With as many as ten of the players who helped the club record a magnificent victory in the minor championship in 2000 available to them this year Clontibret were always going to be rated among the favourites for the title again. But they found that putting minor titles back to back is far from a foregone conclusion, writes John Graham. Despite the fact that it was a reduced competition this year they almost came a cropper in the semi-final having top go to a replay before getting through to the big event on county final day. The club had never put minor titles back to back before so the prospect of doing that was certainly an incentive as team mentors Damien Mone, manager Ciaran Leonard, Shane Magennis and Mark Winters set about laying plans for the year 2001. The Corey Brothers Vincent and Martin along with Conor Evans, Brendan Og Magennis and Dessie Mone were all on the team that edged out Carrickmacross last year in Clones and with Paul McElroy, Darren Rooney, Daithi McKeown and Paul McGuigan who were substitutes on the team in 2000 coming into the reckoning this year it was felt that there was a good well balanced panel. It was disappointing however that there was such a delay in deciding on minor competitions because of problems with one particular application for an amalgamated team but the upshot of it was that there were only six teams in the hat when the draw was made for this year's championship. That was a pity because the profile of minor football in the county was at a very high level with the county minors reaching the Ulster minor final for the first time in eighteen years and of course the success of the County Vocational Schools team had also helped. "Clontibret were drawn in the preliminary round against Magheracloone who were also highly rated and it produced a great, exciting high scoring game and we were delighted to get through with three points separating us at the finish on 2-14 to 2-11 scoreline. That result put them into a semi final meeting the Scotstown who themselves had been impressive in defeating Inniskeen and they justified their rating as on the day as they finished level, 1-9 each, in a game that could have gone either way. In the replay however Clontibret improved sufficiently particularly in defence to win by three points, 1-8 to 1-5 and it was their defence that was to prove the foundation for further advancement. That victory put them into the final against Carrickmacross which was a rerun off the 2001 final and of course immediately there was alot of talk about these teams producing another high scoring thriller like last year, that game produced 12 goals in all, six each, but it was Clontibret's ability to take points that saw them through. County final day is as much about spectacle as it is about anything else as it is the showpiece occasion for the GAA in any county and the traditional blend on the big day is to have the minor and senior finals complementing each other, something that their players were looking forward to. They had been hoping that it might have been a double but the Clontibret seniors were beaten by C'Blayney so the minors carried the flag. The Final itself was a very close game with chances at a premium and Carrickmacross of course determined to get one back after the defeat last year and they made life quite difficult at times but thankfully at the other end the Clontibret defence was up to the task and give them very few scoring opportunities On the day there was to be no repeat of last years heroics with the game turning out to be a very closely contested encounter and while there were mistakes and missed chances on both sides the result was in the balance right to the final whistle. Vincent Corey was the star man for in Scotstown in the county final and it was his ability to hold things together in midfield and engineer openings with his strong surging runs into the heart of the Carrickmacross defence that was one of the highlights of the game. He hit the opening point in the fifth minute and was central to a purple patch between the 15th and 27th minutes when Clontibret hit 1-2 without replay, Daithi McKeown providing the finish for the goal but again it was Vincent Corey who set up the score as he tore through the middle before giving a perfectly timed pass. They did have to soak up alot of Carrickmacross pressure in the closing minutes and in injury time as they shaved four points off the five points lead to leave just one point between the sides at half time, 1-3 to 0-5. Vincent (Corey) was on target a minute into the second half from a free and things were looking good again but Clontibret conceded a goal after about ten minutes although Paul McElroy had done well to block the initial effort from the penalty and the eventual winners found ourselves behind for the second time in the game. By the end of the third quarter the sides were still level and if one statistic underlines the close nature of this