In a year when Tyrrellspass surprisingly struggled to retain their senior status, the club had the consolation of winning the senior 'B' championship and the AIB Club of the Year award. Long-serving goalkeeper John Hyland reflects on an eventful 12 months for the 'Tidy Town'. For a club that was considered to be among the leading contenders for Flanagan Cup honours last year, Tyrrellspass proved to be a major disappointment, only avoiding relegation by virtue of an albeit impressive play-off victory over neighbours St. Mary's, Rochfortbridge. How a team which contested three consecutive senior football championship finals in 1999, 2000 and 2001 could find the going so tough is a question that has played strongly on supporters' minds over the past number of months. While acknowledging that Tyrrellspass were below-par last season, long-serving goalkeeper John Hyland argues that luck wasn't on their side. "Our form last year was very disappointing, but I don't think we got the rub of the green either," he says. 'We didn't perform in our first match against Coralstown/Kinnegad and I suppose that set the tone for the year. When you get into the habit of losing, it can be very hard to snap out of it. "Even though we were almost relegated, I wouldn't be too disheartened because I don't for one minute believe that we have become a bad team overnight. We were only narrowly beaten in a couple of our games and had we got a few lucky breaks, we could have been looking at a place in the quarter-finals rather than a relegation play-off." While the 2003 senior championship won't hold fond memories for Tyrrellspass, the club could still take a lot of satisfaction from winning the senior 'B' championship as well as the AIB Club of the Year award. Tyrrellspass also contested the under 21 'B' final which they were unlucky to lose to Coralstown/Kinnegad after extra-time. "The senior championship apart, it was a good year for the club," notes Hyland, who at 41 is the elder statesman of the Tyrrellspass team. "The senior 'B' team was a mixture of young and old players and it was to nice to see those lads getting something out of the year. Our appearance in the under 21 final bodes well for the future while we were also delighted to be named as Westmeath's Club of the Year. "Our new clubhouse is one of the best around and we expect to have an official opening this year. There's talk about Westmeath playing some high-profile team before the start of the Leinster championship, but we'll just have to wait and see." Tyrrellspass' opponents in the senior 'B' final were reigning champions Garrycastle. Played in glorious August sunshine at Tang, the final was an entertaining spectacle which saw Tyrrellspass recovering from a sluggish start to run out winners on a 1-15 to 0-13 scoreline. Garrycastle opened brightly and led by 0-3 to 0-1 after six minutes. But Tyrrellspass gradually came to terms with the pace of the game and when Cathal Daly found the target in the 18th minute, they were back on level terms (0-5 each). After points from Donal Ryan and Rowan Mulvihill had pushed Garrycastle into a 0-7 to 0-5 lead, Tyrrellspass suddenly found their rhythm. Two points from veteran attacker John Corcoran restored parity before further efforts from 16-year-old David Glennon (two) and Corcoran left the 'Tidy Town' perched on a 0-10 to 0-7 lead at the interval. Following the resumption, Garrycastle reduced the deficit to the minimum, but Tyrrellspass were then given some much-needed breathing space when Corcoran scored a brilliant goal. This left Tyrrellspass four points clear and although Padraig Cosgrove frees twice brought Garrycastle within three points, the momentum was irretrievably with Frank Ryan's side who went on to record a comfortable win. With a number of the same players on board, Tyrrellspass also reached the under 21 (13-a-side) final in December. A physically stronger Coralstown/Kinnegad team dominated the first half, at the end of which they led by 0-7 to 0-2. But Tyrrellspass were a team transformed in the second half and with the Glennon brothers, David and Denis, in fine scoring form, they battled back to tie up the scoring at 0-9 each, forcing extra-time in the process. Only five points were registered in the additional 20 minutes, but crucially three of those went to Coralstown/Kinnegad who shaded the outcome on a 0-12 to 0-11 scoreline. Under the management of Frank Ryan and his co-selectors Eamonn Gallagher and Gerry O'Neill, Tyrrellspass failed to live up to expectations in the senior championship. They opened their campaign with a 1-3 to 0-14 defeat to Coralstown/Kinnegad. The Meath-border outfit led by 0-8 to 0-2 at the break and despite conceding a goal to Shane Arthur in the second half, were still six points in front at the finish. Tyrrellspass showed a big improvement in their second outing against Athlone, but were forced to give second best on a 1-10 to 0-14 scoreline. Another narrow defeat, 1-9 to 2-8, followed against Garrycastle. Most of the damage was inflicted in the first half from a Tyrrellspass point of view with Garrycastle 2-7 to 0-3 to the good at half-time. A Denis Glennon goal in the 45th minute brought the 'Tidy Town' back into contention, but their comeback just fell short. Tyrrellspass secured their only win of their group stages when they overcame Moate All-Whites by 1-13 to 1-6. The sky blues were always in control, never looking back after Ray Sheerin scored an early goal. A second half rally from Moate cut the gap to four points with five minutes remaining, but Tyrrellspass finished strongly with Corcoran and David Glennon firing over unanswered points. Despite their indifferent form, Frank Ryan's charges were fancied by many to beat St. Loman's in their final group game and thus, avoid the relegation play-off. But their season hit a new low as Loman's ran out facile winners by 1-10 to 0-6. Tyrrellspass trailed by five points at the break and never looked like making up the deficit in the second half. Given St. Mary's recent history of surviving relegation battles, Tyrrellspass could afford to take nothing for granted when they squared up to their neighbours at Cusack Park on September 21 in what was a curtain-raiser to the county final between The Downs and Athlone. But with Martin Flanagan back in their starting line-up after a long absence, they made light work of the St. Mary's challenge, cantering to a hugely impressive 1-16 to 1-5 victory. Tyrrellspass' superior quality was clear for all to see and the victory was achieved with such style and panache that they would not have looked out of place in the main event of the day. They dominated from the off and helped by a goal from John Corcoran, led by 1-10 to 1-1 at the break. It continued to be one-way traffic in the second half with further scores from Corcoran and the Glennon brothers leaving nobody in any doubt as to what grade Tyrrellspass belong in. "We prepared for the relegation play-off as if it was a county final," recalls Hyland. "I think we showed that day what we're really capable of. The fear of losing our senior status was a huge motivating factor and drove us on to giving our best performance of the season." Having underperformed for much of last year, Hyland is confident that Tyrrellspass will resume their position as one of the top teams in the county in the coming season. "We didn't play anywhere near what we're capable of last year and we'll certainly be hoping to show a big improvement in 2004. We have a nice blend of youth and experience in the side at the moment and with a bit of luck, we'll be in the shake-up for the senior championship," he concludes. The Tyrrellspass team which captured the senior 'B' championship was: Brendan Daly; Leonard Harte, Tom Wyer, Paul Henry; Declan Feery, Philip Sheridan, TJ Gonoud; Michael Carley, Peter Cunniffe; David Gavigan, Cathal Daly, Gavin Hoey; David Glennon, John Corcoran, Ray Sheerin. Sub used: Niall Seery. The under 21 team which contested the under 21 'B' final against Coralstown/Kinnegad was: Tommy Byrne; Alan Rigney, Paul Henry; Philip Sheridan, TJ Gonoud, Jonathan Sheridan; Dermot Bradley, James Carroll; Christopher Glennon, Gavin Hoey, James Troy; David Glennon, Denis Glennon. Subs used: Joe Henson and Stephen Cooney. Tweet

Most Read Stories