Castleblayney Faughs' senior footballers ended up with no silverware in 2008 but their commitment and ambition ensured they went close to netting two titles. It's a long time since the Mick Duffy Cup sojourned in just two gaeldoms. The days of a duopoly ruling the roost at the premier level in Monaghan football circles are long gone. The euro was only a glint in the bureaucrats' eyes when the race for that most coveted of GAA prizes revolved around just two horses. Over the last ten years or thereabouts, the rise and rise of Clontibret, Latton, Magheracloone and Carrick testified to the changing landscape in the Oriel County. It's five years, for instance, since the most prized possession in local GAA circles wintered in Castleblayney. In the annals of the mighty Faughs, that's near enough a century. In 2008 the Faughs toed the line with at least four other credible championship challengers; teams with every chance of garnering the garlands that come with the Mick Duffy Cup. While 'blayney ticked a lot of the boxes in 2008, it was a case of 'so near and yet so far' for their senior footballers in the blue riband championship and accompanying SFL. That the '08 championship and league campaigns spawned quite a number of surprising results hardly came as a major shock to those privvy to the wannabes' long-time formbook. Indeed, over the guts of the last decade or thereabouts, only a foolish or wealthy punter laid a wager in support of any senior football team in Monaghan. In truth, is there another county in Ireland where a handful of clubs have an almost equal chance of landing the top prizes in any given year? The behemoth of Monaghan Gaelic football went to the starting line determined to land the glittering prize for the first time since 2003. Tyholland provided the first obstacle. In late May in Clontibret, the Faughs demonstrated an economy of effort and a clinical trait at the businesss end of the field in particular which augured well for their title aspirations. Even without the services of Stephen McGeough, 'blayney were assured at the back. Honest and hard-working in the cockpit and admirably efficient in securing the necessary scores. In fact, there was nothing in the least bit flattering about the team's double-scores, 0-16 to 0-8, victory even if 'blayney didn't quite hit the high notes all of the time. Played in excellent conditions, the Faughs seemed content to trade punch for punch in the first half and by the 25th minute they led by just a single point. A Ciaran Hanratty free thereafter put 'blayney two points in front for the fourth time in the game and then a Ciaran Tavey free eased the town team into a 0-7 to 0-4 half-time lead. Tyholland rolled up their sleeves on the restart and it took a great save by Padraig McBennett to keep 'blayney's goal in-tact. At the other end Hanratty sent over another free. The Faughs - four in front entering the final quarter - stepped on the gas thereafter and four unanswered points in the final six minutes had Tyholland backpeddling in desperation. The winners' flourish at the death included an excellent point from county minor and debutant Dermot Malone which served to put the tin hat on an impressive team display. "The Tyholland game could have been a banana skin for us," outgoing Castleblayney club chairman Mickey Conlon conceded. "They had given us a good game they last time they were up in senior and on the way to Clontibret, I can tell you there wasn't anyone from 'blayney taking anything for granted. "There was an added incentive for them to beat us because of the Declan (Loughman) and Colm (Donnelly) factor and we had to be on our guard from the start. "We didn't play all that well in the first half but we played a good bit better after half-time. The result was all that mattered though and getting through to the next round was the target." The Faughs' next outing in the championship saw them go head-to-head with the other half of the old-firm, Scotstown, at the well-appointed Clontibret gournd at the end of August. In sashaying their way to a mightily convincing 3-12 to 0-9 victory, the championship title record holders meted out the mother and father of all lessons to their old foes. The town team led from pillar to post and laid down a massive marker as to their intentions for the remainder of the campaign. It was a display fit to embellish any county final. Paddy Mallon, Patrick Tavey and Dermot Malone made their debuts on the 'blayney starting line-up but it was county star Ciaran Hanratty who stole the show with a 2-2 tally. Hanratty struck gold in the 17th and 21st minutes of the first half which laid the foundation for a more than useful 2-7 to 0-4 half-time cushioned lead. Scotstown rallied on the restart but Castleblayney