Enfield's year was summed up when a late goal resulted in their exit from the Junior Football Championship at the quarter-final stage. Here, club stalwart Jim Barrett talks to Royal County about where things went wrong and how they might be rectified in the future. Dame Fortune certainly didn't do Enfield any favours in 1999! An injury time goal, scored by Meath Hill's Dean Farrelly, ended their Junior Championship interests at the quarter-final stage. It was a bitterly disappointing defeat for the Kildare-border outfit who are entitled to feel they would have won the game had they made the most of their possession. "We had enough possession to win by four or five points but unfortunately we didn't capitalize on this and Meath Hill punished us with that late goal. The lads were heartbroken after the game and it took a few weeks for them to get over it. But hopefully the experience will stand to them," comments staunch Enfield clubman Jim Barrett. Barrett, who captained the blue and whites to Junior Championship glory in 1987 and was a team regular for nearly 20 years, explains that the circumstances in which Enfield lost to Meath Hill summarized their year. "We probably should have seen it coming," he regrets. "In at least five of our games this year, we had victory snatched away from us in the dying moments. We lost games due to lapses in concentration and that was the main reason why we didn't do as well as would have liked. It must also be said that we were without our inspirational centre back Mervyn Heffernan (also Club Chairman) for most of the season and he is a player we couldn't afford to be without." Enfield's year was a mix of brilliance and mediocrity. Their league form was disappointing and they failed to make an impact in Division Four. Their championship form was far more encouraging, however, with only one notable slip-up en route to the quarter-final. Under the management of John Hyland and his selectors Pat McMahon and Mark Gillespie, they got their championship campaign off to an ideal start with a comfortable victory over Simonstown Gaels. St. Vincent's were also comfortably defeated in the second round but a degree of complacency was evident in their next outing against Trim who triumphed by virtue of a last-minute free. Enfield bounced back in impressive fashion to overcome both Ratoath and Gaeil Colmcille in their final divisional games, thus setting up a meeting with Meath Hill in the quarter-final. Played at Walterstown in mid-October, Enfield set the pace in the opening half but the concession of a goal just before half-time meant that they only led by one point, 0-6 to 1-2, at the break. The south county team still held a narrow lead at the end of the third quarter but Meath Hill had levelled by the 58th minute. A replay beckoned at that point but Meath Hill weren't finished and a sucker punch goal three minutes into injury-time left Enfield devastated. The final score was 2-8 to 0-11 in Meath Hill's favour. "We should have had a comfortable lead built-up by half-time," opines Barrett. "We played some outstanding football in that first half but didn't make our chances count. In fairness to Meath Hill, they improved greatly in the second half and they got a grip in midfield. We deserved to take something out of the game but the luck wasn't with us." Despite failing in their quest to win the Junior Championship, Jim has been delighted with the progress of the younger players, many of whom are graduates of the successful Clann na Gael underage amalgamation which Barrett is heavily involved with. "The younger fellas in the junior team have made a huge impression and it shows the benefits of Clann na Gael. The likes of Ronan McMahon, Thomas Cosgrove, Gene Greville, Bernard Hyland, Ross Fitzgerald, Brian O'Connell and the Clinton brothers, Fergus and Alan, have established themselves as important members of the junior set-up. Their progress certainly augurs well for the future." Clann na Gael is an amalgamation of Enfield, Baconstown and Rathmolyon. Jim has been one of its most active members since its inception nearly a decade ago and has guided two under 15 teams to league titles in the intervening period. Clann have also enjoyed noteworthy success at under 13, 14, 16 and 17 level with individuals such as Charlie Flattery and Bernard Hyland putting in tremendous work. Given the amalgamation's success, Jim believes a coming together of the three clubs at adult level should be seriously considered. "It would seem to be the best way forward for the three clubs involved," he says. "Enfield, Rathmolyon and Baconstown are part of the small parish and by amalgamating, it would increase their chances of success. Each of the clubs suffer from a lack of playing resources and a number of young players have been lost to bigger clubs because there is no guarantee of success. I would love to see the three clubs joining forces and hopefully, club members will have the vision to make it happen." For the time, however, Enfield will continue to operate as one body and aim to make amends for the disappointment of last season. Jim Barrett feels they are good enough to win the Junior Championship but reckons they could be aiming for some of the bigger prizes if the Clann na Gael amalgamation was to become reality at adult level. Tweet

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