Fifty years on from their first senior title, Syddan claimed the intermediate crown with a second half come-back that will go down in history. Royal County charts their success. There is no better way of celebrating the Golden Jubilee of a club's greatest day than to mark it with a championship success. Syddan supporters and officials must have been wondering at the start of the year, how best to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the club's historic first SFC success in 1949. Somebody may have come up with the bright, (and right) idea ... 'let's win the Intermediate championship and return to the Senior ranks where we belong'! Easier said than done...especially against a backdrop of repeated disappointments. It had been an awful long time since Syddan's last great day of glory...the 1956 county final win over Skryne. The most passionate supporters in the county had little to cheer about in the intervening 43 years. There was another appearance in the final in 1980, but that came in the middle of a long barren spell and it ended in a comprehensive defeat at the hands of an all-conquering Walterstown team. The Division 2 championship was captured in 1982 but realistic prospects of a return to the glory days were virtually non-existent. Syddan continued to produce quality footballers, many of whom served the county well at various levels but the team threatened only on rare occasions to make an impact in the championship. Perhaps it was the Anniversary of the first senior success that inspired the club to make an all-out effort in 1999. Or perhaps it was the arrival of Shane McEntee as coach! The Nobber native had previously led Ballinlough to Intermediate championship glory and he also went close with Castletown. If he could get the commitment from the players, then a decent championship run was possible. Shane would not have taken on the task unless he was guaranteed that commitment and training got under way before the end of January. The championship draw was anything but kind with two intense local derbies against Castletown and Drumconrath to be faced. Ballivor and St. Colmcilles were also teams who were well fancied to qualify while Drumree had impressed when winning the Junior championship and the subsequent Leinster tournament. And there was also St. Michaels, just down from the senior ranks. St. Ultans completed the line-up in what was surely the most difficult group in all of the county championships. Syddan's early 1999 form was extremely poor. Three rounds of the Division 2 League were played before the championship got under way and the men in green and gold lost all three. Two of the defeats were at home and two were at the hands of teams that were in the same championship group...St. Michaels and Ballivor. Against such a background it was difficult to be optimistic about the championship. The 1998 Junior champions Drumree provided the opposition in the first round in early April at Walterstown. Syddan showed no real improvement from their league form and it was only on account of poor finishing by the Drumree men that there was just a point between the teams at half-time. Drumree stretched their lead after the break but Syddan eventually moved up a gear and snatched a draw at 0-10 apiece. Supporters were relieved but they were no more optimistic about the future than they had been prior to the game. Notions of a championship success appeared to be as far off the mark as ever. Another league defeat, this time at the hands of Dunderry, did little to help morale and the pressure was on in a big way when Shay Duff and his men took the field to play St. Ultans in the second round of the championship at Rathkenny. The pressure eased slightly as the result of a 3 point victory, 0-12 to 0-9, but the 'big guns' in the group had yet to be faced and goals were proving difficult to come by. The next assignment was vital...a local derby clash with Castletown in Rathkenny. Castletown went into the game as warm favourites having drawn with Ballivor and having trounced Drumconrath but they were unable to match Syddan's hunger and determination. In the end, there were five points between the teams, 1-11 to 1-6, but the scoreline seriously flattered the losers. With five points from their three games, Syddan had now entered the list of contenders. Another win over Castletown, in the league, added further to the momentum and the optimism began to grow before the clash with St. Colmcilles. Once again supporters made the short trip to Rathkenny, and once again they returned home with eyes firmly fixed on a place in the semi-finals. The first-half performance was nothing to write home about with a goal from Philip Duff giving his team an interval lead of 1-3 to 0-4. Early in the second half, Trevor Gilsenan blasted the ball to the net from a penalty and at the threequarter stage he found the net for the second time to leave St. Colmcilles with a mountain to climb. The final score was 3-6 to 0-7. It was mid-Summer and all was going well...except for the league campaign in which a heavy defeat by