minor championship final it was the fact that neither team registered a score in the entire final quarter as defences dominated. Practically everyone in Scotstown had settled for a draw but Clontibret dug deep and struck for three late points that saw them snatch victory in injury time and the feat of putting minor championship titles back-to-back had been achieved. "The boys showed great character in that closing period, we never let the heads drop and when the chances presented themselves we took them well and it was fitting that Vincent Corey picked up the man of the match award as even though it was a team effort that saw us win he had a big influence on the match. That victory over Carrickmacross put us into the Ulster minor club tournament where we were down to meet the Fermanagh champions, Tempo Maguires and manager Damien Malone was again delighted at the performance but particularly the work rate of his defence which he said must "take alot of the credit for the victory for we had to work really hard over the our." Clontibret's experience in this tournament last year was one of disappointment when they came up against a very strong Armagh champions Pearse Og, but that experience really stood to them that this time around. Vincent Corey who scored such vital points in the Monaghan championship final again led by example in this game in The Shaw's Rd. ground in Belfast, hitting five points, scores that went a long way to securing victory, and he got great support from his brother Martin, Brendan Og Magennis and Dessie Mone who came on to scored a vital point in the last ten minutes. "Dessie was nursing a hip injury so we didn't risk him but he should be fit for the semi-final which would be a great a boost to us. It was a great result, not only because it put us into the semi-final but because the team showed such great spirit in a very difficult hard-hitting game. Some of these lads were involved with the under 16 team last year and all the experience that they gained there and in helping our reserve team to a county trophy this year helps to build team morale and develop the players and in that regard I am hoping for a good run in the Ulster minor club tournament." Experience is great but you can't beat winning as far as building team spirit and confidence is concerned and there are many in the club who believe that they haven't seen the best of this team yet and with quite a few of them still eligible for minor grade next year Clontibret will be looking for a three in a row. The semi final of the Ulster minor club tournament is fixed for December 26th in Belfast against either St. Galls (Antrim), Four Masters (Donegal or Crossmaglen Rangers (Armagh) but either way Clontibret will make the opposition wary after the manner in which they negotiated the last hurdle. CLONTIBRET TEAM AND SCORERS IN THE MONAGHAN MFC FINAL: Paul McElroy, Eoin Greenan, Jonathan McGuigan, Conor Evans, Darren. Murphy, Brendan Og Magennis, Pauric Duffy, Vincent Corey 0-5, Martin Corey 0-2, Shane Mulligan, Paul McGuigan 0-3, Marius McGarrell, Noel Morgan, Daithi McKeown 1-0, Dessie Mone. Subs: James Greenan for S. Mulligan, CLONTIBRET TEAM AND SCORERS V TEMPO MAGUIRES: Paul McElroy, Eoin Greenan, Jonathan McGuigan, Conor Evans, Marius McGarrell, Brendan Og Magennis 0-1, Pauric Duffy, Vincent Corey 0-5, Martin Corey 0-1, Shane Mulligan, Paul McGuigan, Darren Murphy, Noel Morgan, Daithi McKeown, Thomas Greenan. Subs used: Dessie Mone 0-1, Rodney Gorman. Clontibret land Brennan Cup A brilliant last-quarter display proved just enough for Clontibret's second string to secure the Brennan Cup at the expense of a determined Scotstown team in an entertaining final played at Gavan Duffy Park at the end of October. In truth, the O'Neills fairly needed to put together a purple patch in that final 15 minutes because against a gritty Blues, the destination of the spoils was finely balanced as both teams manfully strove to gain the upperhand. Clontibret were made to fight a rearguard action for some lengthy periods in the opening half but thanks to some sterling defensive work by the likes of Shane Magennis, Brian McArdle and Aidan Leonard in particular, Scotstown were frustrated in their efforts to steal a march on the would-be winners. That said, Clontibret were forced to concede a lot of possession to their opponents in the first half. Indeed, the opening 20 minutes saw the O'Neills come under consistent pressure with Scotstown laying siege on the Clontibret goal on more than one occasion. Scotstown went in front quite early on and they added another four points in quick succession to lead by five points to nil with some 25 minutes played in the match. Things looked pretty bleak at that juncture for Clontibret and it wasn't until some four minutes from the interval that the champions-elect managed to open their account when Gregory Leonard pointed. With the Clontibret midfielders and defenders beginning to