Flanagan spoke with John Loughran after the dust had settled on their heart-breaking injury time defeat at the hands of Dunshaughlin in the Senior Football Championship decider in Pairc Tailteann, Navan, on Sunday November 10. Be warned the south Meath team has the whiff of revenge in their nostrils. The losers' dressing room isn't a nice place to be on football final day. There was a deathly silence in the Trim dressing room shortly after the final shrill of the whistle. An air of despondency was almost palpable. With heads bowed the players, mentors and well wishers trundled from beneath the stand with nothing to show for their energy and emotion sapping experience except weary limbs and aching hearts. To the victor the spoils, to the vanquished another winter of discontent. It is a place they never want to visit again. Within a few hours spirits began to lift to a degree that players and mentors were able to rake over the ashes of those final few moments when the Keegan Cup came tantalizingly close to resting by the banks of the Boyne for the first time in exactly 40 years. At the time of writing Fergal hadn't quite come to terms with the fact that Meath GAA's most sought after trophy wouldn't be resting in the shadow of the town's historic castle. "It was exactly 40 years to the day since Trim last won the Senior Football Championship. We even wore (replicas of) the red and white-hooped socks that were worn by the team in 1962. We felt it was an omen. The players were conscious of that fact going out onto the field. It certainly acted as a motivation," Fergal revealed. That it took a wonder injury time score from Dunshaughlin's Niall Kelly to finally decide this whole-hearted affair will be of little consolation to Trim. "When we finally drew level, I was sure we were going to win it. We had two chances, one from Ronan Fitzsimons which went agonizingly wide and another from Paul Gilsenan which fell short. "The ball went down the field. They got a line ball which Niall Kelly kicked over. It was absolutely a fantastic kick. It was on a par with Maurice Fitzgerald's effort against Dublin last year. It was a special kick but that was of little consolation to us." In admitting that Trim road their luck at stages in the senior football championship, especially in their quarter-final victory over Walterstown, Fergal believes that 'lady luck' deserted them in those final and telling moments in injury time. "The lads were giving it everything in injury time and while I felt we were going to go on and win it, I also felt that we at least deserved to draw. However, it wasn't meant to be," Fergal commented. Ultimately, Dunshaughlin's greater experience told on the day. "We were playing a very experienced team who were going for a three-in-a-row. They also came through two tough replays in the Leinster Club Championship in consecutive years and that level of experience stood to them in the closing stages. They didn't panic when we drew level. From one to 15 they are a very balanced team, but having said that they are still there to be beaten." he added. Fergal is confident that the south Meath outfit will gain immensely from their bitter experience. Given that only two players are over 30 - Declan Murray and Kevin Walsh - there is plenty of mileage in the Trim tank yet. "Declan and Kevin's experience to the team is invaluable it will rub off on the younger players. You can see it, even in training. Francis Murphy was the youngest on the team at 18 and played with the Meath Minors this year. I have no doubt he will go on from here to be a great footballer," Fergal enthused. He added: "Even though this is a relatively young team, there is still plenty of experience throughout. Darren Fay is an inspiration to the lads. His will to win is admirable given all that he has achieved in the game. Ronan Fitzsimons also has plenty of inter-county experience. The younger lads look up to them. Paul Gilsenan was an under 21 this year, but he is already a seasoned performer, so we have a really nice blend between youth and experience." Co-selectors Enda Markey, John Leonard, and Martin McCormack were quick to offer consolation in the aftermath of the defeat, Fergal revealed. But, within a few short hours they were looking forward to plotting another assault on the senior championship in 2003. "We got to the County Final in 1997 when we were beaten by O'Mahony's. The following year, we ended up in a relegation play-off. We certainly won't let that happen again. We will take nothing for granted. We will regroup in January and get the lads ready for another assault on the senior championship." Many pundits will say that you need to lose a final in order to win one. There is lots of evidence to back up this theory, not just in Gaelic football. However, Trim won't fall into the trap of thinking it is their divine right to lift the Keegan Cup in 2003. They will however, build on their experiences of this bitter defeat. "There was an unbelievable effort on behalf of the selectors to get the players fit and mentally prepared on the day. The work they did this year will carry over into next year." Fergal feels that the management team got their preparations "spot on" throughout the campaign. "I was more than happy with the preparation that was put in this year. When the management sits down with the players to analyse the year, they might identify areas where there is room for improvement." We have raked over the ashes and the fire hasn't gone out by any means. The fire will be re-kindled in January, and we will be back giving it every possible effort next year. We will be a year older and that much more experienced. There will be no stone left unturned next time round," Fergal concluded. All-Ireland glory for Trim The Trim under 14 hurlers enjoyed a remarkable year, the highlight being their capture of the All-Ireland Feile na nGael Division 3 title in Belfast. Team manager Martin Heffernan shares his recollections on a glorious 12 