The juvenile section of the Sean McDermotts club enjoyed a commendable success when capturing the 2004 U12 Division Two league title, beating Monaghan Harps in the final on Saturday September 4. The win was one of the highlights of a year that also saw the Threemilehouse club retain its senior status with a dramatic last-gasp win over Scotstown in the last round of the Credit Union senior football league. The club also ran a hugely successful fundraising draw in '04, marking it out clearly as a year to remember ... The seniors did what they had to do. It was close. It went right down to the wire. However, Gary McEntee's late, late goal was enough to preserve the Seans' top-flight status for another twelve months by virtue of a thrilling 1-11 to 1-10 defeat of county finalists Scotstown in the very last Division One outing of the year. Thus, the adult season finished on a real high for Sean McDermotts GFC. On reflection, there are many positives to report from the year, not least of which is the club's fantastic U12 success. With a team big on talent and heart, the Seans U12s put their name on the map with a wonderful outright win in the Division Two league. Never before was victory more thoroughly deserved. The character of the young team was tested to the full when they fell two goals adrift early on in the final, but the Threemilehouse lads battled back superbly to lead Monaghan Harps by five points at the interval. The winners refused to ease up after the break and went on to win by a whopping twelve points. The celebrations could commence. In goals, Adrian Prunty never put a foot wrong and pulled off a series of stunning saves. The full back line of Gavin Baxter, Jamie McElvaney and Stephen McCarron proved impervious, while the half back line (Enda McQuillan, James Clarke, Conor McElroy) mopped up everything that came their way. Danny McNally and Brian McQuaid led by example with energetic and athletic midfield displays and all six forwards also caught the eye, never giving the Harps rearguard a minute's peace. Kevin McMahon, Mark McGuigan, Shane Hagan, Dwayne McCaffrey, Shane Larkin and James McAleer manned the attack. The subs also played a big part and kept the pressure up for places on the team all year. These were: James Connolly, Eamon Prunty, Shane Murphy, Declan Murphy, Francis McElvaney, Jonathan Bannon, Shane McCarville, Colin McElvaney and Conor McCormick. Great credit is due to all associated with the team on a highly fruitful campaign. Sean McElvaney (the club's juvenile secretary) and Felix McElvaney took charge of the all-conquering U12 side. Felix had been involved with the Elco Oils skills development programme, which looks after U8s-U12s, for a number of years and asked Sean to join him in preparing the U12 side at the start of 2004. Sean was up for the challenge, though it was clear from the outset that it was going to be a long year: "It was a long programme," Sean notes. "The year started in April and the final wasn't played until September. During the season, we played a total of 18 competitive games, which is a match virtually every Saturday. It's a big input from the players so I was delighted that they got something back out of it at the end." Traditionally, the U12 league is divided into Divisions One and Two. In '04, a novel approach was taken. It was decided that all twelve teams would first play in the same group, playing each other once - a total of eleven games apiece. From here, the top six went into Division One and the bottom six made up Division Two. Pitted in Division Two, the Seans played a further five games, qualifying for a semi-final clash with Latton, which they won well at home before overcoming the Harps in the decider at Emyvale. Did the length of the competitive season prove testing? "It was difficult at times, especially in the early stages when we had some games against very strong senior teams. But we kept at it and it got easier in the latter stages as we were one of the stronger sides in Division Two. Success helps the players to maintain an interest, so they kept their spirits up for the entire programme. It was a long campaign for the lads but it turned out very well. When the programme came out at the start of the year, we knew it was going to be a long campaign, but we really enjoyed it." The Seans worked off a squad of 24 lads and the really encouraging thing is that many of these players will be eligible for U12 football again in 2005. But is it a good idea for players so young to be handed so many competitive games? "Opinions would differ on that one depending on which club you talk to, but I thought it was good for our lads to have a game every Saturday. It gave them something to do over the summer. Perhaps 18 games was a little bit too much, though, and maybe we could find a happier medium. But I think it was a good thing in general. But it works both ways and I'm sure it wasn't as enjoyable for some of the teams that weren't successful. It takes a big commitment from everybody." The club rowed in behind the U12s in a big way. Club secretary Anne Kieran doubled up as First Aid officer, while a number of senior players also made their services available to the U12s during the year. County senior panellists James Coyle and Damien Larkin helped keep things ticking over and club senior Adrian Larkin also got involved. "We had a lot of help during the year and it's all greatly appreciated," says co-manager and juvenile secretary Sean McElvaney. He continues: "The club gave the team great support, which is the case with all juvenile teams. I suppose the fact that the team did so well and was in contention until so late in the year meant that there were more opportunities to support them. A big crowd turned up to support the team for the semi-final and final, and we couldn't have asked for more." When asked about the players' discipline and attitude over the year, Sean is quick to sing their praises: "They were exemplary. Indeed, I have to say that the discipline we had this year from all our juvenile teams, right across the board, was exemplary. None of the underage mentors had any issues whatsoever. We took the U10s, U12s and U14s to Croke Park for the first game of the International Rules series and they all behaved themselves impeccably. They did themselves, their families and the club proud." After winning the Division Two final, the team paraded the cup around town and then enjoyed a slap-up meal at the clubhouse. There was a senior match on that evening, too, and the cup was paraded at half time, to a great reception. "They got a lot out of it and we've had very positive feedback from the parents," Sean enthuses. "We have arranged a rota system where each member of the panel will have the cup for a week." As secretary of the Sean McDermotts GFC juvenile committee, Sean is delighted with how 2004 panned out: "What you want to achieve with any juvenile team is to bring them a step closer to senior football. It's not about what you win; it's about getting better. The great thing I took from the year was seeing this team improve with every game. When that happens, you know your effort isn't being wasted. They got stronger as the year progressed and I took great heart from that. "Our ultimate goal is to have as many of these lads turn out for the seniors in the future. They've had a good introduction to football and they've shown the ability to improve, so we're encouraged by everything that happened in 2004." Tweet

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