Not content with proving themselves to be the best of the bunch in Monaghan, 2002 JFC title-holders Corduff progressed to be crowned Ulster Junior Club winners last March. The traditional soundbites ricocheted from the surrounds of Carrick's pitch like hailstones on a mission as the men from Corduff celebrated their 2002 Monaghan Junior Football Championship title win over Aughnamullen. "Didn't they finish like a train," one Corduff supporter rhetorically asked his neighbour as they left the scene of the battle. Too true. Certainly the Farneysiders looked a really ambitious lot as they romped past the winning post with a stirring late flurry of points to wrap up a non-too flattering 0-10 to 0-5 win over the battling but a clearly outgunned Sarsfields. There's little doubt but that October 6th 2002 will remain etched in the hearts and minds of Corduff's faithful for many moons to come. As will March 17th, 2003 - a day when that aforementioned metaphoric train also transported Corduff all the way to a Ulster JFC club triumph. Of course, there had been no mention made in the Corduff camp about the Cremartin Shamrocks-sponsored provincial junior football championship campaign pre-October. But once the county crown was annexed, the next logical step for the south Monaghan outfit was to take on, and try and beat the best of the rest in Ulster. After all, given the sort of opposition to be faced at intermediate level in Monaghan in 2003, the Paul Kerr tournament would make for an ideal conduit linking the domestic success achieved in 2002 with the hoped-for dividends to be reaped in 2003. And far from being a mission impossible, the Corduff cavaliers showed a clean pair of heels to reach the provincial summit . . .and in some style! Indeed, whatever about being one of the unfancied challengers for the Ulster title as the championship got underway, Corduff certainly showed they meant business as they overcame a much lauded Lisnaskea side in a fine quarter-final tussle. The three point win for the Monaghan ambassadors was nothing less than they deserved on the day with the accuracy of ace attacker Mark Gilsenan a vital component in Corduff's triumph over the Fermanagh men. The talented marksman fired over six clever points over the hour-plus and deservedly landed the man-of-the match trophy. February 23rd last saw Corduff stand toe to toe at Shamrock Park in the championship semi-final with Crossmaglen 'B'. In a tie which lived up to its pre-match billing, the Armagh side (conquerors of Cavan champions Butlersbridge in their quarter-final tie) enhanced the haughty reputation of Gaelic football in South Armagh by putting up some sterling resistance to the would-be champions. Certainly the Farney lads had to work very hard to secure their 2-10 to 1-12 win after extra-time. In the end, it took a brilliant goal by substitute Shane McNally to seal victory for Corduff. Arguably the best game of the tournament, the Corduff/Cross affair saw the Armagh crew get off to the proverbial flyer with Ollie McEntee fired the ball to the Corduff net after barely 20 seconds. However it wasn't long before Corduff equalled McEntee's feat when Liam Duffy flicked the ball to the net after four minutes. From there to the interval it was tit for tat before Cross eventually eased into a 1-4 to 1-3 lead at the break. Cross began the second half in more impressive form and duly opened up a four points gap inside the first five minutes of the restart. However Corduff refused to be bowled over and by the three-quarter hour mark, they had reduced their deficit to just one point with points by David Marron and Mark Gilsenan (two). In the minutes that followed, one side and then the other appeared to grab the initiative but those dominant periods were few and far between as the pendulum swung from end to end with monotonous regularity. Not surprisingly by the end of normal time, the sides were deadlocked at 1-9 apiece after Corduff had managed to retrieve another two point deficit. Cross later went two points in front with three minutes of the second half of extra time gone. And that was the way things stood until right at the end of time, the aforementioned McNally clinched Corduff's place in the final with a deadly strike. There was a real sense of romance about Shamrock Park on St. Patrick's Day as the best of Irish sport was put on show by Corduff and their Derry counterparts, Ballerin. But luck had no part to play in the tie for either party as a hard-fought final brought out the very best in the combatants. Corduff began the final in a business-like manner and a point from Shane Malone after barely 15 seconds of the throw-in fairly threw down the gauntlet to their Oak Leaf county opponents. Ballerin arrived at the final with a fine reputation but they seemed to be bowled over by Corduff's vibrancy and enthusiasm in what was a first quarter almost totally dominated by the Monaghan champions. However the Corduff crew proceeded to record a non-too impressive 13 wide tally in the opening half which served to take the luster off their excellent approach work and cohesion around the field. For their part, the Derry champions were much more efficient with their more limited share of possession in that opening, frenetic moiety. Ryan Deighan gave Corduff something to think about with an equalizer after four minutes but the Derrymen had to soak up a lot of pressure from there to the 13th minute as Corduff hit them with everything apart from the proverbial kitchen sink. Amazingly despite all but lording the possession for the most part of the opening quarter, Corduff fell behind when dangerman Sean Mullen got through for a point, totally against the run of play. Corduff continued to labour somewhat to translate their outfield dominancy into all-important scores. However they did get a major leg-up in the 17th minute when former Carrick Emmets player Martin McDermott crashed home a great shot to the Ballerin net after good work by Mark Gilsenan, Kieran Connolly and Shane Malone. Corduff seemed set fair to go on and comfortably consolidate their well-deserved three point advantage but, instead, Ballerin posted notice of their intention to make the would-be champions fight all the way and earn their crown. Showing the sort of economy of effort that characterised their play throughout the tournament, Ballerin continued biting at Corduff's heels thanks to a point from a Malachy Quinn-converted free in the 26th minute. But like true champions, the Monaghan men hit back with interest and points by Martin McDermott and George McKitterick eased Corduff into a four point lead, 1-4 to 0-3, by half-time. Corduff were destined to have to really roll up their sleeves to be crowned provincial champions as Ballerin's form improved steadily as the second half gathered pace. Two points in quick succession by their best player Sean Mullen served to hoist Ballerin to within two points of Corduff as the high tempo of the game continued apace. Man of the match Shane Malone broke forward to point on the run for Corduff to halt any notion Ballerin had of getting on terms in double-quick time and with the introduction of former county star Frank McEnaney, suddenly Corduff had every reason to eye up the winning post. Slowly but surely though, the Oak Leafers chiseled out a significant foothold in the diamond area of the field and with ten minutes remaining had deservedly drawn level after firing over three unanswered points. Ballerin kept on the pressure but a poor wide allied to two efforts which fell short let Corduff off the hook. At the other end of the field, Corduff hit a purple patch and in a refreshingly higher degree of efficiency, the Monaghan ambassadors stepped up several gears to knock over three points without reply with Mark Gilsenan, Raymond Byrne and Shane Malone doing the necessary and in some style. And that was that. Although Ballerin tried their damnedest to arrest a worsening situation by pushing forward in cavalier fashion from there to the finish, they never really looked like getting back on terms and the dismissal of a player in the dying minutes only served to compound the Derry side's dismay and, of course, copper-fasten Corduff's title-winning achievement. The following are the players, scorers, and subs, who made history at Cremartin on St. Patrick's Day last: Corduff; Darren Byrne; Fran Monaghan, Louis King, Ciaran Malone; Pauric Gallogly, Gareth King, Kieran Connolly; Raymond Byrne (0-1), Declan Larkin (0-1); Martin McDermott (1-1), Shane Malone (0-3), George McKitterick (0-1); Mark Gilsenan (0-1), Liam Duffy, Shane Donoghue. Subs used; Frank McEnaney, Aidan Marron, Martin Mills, Alan Mee. Tweet

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