Prior to 2004, Redhills hadn't won any silverware at adult level since scooping the 1973 IFC title but that all changed at the tail end of the year. Redhills started their ACFL Division Three campaign as they meant to finish it with a 1-11 to 2-6 victory at Maxie McGrath Park over Arva at the end of March in a what was a workmanlike first round performance. The homesters had led by the minimum at the break, 1-3 to 0-5, with the Redhills goal coming from the impressive Patrick Gumley who finished the game with a personal tally of 1-6. Exchanges were fairly even for most of the second half but the home side finishing the stronger with points from Colin Reilly and Michael Brides sealing a hard-earned win which gave the team a 100% record from three outings. Next time out though, Ollie Leddy's side got their first taste of defeat when going down by 2-9 to 2-10 to Munterconnacht in a game which the border side really ought to have won. The chance to rebound from their setback to Munterconnacht came just one week later when the club's momentum was regained with a double scores, 0-10 to 0-5, victory over visitors Maghera. The homesters were slow to get into their stride but finished the half strongly with two points from Paddy Gumley - one from a free to leave his side ahead at the break - 0-5 to 0-3. Redhills started the second-half brightly and Pierce West fired over a point within two minutes of the restart. Paddy Gumley then went close for for the home side on two occasions before team-mate Brady added a point after being set up by Brendan Leddy. Maghera however hit back and were back on level terms by the tenth minute. However, this proved to be their final score as Michael Brides had a fine point midway through the half for the home team. After the dismissal of a Maghera player with ten minutes to go, Redhills took complete control of the exchanges using Michael Brides as the 'extra man' to good effect. Mid-May and two fantastic saves by Fintan Reilly helped Redhills skip to a 1-10 to 0-12 victory over vaunted Kildallan which had Redhills fans seriously considering a double triumph in 2004. The game was played at a high tempo throughout with some very impressive moves by both teams. However before the end of the first quarter, Redhills got a huge leg-up when they got through for a goal out of the blue and when Alan Brady fired over a free three minutes later, Redhills were clearly in the driving seat. But Kildallan almost went ahead when a point blank shot was fired at the Redhills goal but quick reflexes by Fintan ReiIly made what was his first crucial save of the game. The second-half started with Redhills making their mark once again with a point apiece from messrs. Brady and Fitzpatrick. Kildallan continued to look dangerous though and as in the first-half Redhills goalkeeper Fintan Reilly did brilliantly to deny Kildallan another goal. The west Cavan men continued to edge matters all-round in the last quarter but despite scoring the final three points of the game, they were unable to overturn Redhills' earlier cushioned lead. Redhills went on to produce a five-star display in mid-July when trouncing Corlough by 0-20 to 0-7 in round nine of the competition at McGrath Park. Redhills were full value for their success and playing well as a team they dominated proceedings especially in the second-half. The homesters pressurised the Corlough defence with Brendan Leddy and Pierce West controlling the midfield sector and Mickey Rudden and Ciaran West linking from the back, ample ball was supplied to the forwards. Indeed, once Pierce West pointed in the 13th minute after some good support from Adrian Fitzpatrick and Alan Dunne they never looked back. Redhills finished the first half with a flourish and points from Brendan Leddy, Michael Brides and Alan Dunne served to propel them into a five points, 0-8 to 0-3, lead at the interval. The second-half was more or less a carbon copy of the first as Pierce West slotted over two points for Redhills within four minutes of the restart. From there to the finish, Redhills had things very much their own way and a hat-trick of points by Paddy Gumley and a brace from Brendan Leddy (19th and 30th minutes) duly completed Corlough's misery. The upshot of the Corlough win and the rest of their league results over the year was that Redhills were sure of playing top flight football in 2005. Into the bargain, a gutsy 0-9 to 0-8 semi-final victory over Kildallan in the Division Three last four encounter played at Rory O'Moore park, Belturbet had Redhills