get to grips with their direct opponents, the O'Neills came more into the match as time passed and thanks to a fine Ciaran Leonard in the 27th minute found themselves only 0-2 to 0-5 adrift at the interval. Clontibret were again slow off their blocks as the second half got underway and a further point from Scotstown left serious questions being asked of the O'Neills. The Blues weren't able to build on their good start though as the Clontibret defence buckled down to the task in hand and began to frustrate their opponents. Significantly, that early second half point by Scotstown was to be their one and only score of the second half. The O'Neills slowly but surely began to exert a much greater degree of influence in every sector of the field. The midfield area in particular saw a swing in the balance of power. Fine points by Gregory Leonard, Mick O'Dowd and Brian Mullen made sizeable inroads into Scotstown's lead as the half progressed. Clontibret continued to press forward in numbers and by the onset of the final quarter they successfully gained parity when exciting centre-back Aidan Leonard pointed - arguably the best score of the match - to leave the teams on level terms. Scotstown were on the back foot at this stage. The writing was on the wall and when Brendan Og Magennis popped over a point in the 52nd minute, Clontibret were already eyeing the winning post as they took the lead for the first time in the match. It was all Clontibret from there to the finish and with just minutes remaining, Gregory Leonard raced through in quick succession to fire over the winning points to leave his side, 0-9 to 0-6 winners. The Brennan Cup-winning Clontibret team and subs on duty at Gavan Duffy Park were as follows: Enda Brennan; Brian McArdle, Shane Magennis, Fergal McGuigan; Brian McSkane, Aidan Leonard, Kevin Gormley; Cathal Carragher, Barry Mullen; Ciaran Leonard, Vincent Corey, Brian Mullen; Mark Rooney, Michael O'Dowd, Gregory Leonard. Subs; Brendan Og Magennis, Martin Corey, Damian Mone. O'Neills come good in U.15 final In an otherwise frustrating year for the juvenile section of the club, Clontibret made good their under 15 league campaign with an emphatic 3-10 to 0-7 win over Inniskeen in an exciting Lee Brothers Cup decider at Toome last May. In a game which proved to be an excellent advertisement for the coaching policies at underage level at both clubs, Clontibret's ability to up the tempo in the second half was decisive as Inniskeen fell under the weight of a crucial brace of goals from the would-be champions. Ironically, it was the Grattans who enjoyed the better of the exchanges in the opening half and as Clontibret struggled somewhat to find their rhytmn, the south Monaghan side raced into a four point lead midway through the half. Like true champions though, Clontibret refused to panic, showing the maturity and composure of a much more experienced team to ease their way back into the game. Helped in no small measure by a goal by Noel Morgan, the O'Neills came storming back to lead at the interval by 1-4 to 0-4. It was a much better showing by Clontibret on the resumption. Right from the whistle, the O'Neills careered forward and within seconds of the start of play they increased their lead via a great point by Shane McMahon. Inniskeen came back with a point of their own moments later but then up popped Clontibret's Rodney Gorman to maintain the status quo. Inniskeen began to win an increased percentage of possession and the next score was always going to be of crucial importance. Thankfully for the Clontibret contingent, it was notched by the champions-elect. In what was the move of the game, Eoin Greenan broke up an Inniskeen attack before promptly delivering the ball to Daithi McKeown. Daithi's long pass from midfield was collected subsequently by Rodney Gorman who in turn fed Conor McManus. With no fuss whatsoever, young McManus fairly rifled the ball to the roof of the Inniskeen goal for a score that put the Grattans under serious pressure for the first time in the match. Predictably, Clontibret visibly grew in confidence from the goal and when substitute Colm Greenan netted a third goal soon afterwards for the O'Neills, the game was all but over as a contest. Just for good measure, Noel Morgan, Rodney Gorman and team-captain Daithi McKeown tacked on some neat points to emphasise Clontibret's superiority. A handsome win then for Clontibret, belated too but yet fully deserved and all the sweeter for the waiting. The all-conquering O'Neills lined up against Inniskeen as follows: Martin Finnegan, Niall Fanning, Eoin Greenan, Adrian Mulligan, Francis McNally, Niall McSkeane, Darrach Mooney, Daithi McKeown, Rory McCooey, Daryl McMenamin, Rodney Gorman, Conor McManus, Christopher Fanning, Noel Morgan, Shane McMahon. Subs; Philip Rooney, Colm Greenan, Brendan Greenan, Ronan McAdam, Lauren McMahon, Enda McArdle. Tweet

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