According to Killinkere's Brian Clarke, 'as a season, 2008 was indeed one of those years that we never seem to get off the ground. We started brightly but a succession of indifferent displays, created a scenario whereby we were immersed in a relegation battle for survival in the senior ranks of Division 2. Our other big crisis of the 2008 season was our championship objection, which had the unfortunate basis of having to be brought to the Ulster Council after Cavan County Board, GAA ruled us out of order.' Brian who is a playing member of Killinkere's first team looks back on the year with a clear, unbiased and pragmatic view. He does so not looking to place blame or make excuses but rather with an educated outlook as to why clubs, because, make no mistake, each year clubs throughout the country, find themselves facing this same kind of dilemma. To understand and analyse this dip in form can only help promote a better understanding of the implications which can contribute to winning or ultimately losing. "It is difficult to pinpoint the reasons for our indifferent form but I suppose we showed that we as a club had enough resolve to survive and continue to play our football in Division 2. I feel that we would have been unfortunate to have been relegated as I think that as a club we would be too strong for junior football. If you take the case in point of Drung, they were much too strong a team to be playing in the junior championship. Our indifferent form is something we will have to look at and rectify for the coming season. It was not a case of blaming anyone, our management team of John Mulvany, Patrick McGovern and Nicholas Comey, was highly motivated and respected by all the players. This was evidenced by the large turnouts at training even when we were not registering positive results. The players too were committed and dedicated but that little something, maybe lady luck, was missing. When you consider that we lost five games by the narrowest of margins then that speaks for itself. Unfortunately, John Mulvany has indicated that he will be stepping down and will not be available for the 2009 season. John's contribution was Trojan and his dedication, knowledge and belief in the players was inspiring," stated Brian. "We played thirteen league games where we won four, drew one and lost the other seven. Our Division 2 status came down to the last game of the year and while we lost to Ramor United who had gained promotion and went on to claim the Division 2 league crown, we could feel that this was a game we should have won. However, other results on the day proved to be kind to us so for once, you could say that lady luck smiled on us as we retained our senior status by a single point. When we look back over the league campaign we will see that when we needed to win most we had to face the might of Cavan Gaels. For many, the Gaels second team would sit comfortably in Division 1. This game for us was of championship proportions and one where all the pressure was on us as anything other than victory would ultimately condemn us to junior football for 2009. We had a two point victory margin over the Gaels 3-8 to 0-15. Our display on that day, when we were under pressure showed that we are capable of much better than what we had produced throughout our entire season. "Hopefully, results like the one against the Gaels will not only give the players confidence but also motivate them to take their game to another level and compete for honours next season. While the first team struggled throughout the season, our second team had a more consistent year finishing third in the league. The recent adoption by the County Board of only the top two teams making it into a straight final denied us a chance of competing in a play-off. If it had been the old system of the top four playing out for league honours it would have been of great benefit to us a club. We will however being looking forward to the new season with a new impetus and dedicated approach from both teams. I feel that as senior team we could be there or thereabouts as we have some very talented young players at our disposal. Both Paddy Smith and Damien Sexton two of the club's young players had a tremendous year in 2008 and with that kind of experience and confidence behind them we hope that they will be in a position to help lead the team in the coming year," stated Brian. "Our championship quest also fell short of what we had hoped but it was a more encouraging display of football in the cauldron of championship arena. Lavey were our opponents in the opening game of the championship. Lavey who were now playing their football in Division 1 of the Cavan senior league would indeed provide a stern test for any team. The game ended in a draw Killinkere 2-6 Lavey 0-12. We could deem ourselves unlucky not to have gone into the quarter finals at the first time of asking. The replay was equally tense and in a game which produced quality football we found ourselves edged out 2-11 to 0-13. We conceded two goals late in the game which was to prove to be our downfall. While we lost out after a replay the team produced some top class football in both games and showed that on our day we are match for most teams in Division 2. We went on to play Cootehill in Kingscourt in a relegation play-off but the old demons of the league re-appeared and we found ourselves capitulating in the second-half of this game. It was from this point on, after the defeat at the hands of Cootehill, that an anomaly occurred in the championship structure. We had gotten a bye into the second round of the losers' group in the intermediate championship. The structure of the championship dating back to 2007 saw a team in a similar position to ours being omitted from being involved in a relegation play-off. It was the intention of the Co. Board to amend this rule to include such a team in a relegation play-off. While we at Killinkere agree this is fair, they, the Co. Board failed to amend the bye-law at a county board meeting. The subsequent result was that they tried to place Killinkere in a play-off which the club objected to and brought their appeal to the Ulster Council. The magnificent work put in on this appeal by club secretary, Pat (PG) Clarke, was duly rewarded when the Ulster Council ruled in favour of our appeal," stated Brian. Underage At underage level the club failed to win any silverware, but nonetheless did manage to contest the semi-final stages of both the U-14 and minor championships. It is generally felt at the club that progress is being made in this area and it is hoped to launch a coaching initiative over the winter months. This project will be spearheaded by Martin McGovern and Patrick McGovern. Their ambitious programme hopes to see up to fifty people trained in the juvenile coaching. It is expected to draw from players, from senior down to minor, and also including parents. The content of the course will be structured for all coaches to be able to read of the same 'hymn book' and the club feel that this can only be a good thing. All facets of training will be taken into account and to-date the response to this project has indeed been heartening. This ambitious programme hopefully will provide a rich dividend in the coming years. The project will be run in co-ordination with Nicholas Walsh who should be attending some of the coaching sessions. Development "Killinkere has long been recognized as one of the most structurally advanced clubs in the Breffni County. Their ambitious projects have always been ahead of the pack and they have never allowed their achievements rest on their laurels. As a complex, it is a never ending labour of love and to-date they are embarking on a project for erecting a new dressing room complex. Planning permission has been lodged for this development, which when completed will see the erection of four new dressing rooms, and a physio room. It is envisaged that work should commence during the coming spring. Work on the redevelopment of the main pitch and stand is now completed and should be coming on stream soon. "This was a major undertaking and the project was carried out by Cavan contractor, Michael Hyland. Michael's work is well known and highly respected so the final result at Killinkere is a state of the art playing facility," stated Brian. Tweet

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