Francis Markey flew the Donaghmoyne flag on the intercounty stage in 2003, lining out for Monaghan at under 21 and senior level. Speaking to Gerry Robinson, the gifted midfielder reflects on a busy year. Ladies excepted, two-thousand-and-three was a thoroughly disappointing year for Donaghmoyne. Losing their senior status came as a bitter blow to the Fontenoys - especially bearing in mind that they had contested the Owen Ward Cup final the previous year - and they're now faced with the unexpected task of having to pick themselves up for intermediate football in 2004. It's not going to be easy, but if anyone can bounce straight back up to the top table then Donaghmoyne can! Of course, 2003 wasn't a complete disaster for the club. One of the highlights of their year was the tremendous progress made by Francis Markey in the county colours. The former county minor was an integral part of the Monaghan under 21 side that stormed through to the Ulster final only to be lucklessly beaten by Tyrone and was also called into the senior county set-up for the first time. Markey made his senior Monaghan debut in the qualifier against Meath at Clones and gave a good account of himself during his 20 minutes or so on the field of play. Francis looks to have a huge future, both for club and county, and is one of the reasons why the Fontenoys are fancied to regain their prized senior standing at the first time of asking. Looking back rather than forward for the time being, however, 2003 was a busy year for the Donaghmoyne man, who agrees: "It was fairly busy alright. It was the first time I was called into the Monaghan senior panel and that was a great honour. I wasn't necessarily expecting to get the shout, so it was a real bonus when I made my debut in the championship against Meath." Monaghan were twelve points adrift at half time and, despite a spirited second-half surge, were unable to catch up on the Royal County representatives. Francis entered the fray at midfield towards the end of the third quarter - a wonderful experience for any young player but unfortunately a losing debut: "We were slowly clawing our way back into the game at that stage and we managed to get it back to four points. But we had let them build up too much of a lead in the first half and realistically there was no way back into it." Still, Monaghan had that sensational Ulster championship defeat of Armagh to look back on for comfort. As well as an historic defeat of Westmeath and a decent display against Down. All in all, not a bad year's work. "It was quite a good year," the Donaghmoyne clubman concurs. We got four championship games under our belt and it was a good experience for such a young team. We were back training again in September and we're already looking forward to 2004. "Our aim for next year is to win an Ulster championship at least. If we'd beaten Down this year we'd have been well on track, so there's no reason why we can't do it. Our players are as good as any in Ulster - if not Ireland - and we believe we're good enough to reach the Ulster final." That's precisely what Francis and the county U21s did in 2003. They were very impressive en route to the provincial decider, wherein they gave the O'Neill County the fright of their lives only to be undone by a dubious late penalty decision. It was Markey's second year with the U21s and he's eligible to play again in '04 (not to mention 2005!), as is his '03 midfield partner Vincent Corey from Clontibret. Francis also had two years with the Monaghan minors (2001 and 2002), contesting the Ulster minor final in '01 (also against bogey team Tyrone). Regarding the 2003 Ulster U21 campaign, he says: "We did well to reach the final and it was a pity to lose in such controversial circumstances. We were very disappointed with the outcome because we've lost a lot of big games to Tyrone in recent years and then the first time we really put it up to them they got the lucky break. It was very frustrating but there's nothing we can do about it now..." At centrefield, Markey and Corey proved a real match for much-lauded O'Neill County pair Sean Cavanagh and Peter Donnelly, which surely augurs well for Monaghan's prospects in the same competition next year: "We're hoping to put a good run together again in 2004," Francis confirms. "Nearly our entire team is underage again, so we'll be going all out for an Ulster title." Monaghan have consistently produced decent underage teams in the past couple of years - a sign that's decidedly encouraging for the Oriel County's future: "Things are starting to look up. We've been in a minor and an U21 final in the past three years and should have a strong U21 team again next year. The 2001 minor final was our first in 16 years and it's been a while since Monaghan came through at any level really, so our confidence is growing." When all these players come through at senior level and reach their peak in terms of maturity, Monaghan could be a true force to reckon with. Francis Markey says he was thrilled to be included in the county senior squad in 2003 and overjoyed at being handed his championship debut. "There's a wonderful team spirit in the camp and it's great to be involved in something so exciting. I was honoured to be called up by Declan [Brennan], Noel [Marron] and Colm [Coyle] and the county set-up is second to none. It's as close to professional as you're going to get and I'm sure Monaghan football will reap the rewards of that. It's a different level of training altogether and being involved in something like that is only going to make you a better footballer." Unfortunately things weren't quite as productive on the club front in '03, with Donaghmoyne following up their fine run in the previous season's Division One league by surprisingly biting the dreaded relegation bullet. The end result was as disconcerting as it was unexpected: "We were very disappointed after getting to the 2002 league final. We thought we could build on that so to be relegated was a big blow. We won our first game against Truagh and then drew with Sean McDermotts and Ballybay, but we went on a disastrous run after that, losing eleven games in a row, and couldn't get back out of the relegation zone. "Once we went on that losing streak we just couldn't arrest the situation. We never lost any of our last five games but it was too late at that stage and we finished the year four points from safety. It was very disappointing. There are no easy games at senior level, but we still expected to do much better." The senior championship was equally uneventful for Gerry Smith's team. Donaghmoyne lost to would-be finalists Latton by a point in the first round and were subsequently hammered by Carrickmacross whilst trying to re-enter the SFC party via in the back door. Playing most of the year without Rory Woods (who lined out for Chicago Wolfe Tones during the summer) didn't help the Fontenoys' cause and, in the end, even Rory's return to the team couldn't save their bacon. How will they fare in the intermediate grade in 2004? "We have a very young team and are hoping to come straight back up by winning either the league or the championship. We know we're still good enough to play senior football and, if we have all our players available, there's no reason in the world why we can't get out of intermediate. "That's definitely going to be our aim and we'll be deeply disappointed if we don't win some silverware next year. We feel that Donaghmoyne's rightful place is senior football, so we're determined to set the record straight. We'll be trying our best and I'll think we'll be back." As for Monaghan, they've been drawn against the Orchard County in the Ulster SFC for the second successive year. Once again, pundits are dismissing the Oriel County's chances, but this doesn't bother the players in the slightest, as Francis relates: "We're totally focussed on that game at the moment and we're looking to beat them again. We're going out to prove that last year's win was no fluke and that we're able to beat them on the day. We proved last year that we can put it up to Armagh in every sector of the pitch and that's what we're intending to do again." And there you have it! With a great deal to look forward to at both club and county level in 2004, the Dundalk IT student is chomping at the bit: "We're working hard on our fitness at the moment and I just can't wait to get out playing some football when the spring time comes round again." Tweet

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