fans thinking of much awaited silverware. Redhills were efficient and often clinical on the day and in their first attack Michael Brides pointed after a pass from Andrew McMahon. Brian Reilly made amends for some early bad Redhills' wides in the 8th minute though when he shipped a strong tackle but still scored a fine point. This was followed shortly afterwards when Michael Brides had Redhill's third and last point of the opening half. Kildallan fought to the bitter end after an evenly contested second half and actually had the chance in the dying seconds from a 30 metre free to level matters but it was sent wide to the relief of Redhills' supporters. And so to the final and a meeting with 'erstwhile championship rivals, Shercock. At Hugh O'Reilly Park on a fine November afternoon, the value of goals in Gaelic football was seldom more underlined. Redhills accounted for the only two majors of the day as they claimed the ACFL Division Three title with an extremely hard-fought 2-8 to 0-12 win over Shercock in a fitting climax to the season for the border club. The guile and craft embedded in Redhills' approach work to the goals and the polished finish applied on both occasions fairly encapsulated the difference between the two sides over the hour-plus. Redhills won with a more sleeves-rolled-up performance where grit and determination were the operative words. The winners' greater division of labour, especially up front, was telling and a deadly mix as far as Shercock were concerned. Redhills triumphed and deservedly so as their greater cunning plus their more accurate passing and shooting in the last third of the field in particular set them that bit apart. Redhills looked far from likely winners in the opening 12 minutes though as they trailed by three points to nil - a deficit which ought to have been double that if Shercock hadn't recorded three wides in the first five minutes. Shercock went onto notch six 'poor' wides in total inside the first quarter, thus allowing Redhills time to find their feet in the understandably glue-like ground conditions. Redhills weren't at their best in that opening spell but, right on cue, substitute Brian Reilly showed vision and a deft touch to fist the ball into the path of the advancing Michael Brides. And with the dead bounce of the ball 12 metres out, the county star fired in a half-volley past the desperate dives of Shercock duo Sean Magee and John Coyle and high into the net. Brides' strike was as opportune as it was deadly but the goalscorer's later withdrawal four minutes later due to a hamstring pull hinted at less prosperous times ahead for Redhills. As things transpired, Pierce West's 29th minute point which handed Redhills the lead, 1-3 to 0-5, for the first time in the match was to be a lead they were never going to relinquish thereafter. Redhills' 1-4 to 0-5 half-time lead was deserved as they had enjoyed the most part of possession and had demonstrated a tad more cohesion in moving forward out of defence with the ball. A diving save early in the second half by Fintan Reilly stopped Brian Hamilton's piledriver from 18 metres from finding the net as the tension increased. Two minutes later, Shercock were left holding their heads in anguish yet again when Pierce West's fisted pass found the unmarked Patrick Gumley on the edge of the small square and in an instant the helpless Shercock 'keeper was picking the ball out of the net. Still, Shercock hung in there and cut Redhills' lead to two points after ten minutes. However Redhills were destined to retain their long-time two point advantage as their more assured combination play and the superior threat they carried going forward left Shercock playing a game of catch-up they never really looked like winning, even allowing for the dismissal of a Redhills defender two minutes from time. The flood of Redhills supporters and subs onto the field at the sounding of the final whistle said much about what the victory meant to the club. The successful Redhills team and subs who did the needful against Shercock in the 2004 ACFL Division Three decider was as follows: Fintan Reilly; Mickey Rudden, Mark Smith, James Smith; Adrian Fitzpatrick, Alan Brady, Conor McMahon; Pierce West (0-2), Brendan Leddy; Alan Dunne (0-1, free), Andrew McMahon, Ciaran West; Colin Reilly, Michael Brides (1-1, one free), Patrick Gumley (1-4, two frees). Subs; Brian Reilly for Andrew McMahon; Kevin Reilly for Michael Brides (inj); Michael Reilly for Patrick Gumley. Tweet

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