were still seven points in front entering the final quarter but extended their advantage to thirteen between the 45th and 54th minutes. Castleblayney's third goal arrived via the cultured boot of Francis Moore who took full advantage of good work by Ciaran Hanratty to put the issue well and truly beyond doubt. "I had to take Kealan Duffy to hospital after he got injured so I was only there for the first half but from that I saw in that time, the lads were really on their game," Mickey confirms. "We put in a tremendous performance in the first half, playing some really good stuff and getting a nine points lead at half-time was something I don't think anyone us expected. "Everytime we meet Scotstown, you can expect to be in for a right 'oul battle so to win in Clontibret by such a decisive margin was a real bonus. "But, as Declan and the selectors pointed out afterwards, it was just another game to take us onto the next stage. The players were reminded that othing had been won at that stage." A semi-final spot with Latton now beckoned. Staged at the well-appointed Aughnamullen ground, it was a contest which had a lot of what gets the purist excited. At the end of the game, the sides were tied at 2-10 apiece. The Faughs began with the bit between their teeth and after ten minutes led by four points. Latton refused to roll over though and they countered with a goal and three points in a blistering four minute spell as the first half sped forward with great intensity. Castleblayney had to work overtime to stymie Latton's momentum but their cause didn't look good when they fell seven points behind approaching half-time. The Faughs managed to claw back some of the deficit when Dermot Malone poached an opportune goal in injury time to cut Latton's lead to four points, 2-6 to 1-5, by half-time. Castleblayney re-ignited their challenge at the start of the second half and within eleven minutes they had managed to gain parity thanks, in part, to a Ciaran Hanratty goal. Latton remained on the backfoot and a brace of frees then had 'blayney in front once again entering the final quarter as the pace of the game remained unrelentingly high. The teams were level again with five minutes left to play after Latton got through for an equaliser but then Dermot Malone got in on the scoring once more with a neat point. The tension was almost tangible as the Faughs worked overtime to retain their lead. Sadly they just failed to hold out with a converted free getting the O'Rahillys out of jail. Did Mickey get any sense after the drawn game that 'blayney had missed the boat? "No, not at all. I thought we could have won it the first day but we gave away a bad goal and that was very disappointing. "We regrouped though and came right back into it and our goal just before the half-time break helped settle us. "I genuinely thought that when we went one point in front near the end, we would hold out for the win but then Latton got a chance for the equaliser and took it." So an opportunity spurned then? "I'd say so. Certainly we were the more disappointed team because we had come back from conceding that bad goal and that was very heartening. "The fact that the lads didn't lie down was a source of satisfaction and something we hoped they would have built on for the replay. The replay reaped nothing but frustration and disappointment for the 'blayney men on October 4th at Aughnamullen when they lost out by 0-11 to 2-6. The Faughs were put to the sword in cruel fashion as just when the 60 minutes seemed destined to finish with the sides deadlocked once more, Latton struck a fatal blow. In what was another fascinating contest, both teams had to deal with difficult playing conditions with heavy rain and a yielding sod playing havoc with clean handling and passing. Like the drawn game, 'blayney were a tad sluggish and hesitant in the first half and goals conceded in the 9th minute and ten minutes later handed the Faughs a mountainous task. The match was another tough, hard hitting affair, Latton's two goal blast left 'blayney trailing at that juncture by six points and in bad need of a pick-me-up. To their eternal credit, 'blayney circled the wagons, rolled up their sleeves and really began to make Latton work like they had never worked since the opening whistle. Incredibly, the Faughs held their opponents scoreless from the 19th minute of the first half to the fourth minutes of the second half as they played some really forceful football. A point in the 27th minute by Kieran Tavey was followed by a great solo effort from Niall Duffy less than 90 seconds later as Latton were pressed hard against the ropes. Castleblayney continued on the frontfoot and another free kick conversion by Tavey a minute into added-on time helped break