While, with a few honourable exceptions, it was a less than vintage year for Meath teams on the home front, Meath GFC in New York crowned a great year by lifting the New York Junior A football title with a minimum margin 2-11 to 1-13 win over Armagh on Sunday, October 3 at Gaelic Park. Meath GFC in New York has made considerable progress in recent years. After reaching the Junior B final of 2002, where they lost to Westmeath, they were considered good enough to advance to Junior A for the following year. There they justified their promotion by topping the table after the league stage of the championship before losing out to St Barnabas by 1-9 to 3-9 in the semi-final. Their other defeat was against eventual winners Derry in the league stage. There was good cause for optimism at the start of another campaign. Anthony Gaughan (Ratoath) was in charge of the team in addition to holding down the post of chairman of the club. David Crosby (Meath Hill) assisted him as a selector while Dunderry's Brian Newman captained the side. Vying for honours with them were Fermanagh, St Barnabas, Down, Armagh, Donegal, Tyrone, Kerry, Rangers, Astoria Gaels and Brooklyn Shamrocks. Meath began their 13-match campaign with an emphatic win over Fermanagh at Gaelic Park on Sunday, April 18. Brian Newman (0-7) and Declan McGovern (1-4) shared scoring honours as they claimed the spoils on a 1-23 to 0-2 scoreline. "Like last season, Meath have set the early standard for the Junior A division. It's early days yet, but Meath have shown that they will be a force again this year," wrote Peter Nolan in the Irish Echo after that 24 points win in their first outing. It was back to Gaelic Park on Sunday, May 16 in a bid to reverse the result of the previous year's semi-final defeat by St Barnabas, but an 0-8 to 1-9 defeat was their lot. Meath's winning ways were restored a week later at the same venue with a decisive 1-14 to 1-5 win over Down. Dunshaughlin's Caoimhín King and Stephen Ward had joined the ranks in time for their next outing, joining the fray as substitutes. However, their introduction didn't have an immediate effect as Meath suffered their second setback in four starts two weeks later at Gaelic Park on Sunday, June 6, losing to Armagh by 0-6 to 1-6. Ward and King both started the next match, against Donegal at Van Cortlandt Park on the evening of Wednesday, June 16. Ten different players got on the scoresheet, including Ward, who posted 0-3, as Meath recorded their third win of the campaign by 1-16 to 0-4. Anthony Gaughan's charges were to remain unbeaten for the rest of the campaign, comfortably claiming a quarter-final place with a further five wins on the bounce. At Van Cortlandt Park, on Tuesday, June 29, Tyrone were disposed off on a 3-12 to 0-0 scoreline. For the second match running, Ciaran Gaughan came off the bench to score a goal while Brian Newman, who finished with 1-2, and another replacement Seanie Maher also found the net. A third successive visit to Van Cortlandt Park on Thursday, July 8 saw the Royal County club score a comfortable 1-18 to 0-11 win over Kerry. Shane McInerney topscored with 0-6 while eight others got on the scoresheet. A week later it was back to GAA headquarters in the city for a double scores 1-17 to 0-10 win over Rangers, who were demoted from the senior grade at the end of the previous campaign. Stephen Ward took scoring honours with 0-6, while for the third time in the campaign, Ciaran Gaughan came off the bench to find the net. Over a month elapsed before the penultimate group game. On Tuesday, August 17 at Van Cortlandt Park, Astoria Gaels, winners of the Junior B championship in 2003, provided the opposition, but very little resistance as Meath went marching with 23 points to spare. On form from the start Ciaran Gaughan netted his fourth goal of the season. David Callaghan and Robbie Madden also rattled the onion sack, while Shane McInerney and Stephen Ward shared a dozen points as Meath ran out winners by 3-17 to 0-3. Eight days later it was back to the same venue for the final group game and a 3-12 to 1-3 win over Brooklyn Shamrocks ensured Meath finished in third place to book a quarter-final spot with 16 points, eight wins from ten starts. Ward again topped the scoring stakes with 1-3, while his clubmate Caoimhín King had departed for home. It was a winner-take-all situation when Meath took on Astoria Gaels at Gaelic Park on Saturday, September 11 and matters were a lot closer then in the previous meeting just 25 days earlier. David Callahgan, Brian Newman and Shane McInerney scored 0-3 apiece as Meath got through with just four points to spare, 1-12 to 2-5. Kerry defeated