Belturbet's underage pedigree is well renowned. Their Under 13 title triumph in 2002 served to underpin the tradition. Kevin Carney reports I can well understand how Laragh felt after the game. They probably thought they at least deserved a draw and there's no doubt but that they had a great team. "It was a breathtaking game all through and especially at the end. But we held on and now the panel can prepare to win something similar at under 14 level." With typical largesse, Belturbet underage mentor Patsy Teevan takes his hat off to Laragh for a splendid effort in what was an absorbing Under 13 Roinn B Championship decider last August at Kingspan/Breffni Park. For the guts of seven years, the Drumlane native has been battering away at the coalface on behalf of the Rory O'Moores and has suffered the slings and arrows as much as any underage coach in Cavan. Patsy recognises that Belturbet's victory in the decider was a hard pill for the Stradone-based contingent to swallow. However, he's unprepared to take anything away from his charges. "They came at us in droves in the last ten minutes in particular but our defence held out brilliantly. Laragh had their chances but didn't take them. We always put them under pressure when they had the ball and I think we deserved to win as much as they could argue that they deserved to fight another day." Patsy's delight for his charges is almost tangible. He is fulsome in his praise for the commitment, enthusiasm and camaraderie exhibited by the all-conquering panel. "The players deserved to get something from the year because of the effort they put in. From the very first training session we had last February to the evening of the final, none of the panel gave the team-management any problems whatsoever. We fancied our chances of doing well right from the start of the year. "We knew a good bit about most of the teams we would be coming up against, like Killinkere and Killeshandra, from playing them in challenge matches but it was great the way things worked out all the same," explains Patsy who is fulsome in his praise of the work put into the team last year also by Jimmy Coen, Francis Cahill, Gerry Teevan and Enda Henry.. As anyone au fait with Patsy's modus operandi, there was never any question that Belturbet's under 13 squad was going to be lacking in fitness. And didn't the training sessions under lights at Morrissey Park in early Spring prove richly rewarding! "We knew we had a strong core of talented players and a fair sprinkling of good ball players but we knew also that there was no point in trying to go out and win things if they weren't fit to last the pace. Some of the training we did in the early part of the year was akin to some of the training seniors might do. "On occasions we didn't use a ball at all but we also put the players through a series of varied drills with the ball as the weeks passed and the good bit of stamina work then helped to ensure that they would be fit and able to take on the best." And with the addition of four girls to the club's under 12 panel of 2001, Teevan and co. had now a squad of 20 players, giving the Rory O'Moores' think-tank team greater strength in depth and more options in every way - it all added up to a winning formula. "Our under 12s competed well in 2001 but they were really up against it and found themselves a wee bit out of their depth. The addition of the girls to the under 13 panel in 2002 made a big difference, particularly in the sense that it helped increase competition for places on the team. "We had only 16 players for the under 12 team in 2001 and that was far from ideal." And while Patsy confirms that the Class of 2002 hadn't a winning pedigree as such, the panel boasted a steely determination and the fact that they were competing in a much more manageable Roinn B appeared to fuel their intent. In the best tradition of schoolboy finals, the Belturbet-Laragh tussle was an archetypal see-saw affair. Belturbet were rocked back on their feet as early as the 7th minute when Gerry Murray showed excellent opportunism to find the net to put Laragh in pole position. The town team rallied well thereafter though to enjoy a greater share of possession but Laragh were tigerish in defence and workmanlike throughout the field and were obviously fully determined to make the maroon and whites work extremely hard for the spoils on offer. In such a nip and tuck affair, leverage was temporary rather than permanent even if Belturbet always seemed that bit more resolute in the close exchanges and more determined to win back the ball when all appeared lost. "The squad did show great character all year as well as in the final itself. The players were unbelievably keen to do well everytime they went out onto the field. Even though Laragh were the clear favourites going