The days when Blackhill were the whipping boys of Monaghan football are well and truly gone. The eager young Emeralds gave a decent account of themselves in 2003 and their performances were convincing enough to suggest that promotion to intermediate ranks could be on the horizon sooner rather than later. The trip to Blackhill isn't as elementary an exercise as once it was. The emerald has hardened and points are no longer given away cheaply. Visitors are now made to battle hard for every score. In 2003, the Green & Blacks gave as good as they got in most games and were particularly unforgiving in their home matches. Only Monaghan Harps and Clones - two clubs destined for intermediate football - managed to come away from Blackhill with victories, and the small rural club from the 'Blayney suburbs came fairly close to a league semi-final spot. They were also dominant in both their '03 championship outings - against Killeevan and Cremartin - and would have won both games but for a distinct lack of composure in front of the posts. While those two defeats were disappointing, it's definitely a case of the players learning to walk before they can run and - with time and patience - this young team will develop the killer instinct that wins championship matches. Veteran campaigner Tony Cumiskey is one of two older heads steering Blackhill's exciting crop of youngsters. Tony - the club's Junior Footballer of the Year in 2001 - has been lining out for the Emeralds for two decades and assumed the mantle of player-manager for the '03 campaign. All in all, it was a thoroughly satisfactory year, during which the Emeralds hinted strongly that they're a match for most junior sides in the county. However, despite these encouraging signs, the manager admits to being somewhat disappointed that a morale-boosting championship win again proved elusive: "It was a pretty good year in general and we put in a lot of impressive performances. Championship-wise, I was happy with how the team played but it was disappointing to lose both games. Our hopes were reasonably high going into the year and we felt we could force our way into the promotion shake-up. We started well and had some good results but after going out of the championship everything seemed to fall by the wayside. "That was frustrating because we'd been going well and if we'd actually got a win on the board in the championship it could have made a massive difference to our season. If we'd gained a bit more impetus and belief at that stage, who knows where the season might have taken us?" For a small club with limited resources, crammed into a claustrophobic GAA territory that also sustains Toome, Cremartin, Doohamlet, Donaghmoyne, Drumhowan and Aughnamullen - not to mention Castleblayney Faughs - Blackhill Emeralds are doing exceptionally well. Considering that they make do with probably the smallest pick in the county, their achievements are second to none. Tony notes: "We had a couple of very good results in the league leading into the junior championship, and we totally dominated Cremartin in the first round, beating them everywhere except on the scoreboard. We then took on Killeevan in the back door and again we had the majority of the possession but failed to take our scores. I think we had something like 18 wides in that game and that was very disappointing. We did all the groundwork but didn't convert it into a win." Perhaps Blackhill's forwards need their eyesights checked? Tony is quick to leap to their defence: "It was more due to lack of experience and they seemed to panic a bit on the day. To be honest, there's not much wrong with our forwards. We have some very tidy players up front and they're well capable of putting the ball over the bar, but they're still very young and relatively inexperienced. "Apart from myself and Peter Walsh, the average age of the team is only about 18, so we have to give them time. I'm sure things will click into place, just maybe not as quickly as we had originally hoped. They'll learn from their mistakes and I'm sure we'll be a lot more efficient in front of the posts next year. This team has been coming through for about three years now, but in fairness they're still only finding their feet at senior level, so we'll just have to be patient with them. The quality is certainly there, though." Blackhill have been forced to endure some torrid times over the years, but have always plugged away manfully, often in the face of adversity. For this, the club deserves eternal credit. Recently, ambitions have gone beyond mere survival: Blackhill have begun to win trophies and the feeling is that they can continue to do so. Taking charge of team affairs at the start of 2003, Tony Cumiskey set his sights reasonably high: "Our target was a league semi-final place and a junior championship quarter-final. "We played Aughnamullen in our first game of the year and beat them in the league for the first time in over 50 years! We got a hiding from Monaghan Harps in our second outing and Cremartin also beat us well. But we