The working hard and the playing hard are qualities that Clonard don't lack but that combination still wasn't enough to see Junior 'B' football glory head to the small south Meath club. Chairman Joe Gannon and his fellow club members haven't given up the fight just yet though. For five years now Clonard have been knocking at the door of the Junior 'B' Football Championship but nobody is answering. How quickly the years go by and how similar they seem. Last year the Yearbook lamented that it was the fourth consecutive year that Clonard had contested unsuccessfully a semi-final or final. You can add another year on to that. No, it doesn't get any easier. For a club of Clonard's size, it's always going to be difficult to make a breakthrough. For a club of their size which has suffered year upon year of frustrating near-misses, the difficulty level only increases. It takes a group of people of outstanding determination and commitment to reverse such a catalogue of close calls. They could be forgiven if their hope and ambition were eroded by the waves of disillusion. But there is no need for forgiveness because hope survives in abundance, according to club chairman Joe Gannon who is a tireless worker for Clonard. "We've been close enough on a number of occasions now and it isn't easy to come so close and not make it. But having said that, we know we have what it takes to eventually do it. Nobody here is giving up. We're going to keep going until we win the Junior 'B' Championship." The year 2000 was Joe Gannon's third in a row as club chairman. It's not an easy job keeping things going. The club, which is the second last one in Meath before you hit the Kildare/Offaly border, doesn't own its own pitch and has only a small population to pick from. But 60 years after it was founded, the enthusiasm of its members is still in evidence. All told, they are a sterling bunch whose consistent work down through the years has held the club in good stead. Consistency has never been a problem for Clonard. It was noted last year, but it's worth looking back again at their record in the last number of seasons. In 1996, they qualified for the final but lost to Seneschalstown. The following year Curraha pipped them in the semi-final while Trim inflicted further heartbreak on them in the 1998 decider. Then in '99, they went one step back again, losing out to Walterstown at the semi-final stage. It's no surprise therefore that every year in Clonard hopes are high that the club can capture its first Junior 'B' Championship since 1971. Last season, things were unfolding nicely for Clonard. They were again playing in Division 4 where tougher teams and a higher standard had to be faced. And it was tough but not overwhelming. And the championship went well, until - yes, you've guessed it - the semi-final stage. They met Kilmainham and just didn't perform, going down heavily, 1-15 to 0-5. "It's hard to know what went wrong exactly," says Joe. So another season ended and the sense of deja vu was a powerful one. As was the sense of disappointment. "When you have such a small pool of players as we have you can't afford to lose anybody. Unfortunately," says the chairman, "we did. Some lads were injured during the season and others had left the area for one reason or another." Clonard have always depended upon a small rural population. The club is close-knit, fortified by pride and abundant spirit. But there is development in the area. Houses are being built, new families are moving in - all of which can only have a positive effect on the fortunes of Clonard. "At the moment we don't have too many young players coming through the ranks - we never do have a large amount. But there's a lot of new houses being built in the area. I think that increase in population will have a good effect on the club in years to come. I believe if we can continue with the hard work, the club can only get stronger." Joe is full of praise for his fellow club officers: vice-chairman Declan Twomey; Secretary Niall Walsh, who has represented Meath at minor, U21 and junior level; treasurer Aidan Walsh; and PRO Brendan Leech. "They put in a great amount of time and effort into the club. They're great workers. All round there's a very good atmosphere at the club," says Joe who was involved for many years with Killyon hurling club. Looking ahead to next year, Joe doesn't let the failures and disappointments of recent years detract from his optimism. He's been around long enough to know that with a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck many many things can be achieved. "We hope to win the Junior 'B' Championship. If we can get out of Junior 'B' you never know what might happen," he says. "We might go from strength to strength, get the crowd behind us. It's all about getting that little bit of momentum." Tweet

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