Oldcastle left the green and golds with a relegation battle on their hands. The fifth round championship clash with Ballivor was always going to be the big one, (local derbies notwithstanding) and Syddan certainly signalled their intentions in the most emphatic manner. They led by 1-6 to 0-3 at half-time and then took full advantage of some weaknesses in the Ballivor defence by adding two second half goals for a fully merited 3-8 to 2-8 victory. The two teams had gone into the game sharing the lead at the top of the Group table...now Syddan were clear leaders and in pole position to secure a place in the semi-finals. The season had turned around...emphatically. The sixth round was the eagerly-anticipated clash with neighbours Drumconrath who were having a disappointing campaign having lost to Castletown, Ballivor and St. Michaels. But local pride was at stake and although Syddan went into the game as warm favourites, they could not afford to be anything other than totally focused on the task in hand. Drumconrath had won the corresponding game in 1998 by just one point en route to a place in the semi-finals. Suspicions that Drumconrath, without a number of regulars, were more or less resigned to their fate prior to the game turned out to be well-founded. In sharp contrast, Syddan looked a formidable outfit, and their greater hunger and sense of organisation ensured a facile 11 point victory. There was another bonus. Stephen Dillon, who had been out of action since the previous Autumn with a frustrating knee injury, was introduced as a substitute in the closing stages and his presence added further credibility to the team's growing reputation as leading championship challengers. Trevor Gilsenan pointed a free within 40 seconds of the throw-in and by the end of the first quarter, Syddan led by 0-5 to 0-2. Drumconrath stayed in contention thanks to a goal from a penalty but Syddan showed fine character by establishing a three point interval lead, 0-9 to 1-3. A no-nonsense approach in the third quarter saw a further 1-3 go on the scoreboard with Drumconrath unable to reply. The goal came from Trevor Gilsenan after some great play by corner-back Frank McKenna. Paddy Skelly's goal was the icing on the cake as McEntee's men romped to victory on a scoreline of 2-13 to 1-5. Despite the championship momentum, league displays continued to disappoint and a defeat by St. Colmcilles went a long way towards ensuring relegation. But the championship was always the target and a comfortable win over St. Ultans in the seventh round sealed a place in the last four. Bective were somewhat surprise qualifiers from the other group along with favourites St. Patricks but they had come through impressively and had beaten the Stamullen men along the way. Kells was the venue for the semi-final and Syddan supporters endured some anxious moments in the early stages as Bective swept into a three point lead. The trend of the game changed within minutes as Philip Duff opened Syddan's account before his brother Shay collected a great pass from Brian Dillon to score the first goal of the game. Bective fought back to level the match but Syddan went ahead again with points from Paddy Skelly and Brian Dillon before Bective's Gordon Gallagher was sent off for a foul on Sean Malone. The green and golds took control with the extra-man and were in a commanding position at half-time when they led by five points, 2-5 to 0-6, the second goal coming from Philip Duff. Frank McKenna was sent off in the early stages of the second half but Syddan stuck to their task and duly outscored their opponents over the closing 30 minutes to qualify for the final on a 2-11 to 0-8 scoreline. And so Syddan were back in Pairc Tailteann...in a final. The flags and bunting that had been used during Meath's All-Ireland campaign were added to by new banners and posters. Newtown, Lobinstown, Woodtown, Heronstown and all townlands in between displayed the green and gold in support of their team. There was huge hype and the atmosphere was brilliant. St. Patricks had accounted for Ballivor in the other semi-final and went into the game as slight favourites largely on account of the fact that they had been beaten finalists in the previous year and their team included two All-Ireland medalists, Cormac Murphy and Cormac Sullivan. Syddan supporters were undeterred by the 'outsider' tag and they flocked to Pairc Tailteann where their numbers and their colour contributed immensely to the occasion. However, having cheered their heroes out on to the field, they became distinctly quiet as St. Patricks dominated throughout the first half. The men from Stamullen were completely on top as Syddan appeared to be over-awed by the occasion. Brian Dillon got their only first-quarter point as St. Patricks raced into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead and it could have been worse for Syddan as St. Pats kicked away a number of good opportunities. Sean Malone pulled back a point and Philip Duff got another but by half-time St. Pats appeared to be well on the way to victory with