Rangers in the second quarter-final on the same bill. That result set Meath up for a semi-final shot at St Barnabas, a repeat of the 2003 last four meeting, on Sunday, September 26 at 6.30 local time. The start was delayed as their opponents waited for their jerseys to arrive. Shane McInerney's 19th minute goal broke the deadlock and left Meath 1-4 to 0-4 to the good. After leading 1-8 to 0-4 at half time the Royals went nine points clear before a late revival by the Saints cut the final deficit to just four points, 0-9 to 1-10. Brian Newman was the winners' star performer, as the Irish Echo report noted, "Barnabas gave just about everyone a go at slowing Newman, but it wasn't happening. Newman scored only 0-3, but he won just about every ball he contested". And so it was on to a final meeting with Armagh, the only other team to lower their colours during the campaign. Meath opened well and opening the scoring through team captain Brian Newman. The Royal County club were further boosted when their goal poacher supreme, Ratoath's Ciaran Gaughan, flicked a long delivery from Seamus De Bruin to the Armagh net. However, that score seemed to inspire their opponents who responded with a string of points to lead 0-9 to 1-4 at the break. Armagh maintained their slender advantage throughout the third quarter and would have been out of sight but for two splendid save by Meath custodian Gareth Dooley from Dunderry. Inspired by the reprieve Meath turned a two-point deficit into a similar advantage. First, Man-of-the-Match, David 'Lar' Callaghan cut the margin to the minimum before Dunshaughlin's Stephen Ward fired to the net to restore their advantage. There was to be another twist in the tale as the Orchard County club regained the initiative with a goal after the Meath defence failed to clear. Anthony Gaughan's charges were back in front when Callaghan provided openings for Clem McAuley and Ward to score. The sides exchanged scores before the finish but Meath held out for a famous victory, their first at this level since 1995, that sees them advance to the senior ranks. The Meath GFC team that contested the final was - Gareth Dooley; Paddy Melligan, Cathal Loughnane, Eoin Loughnane; David Callaghan (0-3), Ciaran Greene, Seamus De Bruin; Jamie Shaw (0-1), Shane McInerney; John Smith, Stephen Ward (1-3), Clem McAuley (0-3); Ciaran Gaughan (1-0), Brian Newman (Captain, 0-1), Mickey Rennicks. Subs - Todd Bennett for Rennicks, Seanie Maher for Gaughan, J. McKeveney for Bennett, Eddie Travers for De Bruin. Meath GFC of New York, 2004 panel - Stevie Keane (Ballinlough), John 'Locksie' Smyth (Ballinlough), Declan McGovern (Blackhall Gaels), Shane McInerney (Clann na nGael), Jamie Shaw (Clann na nGael), Colm Timmons (Blackhall Gaels), David 'Lar' Callaghan (Dunderry), Paddy Darcy (Dunderry), Brian Newman (Dunderry), Caoimhín King (Dunshaughlin), Stephen Ward (Dunshaughlin), Mickey Rennicks (Gaeil Colmcille), Ciaran Greene (Longwood), Seanie Maher (Meath Hill), Todd Bennett (Moynalty), Ciaran Gaughan (Ratoath), Eoin Horan (Ratoath), Robert Madden (Ratoath), Chris Clarke (St Brigid's), Eddie Travers (St Vincent's), Clem McAuley (Trim). Players from outside the county included - James McKeveney (Armagh), Michael 'Harry' Harrington (Barna, Galway), Paddy Melligan (Brownstown, Westmeath), Clint Tracey (Castlerahan, Cavan), Seamus De Bruin (Geevagh, Sligo), Alan King (Mountbellow-Moylough, Galway), Cathal Loughnane, Eoghan Loughnane (both St Finian's, Dublin), James Fanning (Stratford, Wicklow). The Meath club had a big input into the New York team that competed in the Connacht SFC. Anthony Gaughan trained the team while David Callaghan, Shane McInerney and Brian Newman were on the starting fifteen against Mayo at Gaelic Park on May 2 while Jamie Shaw replaced Callaghan during the course of the game. The exiles went into the game with hopes of holding their own against but lack of match practice told against the hosts who lost by a whopping 26 points, 1-8 to 3-28, after trailing 0-4 to 1-15 at the break. Meath GFC in New York retains strong links with the home county. In 2003, Darren Fay and his wife Rhona were guests of honour at the club's annual dinner dance. This year Sean Boylan and his wife Tina were invited to attend the annual get-together at Durrows of Glendale on Saturday, November 6.. The club disbanded for a short time in the late nineties but has come has come a long way since its revival in Millennium Year. Long may it prosper. For further details contact Dermot Callan, Secretary Meath GFC New York Email: [email protected] Tel: (1212) 762 7345 Tweet

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