Crème de la crème
November 27, 2011In total, five games were played to land the 2011 Monaghan JFC. The opener, on Friday, May 27th, was about as routine a win as you'll ever get in knockout football: Fergal O'Hanlon's were soundly thrashed at Clontibret by 4-22 to no score in a game that was of little benefit to either team. But the bid for the title began in earnest five weeks later when the Shamrocks squared up to Clones at the same venue on Sunday, July 3rd, carving out a 2-9 to 0-10 success that earned a semi-final berth.
In the last four, a replay was required to overcome the stern resistance of Aghabog. The original encounter was at Scotstown on Saturday, August 13th and Gerard O'Brien's charges hit a late leveler to finish all-square, 0-9 to 1-6. In the replay, at Emyvale six days later, Cremartin's ability to find the net proved decisive as they snuck through to a second successive JFC final with a 3-3 to 0-9 triumph.
The final - a repeat of the 2010 semi-final (which Cremartin also won) - took place in Ballybay the following weekend and it was all about the result rather than the quality of football as Cremartin and Clones went head-to-head again. Having lost to Corduff at the same stage in 2010, the Shamrocks were determined not to be outbattled again and they dug deep to eke out a deserved 1-6 to 0-7 victory in a low-scoring but absorbing encounter on Sunday, August 28th. Mission accomplished!
Ronan Burke struck the decisive goal in the first half but the scoreline probably flatters the losers as Cremartin were the dominant side for most of the hour and would have won by more but for some nervous shooting. Gary Boyd had a very influential game after switching to midfield and the champions were also served well on the day by captain Darren Bishop, corner back Fergal Mulligan, centre back Patrick McGuigan and goalscorer Burke.
The winners were first off the mark with a Bishop point from play and Kevin Brennan was on hand to double the differential shortly after. Clones hit three in a row to edge ahead for the only time in the match before goal-poacher supreme Burke (who was also amongst the goals in the semi-final replay win) seized back the initiative emphatically with an excellent goal on 20 minutes, punching a high Brennan delivery to the net. Darren Bishop's 30-metre free following a foul on his brother Stephen gave the Shamrocks a 1-3 to 0-4 interval advantage.
Incredibly, as the tension mounted, the teams just managed six points between them thereafter, which were shared. Midfielder Christopher Farrell's free was scant reward for total Cremartin dominance immediately after the resumption and Darren Bishop was left frustrated when his goal effort flew inches wide. After twelve minutes without a score, the Cremartin No. 13 put four between the teams.
Clones' first score of the second half arrived at the start of the fourth quarter and they quickly closed within a point. Boyd steadied the ship with a point and a player from each side was dismissed for an off-the-ball incident as Cremartin held on for a famous win. Darren Bishop had the pleasure of collecting the silverware on behalf of his team-mates and the victorious captain also picked up the Man of the Match award on an unforgettable day for the men in green.
The final result meant that Gerry McCarville's side - who were without doubt the form team in junior football all year, also setting the pace at the top of the league - had gone through their entire championship campaign without leaking a goal (whilst scoring eleven). Quite an achievement and one that was instrumental in their outright success!
In many ways, the win was built on a mean defence. Throughout the year, Damien Lavelle proved a more-than-competent netminder, with great cover from exceptional defenders like Declan Farrell, Patrick and Jonathan McGuigan, Martin McNally and Fergal Mulligan.
This was Cremartin's 14th appearance in a county JFC final and it yielded their sixth success at this level. They have lost eight deciders, two of them after replays. But there was no stopping them in 2011!
Cremartin - 2011 Monaghan junior football champions: D Lavelle; F Mulligan, M McNally, C Mulligan; D Farrell, P McGuigan, D Mulligan; N Flanagan, C Farrell (0-1); K Brennan (0-1), J McGuigan, R Burke (1-0); D Bishop (captain, 0-3), G Boyd (0-1), M Bishop. Subs: S Bishop for M Bishop (25); B Carragher for McNally (44); L McVicar for Burke (55).
Having started their season impressively with five straight league wins, Cremartin were without Darren Bishop for the preliminary-round meeting with O'Hanlon's but they needn't have worried unduly as they cantered to a facile 34-point win. Stand-in captain Patrick McGuigan marshaled the defence efficiently from full back and they were never troubled. At the other end, Mark and Stephen Bishop (1-4) notched 1-10 between them, while midfielders Barry Carragher (1-5) and Gerard Malone managed a combined score of 2-6. Niall Flanagan was the other goalscorer.
Against Clones, the Shamrocks were without Flanagan but goals from Darren Bishop and Gary Boyd in either half helped them to a five-point win, 2-9 to 0-10. Five of the winners' forwards got on the scoresheet and they could have won by more but for some wayward shooting as they dominated proceedings territorially. Key performers in the quarter-final victory included Patrick and Johnny McGuigan at the back as well as Kevin Brennan, Boyd and the Bishop brothers up front. Cremartin led by 1-4 to 0-5 at the interval and never looked back thereafter. Though they struggled to put the game to bed, with Clones closing to within the minimum in the final quarter, Brennan landed a spectacular point from distance after a couple of gilt-edged goal chances were spurned. Goalkeeper Damien Lavelle made a vital diving save and Boyd pounced for the clinching three-pointer two minutes from time.
Niall Flanagan's late first-half goal gave Cremartin a 1-2 to 0-3 half-time lead in the drawn semi-final against Aghabog and the champions-elect went on to lead an uninspiring contest by 1-5 to 0-4 with eight minutes played in the second half. The next two points were shared but the underdogs booked a second bite at the cherry by reeling off the last four points of the game between the 50th and 57th minutes.
Despite scoring only six times, and going scoreless for the last 20 minutes, stuttering Cremartin won the replay by 3-3 to 0-9. The full-back line of Martin McNally, Declan Farrell and Fergal Mulligan held their direct opponents scoreless from play, while inspirational captain Darren Bishop struck 2-2, including the opening goal inside a minute. It was level at the break, 1-2 to 0-5, and Bishop again found the net within a minute of the restart. Substitute Ronan Burke punched what would prove to be the clinching goal in the 36th minute. It may not have been a vintage performance but Cremartin Shamrocks won and that was all that mattered in the end.
They were through to another JFC final and this time they would make no mistake!
In the junior football league, Cremartin - winners of the junior double way back in 1956 - finished third on the final table before defeating Emyvale by 0-12 to 1-8 in their semi-final in Emyvale on Sunday, October 16th. Five weeks later, Barry Carragher and Ronan Burke netted in the decider (the last domestic club match of the Monaghan GAA season) - again at Emyvale - as Cremartin completed the junior double with a 2-12 to 0-10 victory over Clones in the league decider.
The triumphant 2011 Monaghan JFL winning Cremartin team was: Damien Lavelle; Eanna Atkinson, Patrick McGuigan, Fergal Mulligan; Ronan Burke (1-1), Conor Mulligan, Jonathan McGuigan; Niall Flanagan, Declan Farrell; Barry Carragher (1-2), Darren Bishop (0-5), Gary Boyd; Liam McVicar (0-1), Kevin Brennan (0-3), Declan Mulligan. Subs: Peter McMahon for Declan Mulligan; Shane Burke for Liam McVicar; Mark Bishop for Kevin Brennan; Kevin Atkinson for Barry Carragher.
At the time of writing, Cremartin - still going strong - were preparing to face Derrytresk of Tyrone in the 2011 Ulster junior club football championship final, having beaten Cavan champions Shercock after a replay and Burt of Donegal en route to the November 27th showcase. Tweet
