Crosserlough boast one of the best underage football pedigrees in the county. 2008 witnessed yet another brace of titles winging their way to wards Kilnaleck and its environs. In an otherwise barren year for Crosserlough, the success of the club's under fourteens in winning the county Roinn B League title stood out like a piece of coal on newly-fallen snow. Building towards a more rewarding future at adult level has been the way of things down Kilnaleck way for the guts of the last thirty odd years since the seniors were in their element. The halcyon days of the seven-in-a-row team back in the 'sixties/seventies have been filed away a long time ago and club stalwarts have been building towards a bright new future. In that regard, the work of Enda Reilly, Stephen Walsh and Noel Conaty at U14 level was duly rewarded in the past year when their charges romped to county title glory. Chairman of Crossserlough's juvenile committee PJ Galligan was suitably impressed by the latest piece of silverware to be garnered by the club's starlets: "It's all credit to the players and to the lads who coached them all year," PJ enthuses. "There was a lot of hard work put into the campaign and they got what they deserved in the end. "We're lucky that we've had good coaches and a good underage structure in Crosserlough for a long time now and there's not too many years where we don't pick up a cup or two. "The coaching being done in and out of school is paying dividends and hopefully in the years to come, a lot of the schoolchildren will go on and win honours at adult level." And the boost for the club from the Under 14 success in particular? "It was a great lift for everyone back in the summer. It was a nice surprise especially because a lot of people might have thought that Killeshandra would have won the double. "Our lads showed a lot of determination all year and trained hard. They were even training before the seniors at the start of the year - that's how keen they were to get into their stride. "The snow and rain and wind didn't bother them a bit and definitely their fitness and the bond they developed among them stood to them when the pressure was on in the games." The final of the U14 Roinn B League took place in late May at Kingspan/Breffni Park with opponents Killeshandra arguably going into the decider as slight favourites to come good. As things turned out though, Crosserlough edged home by 3-8 to 4-4 in a real thriller which had the good-sized, vocal attendance on the edge of their seats from pillar to post. Ultimately it was left to Crosserlough super-sub Adrian Smith to provide the match-winning score with his point in the dying seconds securing the glittering prize. Smith's cool, calm, collected effort with the second last kick of the ball ushered in an exciting and dramatic conclusion to what was a slow-to-the-boil game. The quality of the play and the excitement quotient produced by the combatants fairly exemplified the spirit and swings and roundabouts of underage football.. After six minutes of sparring with both defences being worked overtime, Killeshandra drew first blood when the ball flew in under the crossbar for a shock goal. But just two minutes later Crosserlough hit back with a similar score when Ryan O'Reilly's shot wasn't cleared and Christopher Tobin goaled from point-blank range in the follow-up. Crosserlough worked feverishly over the course of the next 13 minutes to embellish their opening major but for the most part Killeshandra's goal looked relatively secure. There was little separating the teams in terms of possession but the visibly bigger and stronger Crosserlough defenders were on top form, especially in the close quarter exchanges. At the other end of the field, the Leaguers' defensive mobility, especially on the turn, came in for some searching examination from eager-beaver Crosserlough forwards. However Crosserlough's attack had to be patient though in the opening 20 minutes and their tally of six wides in the opening quarter made for some frustration at that juncture. The midfield battle was pretty evenly contested throughout the first half with the see-saw nature of the play in the vital diamond area of the field being well reflected all around the pitch. Crosserlough were edging matters by 1-2 to 1-0 when they got a major filip thanks to a bad slip up in defence which was clinically punished by Shane Galligan's subsequent shot to the net with almost 22 minutes on the clock. Killeshandra rebounded from the catastrophe of the goal with gusto though and Crosserlough came under renewed pressure at the back over the course of the final ten minutes. Pointedly, nothing of a tanglible nature resulted from Killeshandra's honest endeavours and only a long, speculative