down the deficit to two points, 0-6 to 2-2, at the break. The deficit was reduced to the minimum two minutes after the restart when Ciaran Hanratty knocked over a free but Latton soon doubled their advantage. Stalemate was the name of the game between the 34th and 48th minutes as the players found it increasingly difficult to master the tricky underfoot conditions. Yet again, 'blayney got to within a point of Latton when sub. Jim McHugh pointed and then five minutes from time, the Faughs were on equal terms and looking good for the win. As before however 'blayney failed to close out the game and when they were robbed of possession, Latton poured forward and notched a point with 57 minutes on the clock. But back came 'blayney just 60 seconds later with substitute Aidan Ward on target with a good effort to suggest that extra-time would be needed to separate the combatants. It wasn't to be however as Latton took the spoils courtesy of a converted free two minutes into added-on time to break 'blayney hearts. "They say goals win matches and that was definitely the case in the replay," Mickey acknowledged dolefully. "Some people might say that 'blayney play their best football on firm, dry ground and that the conditions didn't suit us but we didn't have any excuses. "The conditions were the same for both teams. You can't take it away from Latton. They let you play football and were deserving winners on the day. "We showed plenty of fight and heart in both the drawn game and the replay but we didn't take our chances and if you don't do that, you're unlikely to win." The Castleblayney Faughs team, and subs, who did duty in the SFC semi-final replay encounter with Latton was as follows: Padraig McBennett; Paddy Mallon, Ciaran Hughes, Cormac Brady; Paddy Tavey, Dermot McArdle, Ray McArdle; Jason Hughes, Francis Moore; Adrian Irwin, Dermot Malone (0-1), Niall Duffy (0-1); Ciaran Hanratty (0-1), Kieran Tavey (0-5), Martin McElroy (0-1). Subs used; Ryan Treacy; Jim McHugh (0-1); Aidan Ward. So how did the players and backroom team manage to pick themselves up for the balance of the senior league campaign? "Losing out in the championship was a very sore one, there's no doubt about that but it had no effect as regards our focus on winning the league. "Injuries and suspensions had a much bigger effect with the likes of Ciaran Hanratty becoming unavailable after the Latton game which meant that we weren't at full-strength." Castleblayney went gunning for their 16th SFL triumph with the final against Carrick. A 0-9 to 1-8 defeat two weeks previous to the Emmets had the alarm bells ringing though. The Faughs trailed by 0-5 to 1-3 at half-time in Carrick in what was a fairly tepid dress rehearsal for the league final which was staged in Drumhowan. The final itself was a bitty affair with one team and then the other striving to gain a vice-like grip on the exchanges only to have the rug pulled from under them in mid-stream. The meeting ended in 'blayney scoring 1-6 to Latton's 0-9; a scoreline which fairly reflected the almost 50/50 breakdown in the balance of play. The quality of football served up on the night left something to be desired but, in fairness, a contrary wind had an inordinate influence on proceedings. In that regard, both sides will probably argue they didn't fully cash in when they had the elements at their backs with 'blayney not quite making hay when wind-backed in the first moiety. That said, the Faughs did go into the interval with a 1-5 to 0-4 lead and actually increased their advantage to make it a five points game shortly after the start of the second half. However 'blayney failed to consolidate their early lead and although they were pressed up against the ropes in the dying minutes they showed true grit to hold out for a draw. "There's no doubt we got out of jail in the drawn game," the Faughs' chairman confesses. "They had a few chances at the end to snatch it but we held out A floodlit St. Oliver Plunkett Park in Emyvale formed the backdrop to an exciting replay but, ultimately, a disappointing one for the Faughs as they lost out by 0-10 to 0-12. The game was played at a very high tempo throughout and the sides were level four times during a closely contested first half with 'blayney going into the break one point adrift. That deficit was tripled within ten minutes of the commencement of the second half before 'blayney went onto enjoy their best period of the match. The Faughs showed a lot of determination and ambition to forge their way into a one point lead with eight minutes left to play in the match. The Emmets fought back to level matters once more five minutes from time and then again with three minutes left on the clock after the Faughs had nicked a one point lead again. With