Clonard's bid to land the elusive Junior 'B' Football Championship crown faltered at the penultimate round stage last season. Disappointment was once again the club's lot but, according to team centre forward Mark Gannon, the quest for glory will continue in 2000. For Clonard, 1999 was another frustrating year. Defeat to Walterstown in the penultimate round of the Junior 'B' Football Championship was a bitter pill to swallow, particularly as it was the fourth consecutive year that they had unsuccessfully contested a semi-final or final. As team centre forward and Meath and Killyon hurling star Mark Gannon explains, it doesn't get any easier. "Because we've been knocking on the door for so long, it can be very disheartening," he says. "We've lost two semi-finals and two finals over the past four years and that's hard to take. This year, we felt that we had a very good chance of making the breakthrough but the defeat to Walterstown was a real bodyblow. Hopefully, we'll get over it because there are some very talented players at this club and they deserve success." Clonard have undoubtedly been the most consistent team in the Junior 'B' Championship in recent years but for some reason, outright success has eluded them. 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. Hopes were high that the Westmeath-border outfit could annex their first Junior 'B' Championship since 1971 in the season just past but alas, it wasn't to be. Drawn in the same group as Kilmainham, Longwood, Dunderry and Summerhill, Clonard made a disappointing start when they succumbed to the former in their championship opener. They got themselves back on track when defeating neighbours Longwood by three points in their second game and followed that up by overcoming Dunderry in their third outing. The saffron and blues booked their place in the semi-final with a memorable victory over Summerhill. "That was a game we needed to win and we did so thanks to a very strong finish," recalls Gannon. With a place in the final at stake, Clonard squared up to Walterstown at Summerhill on August 27. The men in black made the better start and they led by 2-6 to 1-5 at half-time. Walterstown's leading scorer Vernon Savage increased his team's advantage to six points with a brace of scores early in the second half. Clonard refused to accept defeat, however, and they had narrowed the gap to two points before three late points copperfastened victory for Walterstown. The final score was Walterstown 2-11, Clonard 2-8. Understandably, Mark Gannon was bitterly disappointed with the outcome. "It was a game we could have won but we left ourselves with too much to do in the end," regrets the Kilcock resident. "We got off to a poor start but we battled back and should have been only a point behind at the break. Coming up to half-time, Walterstown scored a goal but we responded almost immediately with a goal of our own. Unfortunately for us, it was disallowed and we were left with an uphill battle in the second half." Walterstown's subsequent defeat to Drumbaragh in the final came as a surprise to Mark but he does nevertheless take great encouragement from the green and reds' achievement. "I had expected Walterstown to win but Drumbaragh produced an excellent all-round performance and I was delighted for them. Like ourselves, they have been there or thereabouts in the championship over the past few years and it was nice to see them finally make the breakthrough. It gives us a lot of hope." While heartbreak was once again Clonard's lot in the championship, Mark is pleased to say that the saffron and blues exceeded general expectations in Division Four of the All County League. "We finished in a mid-table position in the league and that's better than what a lot of people were expecting us to do. There was some decent sides in that division and we more than held our own against them." One of the most positive developments in Clonard in recent seasons has been the club's improved fortunes at underage level. The success of Clonard National School in Cumann na mBunscol ensures that the club now has many exciting young players at its disposal. "We have a fine crop of youngsters coming through at the moment and with a lot of new families settling in the area, we should have a bright future ahead of us," notes Mark. Clonard haven't forgotten their past either and as recently as last October, the club held a function in Kinnegad in honour of the 1971 Junior 'B' Championship-winning team. Also honoured at the reunion was the team of 1958, which contested that year's final. In the season ahead, however, Clonard will be continuing their quest to savour championship glory. The near-misses of the past four years are still fresh in mind but according to Mark Gannon, there is no logical reason why Clonard cannot achieve their goal in the coming year. "The past few years have been disappointing but we're still hopeful that the lucky break will come. The average age of our team is about 23 and Joe Sherwood is our oldest player at 28. If we can learn from our past mistakes and continue to put in the effort in training, then our opportunity has to come," he concludes. Tweet

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