punt forward - tidied up by the alert Ciaran Cooke - threatened to unhinge the 'lough's armour-plated defensive wall. At the other end of the field, Crosserlough enjoyed better luck before the break and its significance was certainly considerable. Ryan O'Reilly's lofted free off his trusty left foot from all of 40 metres on the half-hour saw the loitering Shane Galligan cleverly and skilfully flick the incoming ball over his head and into the Killeshandra net. Galligan's opportunist effort left Killeshandra facing into a 1-2 to 3-2 deficit at the start of the second half and it seemed just a matter of the black and ambers kicking on from there. However within three minutes of the throw-in, the Leaguers had banged in 1-1 and given Crosserlough a timely reminder of their responsibilities all around the pitch. Two minutes later Shane O'Reilly had to react sharpish to clear another Killeshandra howitzer as the breeze-backed Leaguers pushed forward time and time again with intent. However it was to be a further 20 minutes before Killeshandra added to their tally as Crosserlough circled the wagons to great effect. The third quarter was to resemble a game of ping-pong for the most part with the vast majority of the play being concentrated between the respective 21 metre lines. Only three scores were recorded altogether in the that period but as the legs tired, so too did the scoring chances multiply. In that regard, Crosserlough benefited most with the winners-elect crucially firing over four unanswered points between the 40th and 59th minutes with Christopher Tobin's effort arguably the pick of them. In the 48th minute, Crosserlough's Adrian Smith sped towards the Killeshandra square and a goal beckoned. However he was superbly dispossessed by a retreating Killeshandra defender at the expense of a '45. In the follow-up moments later saw Shane Galligan waste no time in engineering the time and space he needed to restore his side's 3-3 to 2-3 lead with 47 minutes on the clock. Killeshandra refused to give up the ghost and after another shot went all the way to the net in the 56th minute, just three points, 3-7 to 3-4, separated the sides. A grandstand finish beckoned and even the most partisan Crosserlough supporter could scarcely have predicted the eventual outcome. Indeed the Leaguers threw everything forward but excellent defensive work by Crosserlough saw another goal-bound shot deflected for a fruitless '45. Then with just one minute of ordinary time left to play, a Killeshandra player was downed in the square and after picking himself up he tied the scores with the resultant penalty kick. There was to be one more twist in the tail though as from the kick-out the ball was worked up the stand side where sub. Adrian Smith gained possession. The fresh-legged attacking ace made a B-line for the Killeshandra goal before skilfully curling the ball on the run over the bar for a dramatic winning point. Crosserlough (v Killeshandra) U14 Roinn B final;Ian Telford; Ciaran Cooke, Shane O'Reilly, Raymond Lynch; David Shalvey, Shane McManus, Andrew Galligan; Ryan O'Reilly, Padraig McManus; Cormac Galligan (0-1), Shane Galligan (2-2), Adrian Smith; Pierce Smith, John Gaffney (0-1), Christopher Tobin (1-2). Subs used; Adrian Smith (0-2). Reflecting on the club's sterling victory over the Leaguers, PJ says the team's physical presence and their foot skills went a long way towards giving them enough of an edge to win. "They were two very committed teams and for a long time it was obvious that the game was going to go down to the wire. "Fair play to the lads for going strong right to the end and getting the winning point when they did. There are a lot of good prospects on that team." And the overall outlook for the club's underage troupe? "We'd be hopeful that this year's under fourteens can go on now and make an impression at under sixteen level in 2009. And at the very least the under fourteens should hold their own next year. "The under 16s did very well as well and the minors - under Declan Gaffney - showed a lot of potential but were unlucky the way things worked out with the suspension. "There's a lot to build on because we would have expected a bit more too from the under 12s in 2008 but they'll come again. "It's great too that the under 10s won the county Community Games again. You can see the family names coming through in that panel. "They were well looked after by Philip Smith, Donal Smith, Noel Cooke and Padraig Lynch and with a bit of luck could have won the Ulster final. "So we're delighted with the way things went overall for the underage section of the club in 2008. Next year is a whole new ball game though." Words to the wise. Tweet

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