extra-time looming, Carrick rolled up their sleeves again and two points followed in the three minutes of added-on time to leave 'blayney licking their wounds once more. "Carrick played well when it mattered most and we just didn't play the way we would have wanted often enough over both games," the affable Conlon confessed. "They have some very dangerous forwards and probably have one of the best sets of forwards in the county so it was always going to be tough to keep them out." Mickey believes the Faughs are still going through somewhat of a transition period right now and he is looking forward to the blooding of some more of the club's successful U21s. "We didn't win any silverware at senior level but the U21s' success was a great boost, especially given that most people fancied Scotstown to do the business in the final. "We were able to blood about four or five young players because of the injuries and suspensions so in that sense there was something of a silver lining to the season." And expectations for the coming year? "Expectations are always high among the club's supporters. In a sense we're a victim of our own success over the years but every player at the club is used to pressure. "We realise that it's not easy to win championship or league titles but to go through the year without getting our hands on silverware was disappointing. "Next year will give us another opportunity but we're under no illusions about how difficult it'll be to beat the other top teams. "But if the attitude of the players in 2009 is as good as it was throughout this year, we'll be very happy. "We've a strong management team who are staying in place for next year as well and if we have a full strength squad for the year I'd be very hopeful that we can come good." Castleblayney hurlers make it five-in-a-row Castleblayney hurlers created their own little piece of history when they completed a five in a row of senior hurling titles for the first time since the club was formed in the early years of the last century. That feat was last achieved by Clontibret in the 1990s and it was something that Castleblayney had kept very much in focus when they completed a three in a row in 2006 and a four in a row last year. On the day there was no questioning their superiority as they ran out deserving winners with seven points to spare although had Clontibret performed as consistently over the entire game as they did in the second half it could have been much closer. Castleblayney as the club have set the standard in hurling in Monaghan and even when Clontibret were producing their best form Castleblayney were always able to restrict them and strike back any time they threatened. It was a very rewarding weekend too for Stephen Lambe who finished top scorer in the final with eight points and he also picked up the man of the match award. The previous day Stephen had helped his club Toome to a first junior football championship quarter-final victory in 16 years and that on top of coming eighth in the top ten scorers in the All-Ireland senior hurling championship certainly made it a very rewarding week for the young star. 'Blayney proved too strong and too adept in all aspects of their play in this entertaining if never thrilling Silver Hill Foods sponsored senior hurling final in Gavan Duffy Park as they ran out 0-17 to 0-10 winners. They led from start to finish and laid the foundations for victory with a strong first half performance that saw them nine points in front at the break thanks mainly to the accuracy of Stephen Lambe and Rory Woods who between them registered nine points. They led at half time by 0-12 to 0-3, five unanswered points in the final ten minutes putting real daylight between them and they might have been further ahead had they converted a couple of goal chances. In the second half Clontibret improved substantially on their first half performance with Aidan Kerr and Arthur Hughes driving them forward but they found the 'Blayney defence in which Stephen Lynch, Paul Murphy and Jim McHugh were in superb form very difficult to unhinge. They had the margin down to six entering the final quarter but they could not engineer the goal they needed to give them a fighting chance and 'Blayney ran out deserving winners with seven points to spare. The Castleblayney side which claimed the Monaghan SHC title was: Michael McHugh, Stephen Lynch, Paul Murphy, Bernard Connor, Declan Crowe 0-1, Jim McHugh, Gordon Coleman, David Connolly, Barry Reilly 0-1, Brian McGuigan, Rory Woods 0-4, Stephen Lambe 0-8, Hugh Byrne, Danny Duffy 0-2, James Lacey. Subs - Alan Lambe 0-1 for H Byrne, Patrick Collins for B Connor, Peter Treanor for J Lacey, Wayne Funcheon for D Crowe. Tweet

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