a seven point lead, 1-7 to 0-3. The goal was a disaster for the Syddan defence as it came from a 40 metre sideline kick that was allowed to bounce in the 'square'. During the interval the talk among neutrals focused on St. Pat's eventual winning margin or how they might fare at senior level. Syddan supporters were despondent...and with good reason. We can only assume that Shane McEntee had some harsh words to say in the dressing room...he had little reason to adopt a softly-softly approach. According to reports, his 'advice' focused on the pride of the parish and how the players had been letting themselves down throughout the opening 30 minutes. The statistics spoke for themselves...three points and three wides; St. Pats had 1-7 on the board and had hit six wides...14 scoring opportunities to six. The second half will always be remembered for Syddan's fabulous comeback...one of the finest in the history of championship finals in the county. It got under way within minutes of the re-start when Trevor Gilsenan pointed. Paddy Skelly squandered a glorious goal opportunity before a point from a free by Brian Dillon reduced the deficit to five points. Gilsenan and Dillon were on target again, and before the threequarter stage, Syddan were on level terms after Philip Duff created the chance for Paddy Skelly to shoot to the back of the net. The cheering could be heard back in Lobinstown as supporters scented victory and the noise went up by several decibels when Trevor Gilsenan took a pass from Ian Curran before putting his team ahead for the first time. St. Patricks equalised at 1-8 apiece but the momentum was now with Syddan even when Cormac Sullivan was quick to negate another Gilsenan point. The next score was always going to be vital and it was Paddy Skelly who rose to the occasion with a superb effort. Noel McGillick's goal may have been somewhat fortuitous but it was no more than his team deserved. Points were swapped before the final whistle was blown with the scoreboard reading 2-11 to 1-10 in Syddan's favour. It was dramatic and exciting stuff and even while the post-match celebrations were going on supporters were finding it difficult to explain the winners' second half improvement. Was it all down to what was said in the dressing-room at the break? Were Syddan fitter than their opponents? Had St. Pats blown it themselves? There is no doubt that St. Pats were badly effected by pre-match injuries to Daithi Whyte and Paddy Rothwell while Cormac Murphy was badly hampered by a first half injury. However, Shay Duff's roving tactics in the second half paid rich dividends and with Joey Dillon storming into the game at a crucial stage, the momentum swung decisively in favour of the North county men. And Stephen Dillon was imperious as ever at centre half back. Paddy Skelly and Trevor Gilsenan were worth their weight in gold, (Gilsenan was brilliant in the second half), while Philip Duff and Brian Dillon exerted sustained pressure on the Stamullen defence. The defence was taken to the cleaners in the first half but it was all so different after the break when Ian Curran, Tom Dillon, Frank McKenna, Damien McGillick and Robbie Claire tightened up considerably and in doing so, took much of the pressure off Stephen Dillon. Goalie James Sheehy and wing forward Sean Malone, who was a little unlucky to be called ashore, were others to make substantial contributions to an outstanding victory. And so Syddan are back where they belong...in the senior ranks. They certainly livened up the Intermediate championship and few who were present will ever forget their marvellous second half display in the final. And they'll cause plenty of problems for their opponents in the senior grade! Welcome back! The winning team, and scorers, was; James Sheehy; Frank McKenna, Thomas Dillon, Damien McGillick; Ian Curran, Stephen Dillon, Robbie Claire; Joey Dillon, Noel McGillick (1-0); Sean Malone (0-1), Philip Duff (0-1), Brian Dillon (0-3); Paddy Skelly (1-1), Shay Duff, Trevor Gilsenan (0-5). Substitute; Patrick Meade. Dillon's late strike delivers '98 B FL Div. 2 title Brian Dillon's late goal completed a memorable Syddan comeback against Cortown and earned them the 1998 B FL Div. 2 title. Played at Nobber, Dillon's late strike gave Syddan a 1-14 to 1-11 victory. Cortown were marginally the better side in an entertaining opening 30 minutes and led by 1-8 to 0-8 at the break. They were still in front by the three quarter way stage, but Syddan dug deep into their reserves in the final quarter and points from Ivan Curran and Dillon brought them level. The dismissal of Martin O'Brien didn't do Cortown any favours, and their misery was compounded when Dillon completed the comeback. John Foy, Shane Dardis, James Sheehy, Curran and Dillon were outstanding for the winners. Syddan - J. Foy; J. Dillon, S. Dardis, B. Weldon; P. Malone, S. Dardis, D. Sheehy; J. Sheehy, T. Dillon; I. Curran, T. Dardis, B. Dillon; S. Malone, P. Dillon, G. Carolan. Subs - D. McGillic, C. Weldon, P. Meade. Tweet

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