Drumhowan proved themselves to be one of the most consistent teams in the county intermediate ranks during 2001, yet the glittering prizes still eluded them. Seasoned campaigner Stephen Brennan reflects on what might have been. If consistency is one of the hallmarks of a quality football team then Drumhowan really ought not to have bid adieu to 2001 empty-handed. So consistent were the Geraldines during the past year in fact that no one in their right mind could have seriously written them off with regard to their league and championship prospects. Even before the 2001 season actually kicked into gear, the dogs in the street were barking out Drumhowan's name in terms of being possible intermediate kingpins. But as long-serving player Stephen Brennan reminds us, it was, ironically, the team's inconsistency over the hour which was to prove the undoing of Drumhowan: "We won a lot of games in the league and did well in the championship even though too often we faded in the second half of our games. "We nearly always played much better in the first half but faded a bit in the second half. It had nothing to do with fitness. We were as fit as any of the teams. "For the last couple of months of the year, Kevin Carragher and Stephen McGinnity had put us through a lot of stamina work and the commitment from all the lads to training was very good." A bit of self-belief missing perhaps? "Possibly, or maybe we just hadn't the killer instinct that would have stood to us once we found ourselves in front. We just couldn't put teams away at different times during the year and that's more or less what happened in the Hackett Cup final as well." Certainly those au fait with Drumhowan's modus operandi in 2001 will recognise the core of Stephen's analysis. After the Geraldines' supporters saw their favourites fade badly in their initial championship meeting with Tyholland after seemingly careering out of sight with some tremendous football in the first half. And again it was a similar story later on in the year in the team's league semi-final win over Aghabog when, having been nine points ahead at the interval, they had to fight tooth and nail in injury time to hold out for a single point victory. Indeed, one senses the taste of that county final defeat to Tyholland is still in Stephen's mouth. That said, he hasn't a begrudging bone in his body as he disects the reasons why Tyholland triumphed in early November at Gavan Duffy Park. "I'd have to say that they were just the better team on the day, simple as that. They had beaten us a few times before in the year and they were good enough again in the final. "I thought their half-backs were good at moving forward with the ball. And fellas like Cyril Ronaghan and Gary McQuaid were very influential in carrying the game to us in the second half. They built up a bit of a momentum as the second half progressed, the crowd got behind them and we just couldn't get back into the game enough." Stephen acknowledges that for the major part of the exchanges he thought Drumhowan were going to triumph. And no wonder. Ahead by two points at half-time, then ploughing into a four point lead, Drumhowan seemed to be in pole position as the second half progressed. And then that all too familiar fade-out as the winning post came into focus. Ironically, Tyholland really only like winners-elect when they notched their final point. Thus, thirteen years after first emerging onto Drumhowan's premier football team, Stephen Brennan is still without a league medal to his name. Not that winning is everything to the popular farmer, it's just that winning does help make it easier to face the grind of work the following Monday and for the rest of the week. "Giving the sort of commitment that's required now is not getting any easier. It's not so much the training because I can get myself fit reasonably quickly and hold my fitness level without that much effort, it's the demand that football makes on your time that's the big challenge every year," Stephen explains. Drumhowan can ill afford to see their stalwart defender head out to pasture though. In the past year the team had to make do without the services of almost a third of their first choice players, a Drumhowan team in 2002 without one of their longest-serving players would be unfortunate to say the least. Drumhowan badly missed their injured first-teamers in 2001. Collarbone victim Martin McElearney was unavailable for most of the year as was corner back Gavin Sheridan who suffered knee problems as did central attacker Anthony Brennan. Like most clubs of its size, Drumhowan hasn't an infinite number of quality footballers to step into the breach when injuries wreak havoc on the best laid pre-season plans. Drumhowan's disappointing end to the year was all the more agonising as the team had rebounded superbly after losing out to Tyholland in the semi-final of the intermediate championship. "It was a big blow to everyone at the club when we got knocked out of the championship but we got together and agreed to knuckle down and go for the league. "We picked ourselves up fairly quickly after the championship defeat and decided that it would be good to go on and get revenge on Tyholland down the line." In hindsight though, Stephen recognises that perhaps the writing was on the wall for the Geraldines at that juncture: "They deservedly beat us in the first round of the championship but we really should have beaten them in the semi-final. Again we played some great stuff in the first half of the semi-final but we ultimately missed the boat by allowing them to come back and snatch a draw. "It was a similar story in the replay. We had a great first half but then lost our way to let them back into the match and eventually win it." One of a number of players (Martin McElearney, Stephen McGinnity, Anthony Brennan, to name but a few) who featured on the Drumhowan/Ballybay championship-winning minor team of yesteryear, Stephen is philosophical in his approach to coming to terms with the disappointment which 2001 delivered to the gaels of Drumhowan in the past year. After all, he has got a junior championship medal and two intermediate championship medals already safely tucked away on the sideboard at home. The feeling that the team underachieved over the last few months is still something which annoys him though. One wonders can the same squad of players come back in 2002 and turn things round. "I don't see why not. We''ll definitely be there or thereabouts. There will be no teams in the intermediate ranks that we'll be afraid of although it's very hard to get out of intermediate and into senior." The suspicion lurks within some departments at Drumhowan and further afield that the Geraldines need an infusion of some new, young blood into the intermediate team for the silverware to be hauled in. At 31 Stephen is one of a number of players who have accumulated a lot of wear and tear and have clocked up a lot of mileage on their travels over the years. In simple terms, the current Drumhowan team is thought to be a wee bit top heavy on the experience side of things. Some fresh talent would help, observers comment. In addition, the unfortunate injuries alluded to earlier showed up the lack of strength in depth at Drumhowan. If a couple of the current first-teamers decide to call time on their playing careers next February - or more like Damien Woods head abroad - the club's resources could be stretched even further. Still, it's interesting to note that Stephen rates the outgoing Drumhowan intermediate panel as probably the best Drumhowan crew he has played with to date. And he feels that those eyeing the 2002 Intermediate Championship crown will have to be mindful of the potential inherent in the current Drumhowan squad: "I think the other teams in the running will have to be watching out for us as much as we'll have to watch out for them. I still think we'll be one of the teams to beat next year." Roll on the summer of 2002! Tweet

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