Winners back in 1997, Lacken's IFC title hopes for 2004 were dealt a sorry blow as morale at the club plummeted with the tragic death of Thomas Leddy. But the Celts slowly but surely regrouped as the Summer gathered pace, eventually honouring their former team-mate in the best possible manner. They say a good start is half the battle. However Lacken's false start to the 2004 IFC campaign, manifest in their 0-5 to 1-12 mauling in Cornafean by neighbours Ballinagh in the opening round appeared to suggest that Lacken hadn't a hope of winning the war never mind a single battle. The Celts failed miserably to put it up to the town team, despite playing with two-thirds of the game with an 'extra' man. The winners' enclosure, at that point, looked a hell of a long way off. In what was, predictably, a real dogged derby duel, referee Joe McQuillan dished out nine yellow cards and two reds with Lacken's Joe Crowe - one of his side's better performers on the day - receiving his second yellow card in the 60th minute. Lacken trailed Ballinagh by 0-3 to 1-6 at the interval and never quite managed to get out of the traps all day. One wonders what the bookies' odds were on Lacken landing the glittering prize at the final whistle! The Celts must have been really rocked by their damning defeat to Ballinagh for they were transformed team the next day out against Laragh United at Crosskeys at the beginning of May. In what was, otherwise, a rather tepid encounter, Lacken did all they had to do to come from behind before ultimately cruising past the finishing post, 0-14 to 0-9 to the good. Wind-assisted Laragh actually led by the odd point in five by the end of the first quarter. However from there on, Lacken were a class apart and actually held their opponents scoreless from the 10th minute of the first half until the 9th minute of the second half. After comfortably chiselling out a 0-7 to 0-3 interval lead, Lacken continued to hold a vice-like grip on the exchanges and Laragh's defence eventually cracked under increasingly potent forward movements by the Celts. A hat-trick of points by Finbar O'Reilly (one of eight, including four frees), Joe Shanaghy and the returned Eddie Sheridan between the 23rd and 28th minutes served to completely rule out any miraculous Laragh escape from their predicament. On August 1st, it was seen to be a case of one step forward and two back for the enigmatic Lacken men as they went down by 0-8 to 3-12 against Ballyhaise at Kingspan/Breffni Park. The first half proved Lacken's undoing as they went in to the dressing-rooms at the interval thirteen points adrift. The defeat thus left the team with an uphill battle to qualify for the knock-out stages. At that juncture, the Celts weren't fancied by too many pundits to stay in the competition never mind win the competition outright. But the would-be champions proceeded to rise to the challenge and at the end of August they recorded a morale-boosting 2-12 to 1-3 victory over Killinkere at rain-soaked Killygarry. In careering to their emphatic win, Lacken demonstrated their best form of the season, leading from pillar to post and building on an early Frankie Mulligan goal to carve out their impressive 1-6 to 1-2 interval lead. The second half saw an even more clinical Lacken go about their job. Four points in quick succession from Finbar O'Reilly (two), Trevor Crowe and Colm Sheridan fairly knocked the stuffing out of Killinkere and when star forward Sheridan later finished off a great move in the 15th by hammering the ball to the net, the game was over bar the proverbial shouting. And so to a quarter-final meeting with a fancied Cootehill Celtic crew. Once again the game was all about the result not the performance as far as Lacken were concerned and their eventual 0-9 to 0-5 victory at the end of August will hardly go down in the annals of Cavan football as one of the most fluid or stylish victories. But, that said, there were signs in that match that Lacken were beginning to show signs of having a winning formula. Certainly the grit, determination and physical presence demonstrated by the team in putting behind them an indifferent first half display to seal the spoils must have been very heartening to Ben Corr and his think-tank. No one said it was going to be easy, least of all Ben. And sure enough, Lacken's semi-final tilt with Cuchullains in late September at Kingscourt certainly tested the Celts' fortitude, will-to-win and resourcefulness to the limit. Indeed it took a late, late converted free by Finbar O'Reilly in the 60th minute to secure a 0-12 to 0-12 draw for the champions-elect. In what was a fast and furious encounter, one which was laced with tough tackling and some honest endeavour, Lacken seemed to be on the cusp of bowing out of the competition when, with five minutes remaining in the tie, they trailed by three points. A lesser side might have thrown in the towel but Lacken's spirit and ambition knew no bounds that day