Consistency doesn't get its due reward
December 30, 2010moments, their form deserted them.
When clubs throughout Monaghan sit down to reflect on the 2010 season there is sure to be the usual variety of emotions. A select few will be feeling the joy of victory, while others may very well be licking their wounds after suffering a heart-breaking defeat.
There is likely to be a few side who will be glad to see the back of a season which never really got off the ground and one where they were never in serious contention for honours.
On the other side of the coin, there will also be a number of clubs who will look back on 2010 and feel that they just didn't get the rewards that their efforts deserved.
Among those in the latter category will be Donaghmoyne and there is little doubt that there can be few clubs who will feel more let down by Lady Luck at the end of this season.
Without question, Donaghmoyne Fontenoys were among the most consistent teams in the county as they won more league games and amassed more points than any other team in the top three grades. On the face of it, such statistics could reflect a very successful season, but the only problem is that the club ended the campaign without a trophy to show for their efforts.
For all involved in the club it was a bitter pill to swallow as they failed to win the Intermediate Championship and also missed out on promotion in the league after finishing two points clear at the top of the Intermediate Football League.
Team captain Joe Kelly sums up the feeling of regret within the club at the end of a season which promised so much.
"It was very disappointing not to win the league or the championship after some of the performances we put in this year. We had a great year in the league and won more games than any other team and I think we ended up setting a record for the highest number of points. However, in the end that doesn't mean a lot when you end up losing in the semi-final and finishing the year empty-handed," explains Joe.
"The championship was equally disappointing as we were among the main contenders but went out after two disappointing performances. Again that was a big regret for us all as everybody felt that we should have gone a lot further."
Joe points out that at the start of the year the club set themselves a target of returning to the Senior ranks either through the league or the championship and after an impressive start they looked on course to achieve their goal.
From the early weeks of the league campaign, Donaghmoyne were the team to watch and over the course of the season won 14 games, losing just four times and drawing once. Not only did they finish with an impressive 29 points, but were top scorers with an aggregate of 282 points, and also conceded the least amount in the division, with 199 points being scored against them.
Unfortunately, when it came to the semi-finals they were unable to reproduce that form against neighbours, Inniskeen, who had finished in fourth place in the table. Inniskeen laid the foundations for victory in the first half as they chalked up a five point advantage and although Donaghmoyne hit back in the second half they were unable to salvage the game in a nail-biting finale. As Grattans held out for a 1-10 to 0-11 victory, Donaghmoyne were left to ponder on what might have been.
That wasn't the only disappointment suffered by the team during the year as they also failed to meet their expectations in the championship as Joe explains.
"Our ambition at the start of the year was to win the championship but unfortunately it didn't turn out that way and we were bitterly disappointed to go out in the early rounds," he added.
There was little to suggest that Donaghmoyne wouldn't be among the main challengers when they opened the championship with a 0-15 to 1-7 win over Inniskeen. That set up a meeting with Tyholland in the next round and with their opponents also going well in the league it turned out to be a close encounter.
"Unfortunately we lost out to Tyholland by a point (1-8 to 0-10) which meant that we had to play Aughnamullen in the 'back door'. That was a game we would have been expected to win but I think we just underestimated them on the day and they came out on top by a point, 0-17 to 2-10. That result was a big disappointment for everyone because we had beaten them twice in the league and were expecting to mount a big challenge at that stage.
"We really had been hoping to go the whole way and it is tough when you train so hard for so long and then to throw it all away. Unfortunately, we can't do much about it now only hope to bounce back next year stronger," added the captain.
Despite the setbacks this year, Joe believes there is much more to come from a team that he feels is well equipped to play at Senior level.
"I believe that there is a lot of potential in this team and I don't think there is any reason why we can't hold our own at a higher level. We can call on some players who have the experience of Senior football, but mostly we have a fairly young team that has the ability to improve over the coming years.
"Although we have lost a few players to emigration, the young lads that have come through have shown their ability and winning so many league games is a good sign for us.
"I think that if we got up to Senior football there is no reason why we couldn't compete. The aim would be to consolidate our position for a couple of years by which time we would have a good deal of experience and some of the promising underage players would have a chance to come through and play at that level," continued Joe.
Looking ahead to the more immediate future, Joe believes that despite missing out on silverware this year, the club will have every reason to start the new campaign in confident mood and will be keen to set the record straight in 2011.
"We will start again for the new season with the same expectations as every season in that we will be hoping to win a major trophy. We have to look at the positives of our league form this year and hopefully we can pick up on that only this time follow through and make sure we win something," added Joe.
Given their experiences this year, such a victory would be certain to taste even sweeter.
Donaghmoyne ladies claim county honours
Lightning struck twice for the ladies of Donaghmoyne as they aimed to defend their All-Ireland club title. After claiming their first crown in 2006, the Fontenoy's suffered defeat in the Ulster championship the following season and the same fate befell them in 2010. After being crowned the best in Ireland at the end of last year, they suffered heartbreak in the provincial campaign writes Alan Gunn.
Before all of that though, they remained the dominant force in Monaghan but not before receiving a major scare in their opening encounter against Emyvale. An injury time point from Cathriona McConnell rescued them in Emyvale to force a replay. However, in the replay they made no mistake with a performance from the top drawer to reach yet another county final with ten points to spare, McConnell again showing her quality with a personal tally of 1-8.
Standing in their way of an eighth successive county title was Monaghan Harps but at the end of the decider in Cremartin, the Cup was safely back in Donaghmoyne following a convincing 3-16 to 0-4 victory. The eventual winners dominated throughout and had they title all but wrapped up at the interval as they led by 13 points. Their dominance continued after the break with McConnell again central to the win as she hit 2-7 over the hour while Majella Woods was also in scoring form with 1-3 and Gina McGowan rowed in with three points.
Next up was a home tie against Fermanagh champions Lisnaskea in the Ulster championship in September. Few problems were experienced on their way to a 4-21 to 0-4 win with both midfielders Amanda Casey and Sharon Courtney along with all six forwards getting on the score sheet as well as two substitutes. It was another home encounter next when they welcomed Tyrone champions St Macartan's at the beginning of October. Just like in the Ulster final last year Donaghmoyne came out on top but this time it was to be a much more comfortable outing. The home side hit five goals in their 17 points victory. McConnell was the games top scorer with 4-8 to her name while Cora Courtney also raised the green flag.
The Monaghan champions then took to the road to face Armagh champions Carrickcruppen in the semi-final. The home side were surprising winners in the Orchard county and they almost caused a bigger surprise by taking the scalp of the All Ireland champions. At the break it was 'Cruppen' that held the advantage but the holders turned it around in the second half to come out on top 0-16 to 2-6.
They now found themselves just 60 minutes away from a sixth Ulster title in seven years. In their way was new kids Termon, the Donegal champions. It was to be a game that Donaghmoyne enjoyed much more of the possession but always struggled to pull clear of the challenge and in the end were left to rue 16 wides. It was to be the concession of goals that was to be their downfall but also a lapse of concentration in the final minutes. Leading by five points with time running out, Donaghmoyne looked set for victory until disaster struck. Termon struck for their second goal of the game to reduce the deficit to a single point a minute from time and then in the fifth minute of added time they struck again to edge in front for the first time and deny the Fontenoy's the title on a final score of 3-6 to 0-13.
It was a year that was also to see the team let their hold of the Abbey Fanning Memorial Seven's and also the league title, with Emyvale lifting both titles.
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