months. A contender for team of the year? Look no further than the Trim under 14 hurlers who literally swept everything before them in 2002. After winning the county Feile na nGael title in April, they represented Meath in the All-Ireland version two months later and produced a wonderful showing to capture the Division 3 crown. The third leg of a treble of successes was completed in July when they inflicted a crushing defeat on Navan O'Mahony's to claim the county under 14 hurling title. And there would have been a fourth title had they not lost the under 14 football championship decider to Yellow Furze with what was effectively the same panel of players. "It was an unbelievable year," says team manager Martin Heffernan. "We knew we had a good bunch of players, having had them together for the past four years, but you can never be too confident. To win three trophies was amazing and this success should benefit the club in the long term," he adds. Heffernan and former county star John Gorry, who is the team coach, brought this group of players together with the intention of putting the sparkle back into Trim underage hurling. And four years on, it would seem that objective has been achieved. In their first year, the team contested the under 11 final but were forced to give second best to Navan O'Mahony's. They made amends the following year when beating Killyon in the under 11 decider. Last year, they captured the under 13 crown at O'Mahony's expense. "These lads have got used to winning over the past few years. A lot of them have also won Cumann na mBunscol medals with St. Michael's NS," explains Heffernan, who has just completed his first year as chairman of the Trim juvenile section. Trim booked their ticket to the All-Ireland Feile na nGael competition with an impressive victory over Wolfe Tones in the county decider at Kilmessan. En route to the final, they had beaten a number of teams, including Boardsmill, Blackhall Gaels and St. Martin's. Heffernan's charges were based in Banagher, Co. Derry for the Feile na nGael weekend and they defeated the host club in their opening game. This was followed by another victory over Emmet Lynch's, Dungiven which put them in a strong position in their section. A third win over Cushendall of Antrim earned the Meath representatives a semi-final showdown with Celbridge at the O'Donovan Rossa club in Belfast. The Kildare outfit led by 10 points at the interval but with midfielder Keith O'Toole scoring 2-5 in the second half, Trim snatched a dramatic victory. O'Toole showed great composure to send over the winning point from a '65' in the final minute. The final took place at Casement Park on Sunday, June 23 with Four Roads of Roscommon providing the opposition. Just as in the semi-final, Trim were slow to settle and found themselves 1-1 to 1-3 in arrears at the half-way stage. But they upped their performance substantially in the second half, scoring an unanswered 2-4 without reply to triumph on a 3-5 to 1-3 scoreline. Neil Heffernan, son of Martin, notched 2-1 while Kyle Gorry, son of John, scored two points. Davy Lynch also found the net on a momentous day for Trim hurling. Afterwards, the victorious Trim team was presented with the Michael Cusack trophy. "I thought the lads played tremendous hurling throughout the weekend and they got what they deserved in the end," says Martin, who hails from Donadea and is a former Kildare minor footballer. "It was a very significant win because, although Trim had been in an All-Ireland Feile final before, they had never actually won it. A lot of work went into this success and in this regard, I would like to acknowledge the support myself and John received from our secretary Liz Payne and our team mentors Victor Douglas and Seamus Rochford. We cannot forget the support of our sponsors either." Before setting out for Belfast, Trim had already booked their place in the county under 14 championship final on the back of wins over Navan O'Mahony's, Kilmessan, St. Martin's, Blackhall Gaels and Wolfe Tones. In the final, they once again squared up to old rivals O'Mahony's and emerged as emphatic 11-5 to 0-5 winners. Neil Heffernan was the hero of the hour, scoring a remarkable 8-1 in what was a devastating Trim performance. The left corner forward netted three goals in the opening five minutes and actually scored the first five goals. Heffernan, who like Kyle Gorry and Colm Doyle has played in the Mini-Sevens competition in Croke Park, had scored 2-5 in the county under 14 football final against Yellow Furze a few weeks earlier and his achievement in the hurling decider must be some kind of a record. Others to impress in the win over O'Mahony's were Gavin Quinn at centre back, Tiernan Byrne, Emmet Butterly, Kevin O'Toole, Ronan Golden and Thomas Farrell. Rather ominously for their rivals, over half of the Trim squad are eligible for the under 14 grade again next year. Martin is hopeful that this year's successes will only be the start of bigger things to come. "What this team has achieved should do wonders for the club. The senior team slipped back a bit last year and the reason for this is that not enough young players have been coming through in the last few years. To be successful at senior level, you have to have the groundwork done at underage level. "After a few lean years, I think the underage in Trim is now in a reasonably healthy state. What was also a massive boost for us last year was the appointment of John Andrews as manager of the under 11 team. They may have lost to Kilmessan by 4-0 to 4-2 in the county final but it was still a great achievement to get that far." For the record, the Trim squad which won the All-Ireland Feile na nGael Division 3 title was: A Douglas, D Lynch, D Smith, D Whelan, B Flynn, T Byrne, G Quinn, E Butterly, K O'Toole, C Joyce, C Dunne, T Farrell, K Gorry, N Heffernan, R Golden, D Lynch, M Caldwell, I Douglas, C Doyle, C O'Donnell, C Smith. Tweet

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