into the final, we really dug in and made light of Laragh's height and weight advantage," Patsy enthuses. Indeed just when it seemed as if Belturbet were in a bit of bother approaching the half-time break, Laragh were dealt a real sucker punch when Brendan Fitzpatrick collected the ball in the 21st minute in the left-corner forward berth, carried the ball along the byline before smacking a shot high and hard to the roof of the Laragh net to leave just the minimum separating the sides. "Brendan's effort was an inspirational score, really crucial, because Laragh were threatening to run away with the match at that stage." In the minutes that followed up to the interval, it was real helter-skelter stuff. And while Laragh always looked dangerous going forward, Belturbet proved themselves to have just as sharp a cutting edge and just two minutes from the interval, a brilliant ball by Brendan Fitzpatrick set up Breannan Reilly for a fine goal to help leave the scores tied at 2-2 to 1-5 at the break. "I wouldn't argue with the idea that we were a bit fortunate to be on level terms at half-time either. Laragh had clearly much more of the ball in the opening half and Breannan's goal came just at the right time and settled the team a lot," explains Patsy whose son Mark had the proverbial 'stormer' at centre-half back against Laragh. As things panned out on the restart, Belturbet - winners over Swanlinbar and Ballyhaise in earlier rounds - had reason to be thankful to their 'keeper Alan Brady who had to make a diving save to prevent a second Laragh goal. Moments later Laragh were almost through again but Darragh King's rasping shot came off the post. Meanwhile at the other end, Laragh 'keeper Martin Smith dived brilliantly at the feet of Seamus Cooney to prevent a certain goal. In the follow up though, Enda Kenny sent over a lovely point to edge Belturbet into a one point lead. Belturbet continued to show the greater hunger and turn of pace and Breannan Reilly worked extremely hard to fend off the company of Patrick King to point in the 13th minute to leave it a two point ball game. The tie was evenly poised as the midway stage came and went. With the predictable onset of tiredness, chances became few and far between in the last third of the field as the respective defences found it that bit easier to keep the shackles on their attacking adversaries.There was just a single goal separating the sides with ten minutes left after a foul on Breannan Reilly saw Brendan Fitzpatrick point the resultant 22 metre free for Belturbet. Thereafter some stout defending by the town team was needed to thwart Laragh's best efforts at gaining parity as the dying minutes kicked in. With just two minutes left to play, Gerry Murray pointed a free for Laragh to leave Belturbet just 2-5 to 1-7 in front. The tension was almost tangible. Could Belturbet hold on or would Laragh's almost incessant pressure reap the ultimate dividend? The last seconds saw Belturbet hold on grimly to their advantage with what can only be described as a textbook rearguard action. It was very much a case of all hands to the pump. "We might have rode our luck a wee bit but all champions need that wee bit of luck to get them past the winning post and we did get that wee rub of the green in those final few minutes. "Having said that, I thought we made our own luck too with some wonderful clearances out of defence and some great tackling further up the field. I felt we made the most of our chances though and were more efficient than Laragh with our use of the ball," Patsy recalls. Eventually the game drew its final breath and the long whistle sounded. Predictably all hell broke loose among the Belturbet support in the atmospheric stand. Patsy was suitably relieved and overjoyed in equal measure. But how satisfying was the win in relative terms? " It was very satisfying. We did our homework on Laragh in the way that any team-management should and that coupled with the way the players performed in the final combined to win the day for us." And what of the group's short-term prospects? "If the players continue to show the same commitment, they should be challenging for under 14 honours in the coming year. They certainly have the talent and winning the under 13 Roinn B title will add to their hunger for more medals and give them a lot of confidence as well." The Belturbet team, scorers and sub, that featured in the 2002 Under 13 Roinn B Championship final was as follows; Alan Brady; Theo Coffey, Darrell Dolan, Simeone Klusch; Joe Aspey, Mark Teevan, John Tadgh McGinley; Enda Henry (0-1), Johnny Klusch; Jacqueline Moran, Brendan Fitzpatrick (1-3), Michael Millar; Conor Vaughan, Niamh Martin, Breannan Reilly (1-1). Sub; Christopher Aspey for Michael Millar. Tweet

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