managed to beat them in the return leg, which was our first league victory against them in over 25 years! So there's no doubt we're making progress." The team trained hard and put in the effort on the training pitch, but the wheels came off following the Emeralds' elimination from the championship. "We still had enough points on the board to push for a league semi-final spot but needed results to go our way to force a play-off. Unfortunately we lost a vital game to Toome and that put paid to our league hopes. Clones only beat us by four points in Blackhill and they went on to win the league." Drawing from a panel of (at best!) only 20 players, Blackhill are doing well to hold their own and deserve great credit for the manner in which they've improved recently. "Without doubt, a lot of it is down to the tremendous work Seamus McEneaney has put in at juvenile level. We've won juvenile and minor championship medals and the next challenge now is to translate that success into adult level. A lot of players drop off between minor and adult level in every club, which certainly doesn't help. "But there's still a lot of hope in Blackhill and we're confident of progressing much further. We're only five or six players away from being a really strong junior side at the moment. Some of the current team are going to improve and there are also plenty of quality players coming through, so the future looks bright. "Back in 2000, we thought we might win a junior championship within three years. That was ambitious in hindsight, but we can do it in the next three years." Blackhill won the Crawley Cup [junior B championship] in 2001 under Pauric Loughran, Philip Courtney and Ciaran Mulligan (trainer) and also reached the final of that competition against Drumhowan last year, so they're no longer virgins when it comes to scooping silverware. Meanwhile, as junior team manager in '03, Tony Cumiskey brought in former Armagh minor boss Martin Kelly as trainer and Martin Cashell as selector. Between them, the trio got a terrific response from the players: "Martin Kelly brought a whole new dimension to training. The preparations for the two championship matches were meticulous and we went out and dominated both games. Unfortunately we froze on the day both times and didn't take our scores. It's been so long since we won a first-round championship game. If we could get over that barrier, it would take a lot of pressure off..." Tony himself has decided to concentrate exclusively on playing in 2004 and hopes to push for a place in the first team's full forward line (having mostly played junior B in '03, he lined out in goal for the JFC clash with Cremartin), where he will certainly lend plenty of experience. On the all-important development front, Blackhill are currently carrying out extensive draining work on their field and plans are afoot for a new stand and fence around the pitch, all of which underlines the club's determination to move forward. The improved facilities will provide a huge boost to the players and everybody associated with Blackhill Emeralds GFC. As for 2004: "The boys will be a year older and will have another year's experience, so I definitely think we can get a good run in the championship. And there's no reason why we can't qualify for the knock-out stages of the league. Monaghan Harps came to Blackhill and only beat us by a point this year - Clones only beat us by four. Those were our only two home defeats and both teams were promoted, so we're not too far away. "We have no reason to fear any of the teams in junior football next year. We can beat anybody at home and if we pick up a few points on our travels we'll be there or thereabouts. We should be pushing for promotion. We can compete with any of the teams. Corduff will be strong but we're not afraid of them. "We have good players of our own - Michael Woods who played with the county minors this year, and Darren and Colin Woods are good forwards while Kieran Woods had an outstanding year at full back. Brian McGuinness at midfield was another who caught the eye, but to be fair the whole team played well in general over the course of the season. "The time is probably coming for this Blackhill team to stand up and be counted. They aren't young fellas anymore. They're in the senior team now and they're starting to play like seniors. We'll be very happy if they make the same degree of progress in 2004 that they did in 2003. "If they can just collect five or six more points in the league and maybe qualify for a championship semi-final, I'd be over the moon. Something like that would be great for Blackhill. At this stage in our development, there's no point coming out and saying we're going to win the junior championship. "But a semi-final would be a great achievement, and is also a realistic target. And it's something we could build upon in years to come." Clearly, the gaels of Blackhill are not prepared to let the grass grow beneath their feet. Instead it's onwards and upwards with no time wasted standing on ceremony! Tweet

Most Read Stories