After an historic Ulster IFC club triumph, the Threemilehouse contingent are looking towards senior county honours in the not so distant future says outgoing club chairman Benny Kieran. Our priority at the start of 2003 was to keep our place at senior level and gain experience of playing at the highest level of football in Monaghan. "So our Ulster club success was a great bonus, a great morale-booster. "Hopefully the lads can benefit from the experience gained from proving themselves the best in the province to do something similar at senior level in Monaghan over the next couple of years." In reflecting on Sean McDermott's success earlier this year in the Ulster Intermediate Club Championship, club chairman Benny Kieran doesn't begin to try and mask the sense of pride and ambition which currently courses through the Threemilehouse-based outfit. And given the polished performances that the Saffrons produced in winning the Packie McCully Cup, one understands just why all and sundry at the mid-Monaghan club are optimistically looking towards even richer pastures ahead. Fulsome in his praise for the groundwork laid by former team-mentor Danny Clerkin and all the workers in the club under the stewardship of 2002 club chairman Gerry Lynch, the outgoing chairman says that the triumph in Clontibret served to fully complement the club's historic and unpredented county intermediate success in October 2002. "You'd have to look back at our county success in tracing our Ulster title win. "Because of their run to the county final, the lads had a long season and so by the time the Ulster club came along, the players had lost very little of their sharpness and were still fairly fit. "Danny (Clerkin) had done a lot of good work with the panel and then when Nudie Hughes came in and added to that work, everything fell into place. "The team had been knocking on the door for a few years before the county final win in 2002 so we knew there was enough quality in the panel and we were quietly confident that they'd acquit themselves well when it came to taking on the champions of the other counties in the Ulster club competition," Benny opines. And so it proved. The best of the rest of their challengers were dispensed with and by the time the Monaghan ambassadors came up against Tyrone kingpins Aghaloo in the semi-final, Nudie's charges looked destined to go the distance. Indeed title favourites Drumgoon (Cavan) must have been taken aback by the ease with which Seans brushed aside the O'Neill County men en route to the decider. For once the 1-13 to 1-6 scoreline fairly reflected the difference in class between the sides when they met on St. Patrick's Day last. Simply said the Tyrone Intermediate champions were left stunned as Seans produced a storming display to make the decider. Sean McDermott's laboured somewhat before deservedly edging ahead at half-time by 1-4 to 0-3, Gary Larkin getting the all important goal in the eighth minute to give his side an important cushioned advantage. Aghaloo proved worthy semi-finalists and worked hard to put Seans under pressure right to the wire. The second half was a real sea saw affair with the sides exchanging points regularly and when the Tyrone champions struck for a goal and a point inside two minutes to reduce the deficit to two points it was anybody's game entering the final ten minutes. Seans held firm though and showed their resilience and their superior class to make the winners' enclosure with Derek Mc Mahon's magnificent long-range free from 60 yards helping to kill off any sign of an Aghaloo comeback. The Monaghan champs did most of their best work in the last ten minutes in fact when they managed to hit five points without reply with two by man of the match Damian Larkin and one each by Derek McMahon, Gary Larkin and Paddy Kieran helping the Threemilehouse contingent to pull away from their opponents and set up an intriguing final with cock-a-hoop Drumgoon on Easter Monday. For the record the following is the Sean Mc Dermott's lads who propelled their club into the provincial decider: Eddie Masterson; Emmet McElvaney, James Coyle, Paul Acheson; Stephen Coyle, Eamonn Coyle, Michael McGuinness; Gary McEntee, Niall McGuirk 0-1; Derek McMahon (0-3), Conor McElvaney, Adrian Larkin; Damien Larkin (0-6), Gary Larkin (1-2), Paddy Kieran (0-1). Subs: Barry McGuinness for G McEntee, Nigel Lynch for A Larkin. And so to the final with the vaunted Cavan champions Drumgoon there in-waiting. "Everyone at the club wanted to meet Drumgoon in the final. "We knew how well they had done in winning back-to-back junior and intermediate county titles and then going on to win the All-Ireland Junior title. "So their reputation was fairly well-known but once we were in the final, confidence was pretty high and there's no way the lads were afraid of them. "Our backs were solid, we had good ball-winners in midfield and good finishers up front. "We felt that Drumgoon would have to play some very good stuff to beat us. The lads enjoyed the Ulster club championship. "It was a novelty for them; they seemed to be more relaxed playing against opposition from the rest of Ulster than teams from Monaghan and when they got their teeth into the competition, they just got better and better," Benny remarks. In the event, Monaghan's best overcame Cavan's finest on foot of a 0-14 to 0-7 scoreline in what was a cracking Bank of Ireland provincial intermediate club decider at Clontibret. In truth, from the very early stages of the final, it was fairly obvious that Sean's were hell-bent on becoming the first Monaghan team to go all the way in the competition. The would-be champions outplayed a Drumgoon side - who went into the final with a 20 match unbeaten run - in every sector of the pitch. A point in the very first minute by man of the match Conor Mc Elvaney duly set the tone of the match. Drumgoon played their best football in the opening quarter and actually took the lead briefly (0-3 to 0-2) in the 11th minute with a point from Adrian Crossan but from there on it became increasingly obvious there was only going to be one winner. Derek McMahon then swung over one of a really classy brace of points before Drumgoon 'keeper John Reilly denied Conor McElvaney a goal with a super save. Fine points thereafter though by Gary Larkin, Niall McGuirk and Damien Larkin proceeded to ease the champions-elect into a 0-8 to 0-4 interval lead. The Saffrons upped the ante within seconds of the restart by increasing their lead to six points, with Paddy Kierans scoring a fine point and Damien Larkin following this up with a free. Drumgoon pushed for a much needed goal but a Phillip Mc Dermott effort came crashing of the crossbar. Even though Damien Larkin was off target with a penalty after he himself had been fouled by Cavan countyman Edward Jackson, Seans never let their heads go down. Instead the Monaghan champions made up for this with scores from Derek Mc Mahon and Gary Larkin to put them eight points in front. Drumgoon launched a series of counter attacks up to the final whistle but the Seans' defence, brillantly marshalled by county man James Coyle, held firm to make history in emphatic style. Sean Mac Diarmada CLG - Monaghan Intermediate Champions 2002; Ulster Intermediate Champions 2003; __________2004?. Hats off then to the following players who did the business against Drumgoon to add another brillant milestone in the proud history of the Saffrons; Eddie Masterson; Eamon Coyle, James Coyle, Stephen McElvaney; Stephen Coyle, Michael McGuinness, Paul Acheson (0-1); Niall McGuirk (0-1), Derek McMahon (0-3); Barry McGuinness, Conor McElvaney (0-1), Gary McEntee; Paddy Kieran (0-3) Gary Larkin (0-3), Damien Larkin (0-2). Tweet

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