Having made the transition from Division 2 to Cavan's top flight of Division 1, Lavey proved many pundits wrong when they produced some great battling displays, aligned with no shortage of good football, a combination which saw them finish their league campaign in the top half of the table. Lavey showed throughout their league campaign that they were a match for many of the seasoned clubs in Division 1 and based on their league results look set to carve out their own niche in the top flight of Cavan league football in the coming seasons. To get a better understanding of what Lavey is all about as a football club, you have to look no further than its present secretary, Owen McConnell. Owen, who is a professional sports journalist, displays an ability to be impartial and thought evoking in his analysis of sporting events, but despite his professional training the pride and impartiality towards his own club can be detected in his conversation about his beloved Lavey. According to Owen, he is only one of many at the club who have this abiding love for Lavey as a football club, a club that in his opinion provides a fabric to the society of the area second to none. "I have been associated with Lave all my life. I was encouraged greatly by my late father Paddy who was caretaker of the grounds up until his death in 2002. It was through his love for the club that I was infused with this 'Lavey loyalty'. I was also fortunate enough to have been a playing member of Lavey and won a minor championship medal in 1974 with Lavey/Laragh together with junior championship and league medals in 1975. I can recall many great years even the ones without success but the one constant factor throughout my lifetime at Lavey Gaelic football club was the quiet pride borne by all associated with the club. Presently, I am acting as secretary to a very much changed Lavey set-up from my childhood memories," stated Owen. Over the past decade, Lavey have worked tirelessly with their underage structure which is now beginning to bear fruit with a team that has youth and potential on its side. Owen feels that it is the work put in by numerous people over many years that has now produced the present healthy state the club now find themselves in. When you consider that Lavey had to blend into the shadows of the success of their neighbours Laragh, who ruled Cavan senior, the cause of Lavey as football club was never diminished in the minds of its officials and supporters, who always felt that better days were just ahead. According to the club secretary: "Lavey is an extremely impressive club. In Lavey we place major emphasis is placed on underage structures. Work at underage level is a work in progress which many people over the years have entrusted much of their personal time and dedication. Their work was not in vain as the fruits of their labour can be seen in real terms with a number of impressive underage victories and the jewel in the crown with the senior team gaining promotion from Division 2 to the topflight of Cavan senior football in 2008. Their ability to compete with the more seasoned senior teams was heartening as Lavey produced some great performances to finish in the top half of the league. This in itself was no mean feat as newly promoted sides often find it quite difficult to make the transformation from Division 2 to Division 1. We also had some success at Division 5 level as the junior team won the division 5-league title with a deserved victory over Knockbride". Championship Disappointment Lavey who had gained promotion into the senior ranks were now facing the scenario of playing senior league football while having to take their place in the Intermediate championship. When the pundits sit down to assess the likely winners of the IFC, the name of Lavey is always one of the top contenders and this year was to be no different. "Playing our football at a higher level was indeed going to be a distinct advantage but like all championship campaigns, it is the little things that can define winners from losers. With success there is the counter-balance of disappointment and not achieving intermediate championship glory in 2008 is one such issue that hopefully maybe finally addressed in 2009. Over the past two years, we were tantalising close but failed to land the major prize. Losing to Ballinagh in the final in 2007 was not a nice experience. Despite a great comeback the team fell short in the end by a single point. 2008 was no better losing out to Ballyhaise at the semi-final stage. The biggest disappointment in that game was, the team, as a unit did not perform well. Even as we under-performed, I felt that we could have shaded the outcome if we had even the smallest piece of luck. As a team we will just have to look at our championship loses over the past few years, and learn from them. We certainly have the players now, a better balanced unit and some very good scoring forwards, which had been lacking over the years. Our scoring rate for 2008 was significantly higher than in previous seasons". Underage success "While I have already mentioned the great work being done at underage level the fruits of that dedicated input has shown great reward both at U21 and minor and U16 levels. While the U16s lost out to a very strong amalgamated side of Butlersbridge - Redhills (Redbridge), the minors and U21 made up for their disappointment with great success. While many feel the under-21 competitions should be scraped it has been very good to Lavey. Three titles in seven years convey its own story." Winning back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008 has brought immense joy to the club. A smash and grab victory over Ballinagh in 2007 was followed by a comprehensive six points win over Ballyhaise in 2008. The victory over Ballyhaise was particularly heartening as Lavey who had exited from the championship at the hands of Ballyhaise showed great flair and determination in a spirited display that left no-one in any doubt