and they regrouped and spurred on by a fine fisted point by Colm Sheridan went in search of at least parity. Earlier Lacken had given as good as they had got in edging in front by the odd point in nine at the interval. Even at that stage though, it was pretty obvious that the game was destined to go to the wire. And so it proved. The replay on October 10th at St. Ann's Park, Bailieboro was no less fiercely contested and dramatic. But on this occasion, the Celts had that little bit in hand as they triumphed by 0-15 to 1-10. As things transpired, the Celts produced a tremendous second-half comeback to defeat their fitful opponents in a tie that, in truth, never really caught fire. Both sides struggled in vain to dominate for anything other than a few fleeting minutes and when the half-time whistle arrived, it was no surprise that just the odd point in thirteen separated them with Lacken trailing by 0-6 to 0-7. Thereafter, the East Cavan side started the second-half in determined fashion and they increased their lead to five points, 1-8 to 0-6. At that juncture it looked odds-on that Cuchullains were on their way to a prized county final. However the Lacken mentors made a number of switches to their side, and slowly but surely they began to get back into the game. With Finbarr O'Reilly in tremendous scoring form for the Lacken side, the leeway was reduced by stealth to the extent that with six minutes left to play Lacken took the lead for the first time in the game since the opening minutes when the talented O'Reilly scored another point. James Moynagh increased the Lacken lead with the game entering its final minutes, and Finbarr O'Reilly capped a great personal scoring performance - he finished the game with 13 points - with another converted free. Just before the final whistle Cuchullains reduced their deficit with a pointed free. However, it was too little too late as Lacken Celtic continued their great championship run by deservedly qualifying for the IFC final against Drung. The win over Cuchullains reflected a tremendous team performance from the Lacken Celtic side who did their manager Ben Corr proud. They looked dead and buried in the opening minutes of the second-half but showed great battling qualities to come good at the death. And so to the final at Kingspan/Breffni Park and a clash with an experienced Drung outfit. As things turned out, it took a brilliantly-engineered goal eleven minutes into the second half helped propel the Celtics to the title by 1-9 to 1-8 after an entertaining final. The Celts trailed for the entire match up until a brilliant run by Joe Crowe put through the over-lapping Ollie McKiernan for a wonder goal. The half-back's smashing shot catapulted Lacken into the lead (1-7 to 1-6) for the first time in the match and although they were subsequently pushed all the way to the wire by their spirited opponents, they held on to secure a tremendous victory. Lacken deserved their win for their guts, coolness under pressure and naked ambition. The sky blues enjoyed the majority of possession over the hour, had more shots at goal and were more consistent on the day. Drung enjoyed early dominance and Lacken found themselves 0-3 to 1-4 adrift with 21 minutes on the clock. Drung remained in the ascendancy from there to the break thanks in part to a fine interception by their 'keeper as Raymond Galligan bore in on goal. Trailing by 0-5 to 1-6 on the restart, Lacken began to show the greater determination and cuteness on the ball. And helped by the unerring marksmanship of man of the match Finbar O'Reilly, Lacken gradually ate into Drung's lead and when attacking half-back Ollie McKiernan goaled in the 41st minute, suddenly the momentum was all with Lacken. Drung tried to respond immediately to McKiernan's major and Sean Johnston and Ciaran Galligan tried to put sub. Finbar Crowe through on goal but after a fierce goalmouth scramble, referee Seagrave ordered a free-out to Lacken. And that was to be Drung's really only clearcut chance of pulling the fat from the fire as a brace of points from Finbar O'Reilly hoisted Lacken into a 1-9 to 1-6 lead with less than three minutes left to play. Further Drung points in the 58th and 59th minutes had Lacken sweating it out but the sky blues kept their cool though to keep their noses in front for the remaining three minutes of added-on time and so regain the crown they last held in 1997. The late Thomas Leddy would, doubtless, have been very proud of the efforts of his peers. The following is the Lacken Celtic players who did the necessary in the 2004 IFC final: Pauric Mulligan; Shane Reilly, Paul Brady, Joe Shanaghy (0-1); Ollie McKiernan (1-0), Trevor Crowe, Eddie Sheridan; Joe Crowe, Philip Smith; Terry Hyland, Frankie Mulligan, Mark Hyland; Raymond Galligan (0-1), Finbar O'Reilly (0-5, two frees, one '45), James Moynagh (0-1). Subs used; Shane Sheridan and Colm Sheridan. Tweet

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