Munterconnacht started 2004 brightly but lost their way after lucklessly leaking five goals against Corlough in their junior championship opener. From there, things went downhill and a disappointing season ensued. Despite this, full back Donal Heery is confident that the Blue & Whites can turn the corner and make an impact in 2005. If their rediscover their early season form from 2004, then Munterconnacht could well emerge as a team to watch in '05. The once unfashionable men in blue and white started the season gone by like the proverbial house on fire, demonstrating clearly that they have much to offer at junior/Division Three level. With an interesting new manager in place, there's no reason in the world why Munterconnacht can't make an impression in the months ahead. At their disposal is an exciting crop of young players who have experienced success at all levels coming up through the ranks under the watchful eye of Mickey Plunkett. Spearheaded by county U21s John McCabe and Peter Cullen, these players are gradually coming of age, suggesting a bright new era for a club that was widely regarded as mere cannon fodder not so long ago. Wisely, the club committee decided to focus on its promising youth about a decade ago and this approach could be about to pay dividends. With a first team packed full of under 21s, they face into the challenges of zero-five with confidence anew. One of those exciting young players, Donal Heery, is hopeful that it's going to be a year to remember. "We've been back in training since the start of February and things are looking good," he says. "We're ambitious this year and we genuinely believe we're in there with a good chance of winning something. We have the players. If everybody continues to put the effort in, then we're hoping to do at least as well as we were expecting last year." Indeed, Munterconnacht went into the 2004 campaign full of hope. They prepared well and made an encouraging start in the league. Everything was going according to plan until they opened their JFC account against Corlough. Despite amassing an impressive tally of 2-11, the Blue & Whites succumbed to a sickening defeat due to the bizarre concession of five goals. The final scoreline of 5-7 to 2-11 was the defining moment in their season, a turning point from which they never fully recovered. The line between success and defeat is but a tendril. From there on, Munterconnacht's championship season was a non-event. Narrow defeats to Arva and Killeshandra followed and they also came unstuck at the hands of Redhills and Mountnugent. Thus, despite the promise that accompanied the early part of the year, things ended on an acutely disappointing note. Interestingly, in Division Three of the all-county league, Munterconnacht finished just two points adrift of Corlough and above Killeshandra, Arva and Mountnugent. They'll come up against Mountnugent again in Section B of the 2005 JFC, as well as Maghera, who also finished below them in '04. A window of opportunity perhaps opens… Reflecting on the events of 2004, Donal Heery told 'Breffni Blue 2005': "We started off well and went on a good run and we couldn't believe how well things were going. But then when it came to the championship match against Corlough we conceded five goals and that completely knocked the stuffing out of us. Everything just fell apart after that and we never got back on track. It was very disappointing because things had been going so well up to that point, but we lost our way altogether." What went wrong against Corlough? "It was just one of those days. Things went against us and we made a few mistakes. We got punished for every mistake. It definitely was a huge disappointment to the team because we had played very well in general, scoring 2-11, but you're never going to get away with conceding five goals in a championship game. The result got to everybody." It worked its way into the players' psyches, affecting their confidence, tearing holes in their self-belief and stripping their confidence bare. All the good work came undone. "It was very disheartening. We didn't win any of our championship games, which was a big blow. But we're a year older and wiser now and hopefully we can put the experience behind us and learn from it." Munterconnacht also fell short of achieving a place in the knockout stage of the league - another target that was within their capabilities but frustratingly eluded them. "Everything suffered after the championship game against Corlough," Donal re-iterates. In 2004, Mickey Plunkett, who has successfully been in charge at all levels from U12 through to minor, took over the junior side for the first time. Mickey had led Munterconnacht to two U12, U13, U14, U16 and two minor championship wins and had a good working relationship with all those players. He took charge of a very young side, most of whom had passed through his own hands at underage level. Unfortunately, the long winning streak did not continue. For 2005, Munterconnacht have a new manager in charge in the person of Gerry Hanley, who won an All-Ireland club championship with crack Galway combo Corofin in 1998. Gerry is now teaching in Castlerahan school and, though relatively unknown in the Munterconnacht area, has already made a big impression with the players. What's an achievable objective for the current year? "We're hoping to at least qualify for the quarter-final stage of both the league and championship," comes the instant reply. "And it would be nice to win them." Is the junior championship wide open? "I think so. There's not a lot between any of the teams at this level. Last year we beat Redhills in the league and they had a very good year. There's not a lot in it. Mountnugent got to the championship final the previous year, and that shows what can be achieved by any team. If any one team puts in an extra effort, that can make a massive difference and they could well go on to win it. Hopefully that team will be us." It's been eleven years now since Munterconnacht claimed the Cavan junior football championship. They've been on the periphery of things at adult level since but have made a big impression in underage fare recently. "We're expecting to start coming good this year," Donal concludes. "We have two men [former county minor captain John McCabe and Peter Cullen] on the county U21 team this year and a few others are there or thereabouts with various county teams. "Hopes are high with the new manager in place. Considering the amount of young talent we have in the club, I believe we're well able to do it this year." Donal Heery could be right. Tweet

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