Since returning to the junior ranks in 2001, St Paul's have been one of the favourites for the championship on a yearly basis. However, in the past three campaigns it has been a case of what might have been for the Clonmellon-based club. Two semi final defeats have been followed by a loss in the 2004 decider, although it all looked so different as the game entered its final seven minutes. Leading by three points, St Paul's looked to have secured their third junior championship in their history but it was not to be as opponents St Joseph's put in an excellent effort to claim their first title at that level. It was heartbreak for St Paul's once again but one thing is for sure, this team is young enough to bounce back and once again take some silverware back to the parish. From underage level right up through the ranks, St Paul's are a club that are growing with the number of members increasing every year. The construction of dressingrooms at the playing field is a much-needed boost to the area and has been a long time coming. The closeness of the community was emphasised as everyone gave up their spare time to aid in the building. The underage structure is one to be envied throughout the county and has been for some time. It is a credit to the mentors of the club that over 80 youngsters between the ages of eight and 14 attend training every Saturday morning. For a small rural club these numbers are huge in terms of the population of the area. The club are represented in every grade at underage level in both mens and ladies football, with the latter making huge strides in a short number of years since their inauguration. Indeed numbers are such that at under 12 level that the club had two teams competing in the grade in 2004. Despite the number of teams participating for the club in the various championships, success eluded St Paul's in 2004 with the Under-10 boys team lifting the only piece of silverware when the won a four team tournament organised by Ballycomoyle and St Paul's. The win was made all the sweeter as neighbours and rivals Delvin were defeated in the final. In an entertaining contest, St Paul's just edged out their neighbours by two points and although every player played his part, exceptional performances from Keelan Dillon, John Ivory, Jack Clancy, Cormac Gilsenan, Conor Rice and Conor Shaw earned a merited win for the club. The players mentioned are just a few of the stars of the future that are currently coming through the ranks and it will be no surprise to the people of the community when some of these youngsters don the maroon and white jersey of Westmeath. Indeed the number of representatives from the club who have played for the county in recent years has grown considerably, despite north Westmeath not been handed the recognition they deserve. Three members of the current junior team represented the Lake County in 2004 as Graham Dillon was part of the side defeated in the Leinster Championship by eventual winners Kildare and he will be part of the same squad for this year. The biggest honour of the year went to Philip Gilsenan who became the first clubman to captain a Westmeath football team when doing so with the under-16 side that took part in the Leinster league. Philip is a rare talent who has a bright future ahead of him in both codes. The third member of the squad to represent the county was Richard Sheridan, who was part of the Under-15 development squad. It is a huge credit to men like Eugene Dolan and Eugene Sheridan that the club is producing players for the county and a true testament of the hard work that has been put into the club over the past five years. For 2005, the main aim at underage level will to be carry on the good work that has been done and maybe end the year with a trophy or two to show for the considerable efforts that have been made. At junior level it's a different story as anything but winning the championship will be seen as a failure for the fourth year in-a-row. Expectations in the club are high every year as the one and only aim is to get out of junior. 2004 was no different and everything seemed to be going to plan at the beginning. Training went very well and when the league began, St Paul's went on an unbeaten run of five matches. Old foes St Joseph's were first up in the championship and as usual a close contest was the outcome. The game was played on the June Bank Holiday Monday at a sun drenched Castletown-Geoghegan. Joseph's made the brighter start and deserved to be leading at half time. The second half saw the Clonmellon outfit up their performance and when Dara Brady scored a goal, it put them firmly in the driving seat. But Joseph's came back with a goal of their own and the match finished all square, 1-9 apiece. Many believed that the winners of the group would come from that match. St Paul's next opponents were St Fintain's Multyfarnham and the scoring power of their forwards were evident as the blues clocked up an impressive 5-20 over the hour. Ballycomoyle were next and another impressive win was collected, this time 4-16 was St Paul's return with Ballycomoyle only managing 1-2 for the hour. Neighbours Delvin were also easily accounted for before St Paul's met a stubborn Loughnavalley side with a place in the semi final at stake. Paul's entered the match as favourites but they did not have it all their own way and a Kenny Higgins goal midway though the first half eased some early nerves. Loughnavalley came back strong in the second half and aided by a strong breeze picked off some crucial scores but fortunately for St Paul's some wayward shooting by their opponents left them four points ahead at the final whistle. The semi final would see the Meath border club play a St Loman's side that had gone through the group stages unbeaten and looked very impressive throughout the campaign. The St Paul's management team made the decision to bring in experienced trainer Benny Reddy for the remainder of the year. Benny has a long successful association with the club but for a lot of the current squad, he was a bit of an unknown quantity, but they were soon to learn of his training methods much to their exhaustion. Within a matter of two weeks the fitness level of the team had considerably increased for the semi-final. A below par performance from St Paul's could have cost them dearly as a total of 16 wides in the first half alone was not the stuff of potential champions. A St Loman's own goal did help the Blues' cause and despite their miss firing in front of goals, they held a four-point lead at half time. Scores were at a minimum in the second half as both sides' defences held firm but it was Paul's who got the crucial scores to earn a place in the final on a scoreline of 1-7 to 0-6. And so on to the final where St Joseph's were the opponents. St Paul's made the better start as corner forward Johnny McGuinness began the game in typical fashion by firing over two points. Then a number of scoring chances went astray as the ball dropped short to the St Joe's goalkeeper when the white flag should have been raised. The Streamstown outfit picked off their scores and drew level as half time approached as both sides were relieved to go in at the interval 0-4 apiece. In the second half, it was St Paul's who once again started the brighter as Graham Dillon, Dara Brady and McGuinness found the range. With ten minutes remaining, the Clonmellon side lead by three points and were dominating every sector of the pitch. But, as has been their downfall in recent years, a lack of concentration and a slight bit of panic allowed Joseph's to claw their way back into the match and when they went two points clear with the game in injury time, the writing was on the wall for St Paul's. They did manage to narrow the gap to a solitary point but it was a case of too little too late and another title had been let slip through their grasp. The St Paul's team that contested the Junior final was: Alan Clancy, Gary Gilsenan, Ray Flynn, David Dolan, Jimmy McQuaid, Maurice Quinn, Graham Dillon, Paul Gilsenan, Philip Gilsenan, Dara Brady, James Henry, Darren Henry, Johnny McGuinness, Pat Clancy, Kenny Higgins. Subs used: Stephen Reilly for Darren Henry, Darren Henry for James Henry. Tweet

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