as to the final outcome of this decider. These victories should instil a belief and self confidence into these young Lavey players and help spur them onto to greater things on the senior playing fields of Cavan football. Minor thriller The club secretary could not disguise his joy at the minors' victory. Playing favourites and local neighbours Laragh United this was a game that was always going to be keenly contested. The game produced a breath-taking heart stopping game with both sets of supporters on a knife edge up to the final whistle. The final scoreline of 1-14 to 1-12 fails to tell the dramatic story of this epic thriller in which both teams played some excellent football. As a contest, both teams were evenly matched but it was Laragh who just had the edge the game by a single point as play ran into injury. Laragh looked to be home and dry as the clocked registered 62 minutes but a late flourish by a spirited Lavey side saw, wing-forward Paul Crowe on hand to slot a rebound from Laragh keeper, to the back of the net and a dramatic victory for his side. The Lavey side which took minor honours was: Conor Martin, Darren Monahan, Fergal Smith, Aaron Smith, Shane Conaty, Gavin Lynch, Enda Brady, Karl Duke, Oliver Smith, Paul Crowe, Chris Conroy, Ronan Smith, Gabriel Sheridan, Shane Tierney, Shane McGonigle. Sub. Stephen Smith. U21s power packed start seals victory In the Cavan U21 Division 2 championship final, a power packed display of clinical dominance, saw Lavey fire eight unanswered points against a hapless Ballyhaise, in the opening twenty minutes, to set the path to victory. The final score of 0-12 to 0-6 did not flattery Lavey as they held the upper-hand from the outset to the final whistle. Shane Tierney had Lavey in front just after a three minutes and while Ballyhaise did have a number of chances over the following seven minutes, a tough, hard tackling Lavey defence held the upper-hand. Paul Tierney doubled his side's tally in the twelfth minute. Further points from Shane Tierney, Oliver Smith and Mark Brady saw Lavey hold a 0-5 to 0-0 by the fifteenth minute. Ballyhaise could not get a grip on proceedings and by the twenty-first minute, they were trailing by seven points. Try as they did, Ballyhaise could not come to terms with the forceful display by the Lavey men and found themselves down by six points 0-9 to 0-6 at half-time. As the second worn, Lavey began to exert greater control on play and were deserving of their six point winning margin. The winning U21 Lavey side was: Conor Martin, Patrick Monaghan, Fergal Smith, Barry Tierney, Declan Conroy, Enda Brady, Finbar Jordan, Damien Smith, Mark Brady (0-1), Oliver Smith (0-4), Darren Jordan, James Tierney, Paul Tierney (0-4), Gavin Walsh, Shane Tierney (0-3). Success for ladies Not to be outdone by their male counter-parts, Lavey ladies grabbed their own piece of glory with a deserved victory over Inny Gaels in County Shield final. Lavey's greater scoring power was to prove to be difference between these two sides who had already met in the 2007 final. The final scoreline of Lavey 0-14 Inny Gaels 2-3 gave the Lavey girls a deserved five point winning margin. Both teams served up some excellent football in inclement weather but a star-studded display by Renee Murphy who amassed a final tally of 0-9 proved to be a real match winner. Lavey 's successful ladies side was: Jennifer Kane, Celina Smith, Ann Marie Jordan, Lisa Tierney, Niamh Roe, Laura Walsh, Rachel Jordan, Siobhan Jordan, Renee Murphy (0-9), Louise Maguire, Helen Jordan (0-1), Sharon Monaghan, Laurna Reilly (0-1), Sinead Cusack, Louise Lynch. Subs: Catriona Smith (0-3), Emma Smith. Dedicated committees Owen admits that every club in the country work hard with their structures but feels that in Lavey they have the calibre of people who are dedicated to cause regardless of results. "There are very hard working committees at juvenile and adult level and also in ladies football. One of the big highlights for the club in 2008 was the hosting of New York boys and St Mary's girls from Sligo during Feilé. This coincided with the clubs first private members draw that took place on 4th July. Special guests were GAA President Nicky Brennan and Ladies President Geraldine Giles. It was an historical occasion for Lavey and one I feel will live long in the annals of the club's history." stated a proud Lavey secretary. Infrastructure Lavey have made huge strides with their infrastructure. The recent completion of an artificial playing area, which is booked out on a regular basis, and the new training pitch have created a state of the art facility on the Dublin Road at Lavey. The new playing area was completed in 2007 by the famous Joe Pat Prunty, ensuring that the quality of the finished product will be of the highest standard. This was a badly needed asset as the overuse of the main playing area was creating problems for the playing surface of the main field. No doubt the quality of the Prunty pitch will be severely tested as the large training schedule from seniors, juveniles and ladies will be using it on a regular basis. Lavey have always worked hard on their fund-raising and with a successful weekly bingo session held in the Lavey Inn are always open to new ways of increasing their cash flow. For a club with humble beginnings, Lavey as a club has indeed come a long way. Positive Outlook Owen is emphatic when talking about the future of the club. "The future looks very bright for the club. We have excellent coaching and administration structures in place. The abundance of young talent now coming on stream at the club is something that we feel we are very fortunate with. We have some excellent players now progressing through the U16 and minor ranks along with the talented U21 side all bodes well for the future of Lavey GFC. With a hard work and a bit of luck we can create a new era for Lavey in the years to come," said Owen. Tweet

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