Kevin Fay has been beavering away at the coalface of GAA affairs in Drumlane for long enough to remember the bad old days. Kevin Carney reports. Unlike most of the current players donning the hoops, Kevin Fay can remember the dark, dank days of yore down Drumlane way. He can recall when the west Cavan gaels could almost hold their Annual General Meeting in a phone kiosk and when assembling a senior team was akin to trying to make stew with rain water alone. God be with the days when the nation's biggest Association had the likes of our Fay by the thousands and thousands in Cavan. But the popular Drumlane businessman is a dying breed, more's the pity, and the Sons of O'Connell are damn lucky to be able to call him one of their own. Asked to paint a picture of how serious matters got for his beloved club a generation ago and his memory is as vivid as his passion for Gaelic football: "The club was nearly gone in the late eighties, it almost went out of existence. "Then Fr. John Cooney came into the parish and, with the help of Ian Corrigan, began to work with the under 12s and under 14s and over a nine or ten year period helped achieve great success by bringing silverware to the club at almost every underage level," Kevin explains. And so from the loins of that aforementioned underage success emerged the tremendous displays by the club's premier side in latter years, particularly that of 1999 when the Junior Football Championship title was scooped. Most of not all the underage winning medallists from the early nineties graduated to all but dominate junior ranks in the late nineties. As Chairman of Drumlane from 1983-1987 and again from 1993-1996, Kevin was only too glad to witness the club's rise, Phoenix-like, from the cusp of extinction to a place among equals on county final day. Modesty forbids Kevin outlining his role in nurturing Drumlane's renaissance in the nineties. He'd rather merely outline the policy that the club adopted which served to work the oracle: "There was no magic wand. "We just had to work hard at underage level and make sure that players at all levels were looked after properly, on and off the field. "We treated them as best we could, tried to instill in them a sense of pride in the club and with the help of new employment opportunities at Quinn Cement and the Slieve Russell tried to see that they remained at home and weren't lost to emigration. " There's no doubt but that the underage work was the key to the club's survival though along with the setting up of the Ladies Football Committee in 1995 and this has been thriving since." Amazingly amidst all the strains and tribulations which characterised the club's the worst days, junior and senior Scor still thrived. Scor acted like a lifebuoy in some respects and maintained the local gaels' sense of belonging and identity when, it seemed, most other aspects of the club's activities looked destined to crash on the rocks or at best be allowed to drift aimlessly along on a tide of apathy and despair. Amazingly, instead of being cut adrift by various circumstances, the Good Ship Drumlane found calmer, more welcoming seas from 1991 onwards and gradually a rich bounty was reaped in the form of a succession of underage titles. Thanks to the right back-up structures being put in place such as a vibrant underage committee and a healthy relationship being established across the board between club mentors and players, Drumlane Inc. went from being virtually bankrupt to being a decided asset to football in County Cavan. "The club's work with the primary schools in Greaghrahan and Milltown was extremely important in the development of those successful underage teams. "We made sure that no stone was left unturned in making sure that the schools were given all the resources they needed to promote Gaelic football, whether that was equipment or individual mentors of liaison officers from the club to look after the kids there." Son of Pakie Fay, a great Lavey player and clubman in his time, and a member of Drumlane's senior executive committee since the late seventies, Kevin has been there, done that and worn the jersey over the course of his long-time involvement with the green and whites. He is pleased to report that, in his view, the club has never been in more stable health than it is right now. "We've come a long way over the last twenty years in particular, player-wise and financially-speaking. "We're looking forward to seeing our new pitch in Milltown open for use sometime in 2005 which is great considering that fore years after the club was reformed in the mid-sixties, all we had to play on was a rented field 'till we later got a pitch at Staghall around 1987. "Years ago you'd never have thought that we'd be in a position to link up with the Drumlane Community Development Association to put in place a community hall complete with facilities for the elderly, a children's' crèche, a gym, a first-aid room and other things besides. "Hopefully the announcement of funding for that work will be forthcoming very shortly." Proud of the fact that Drumlane Sons of O'Connell is a club very much at the centre of the community and a club with a proven pedigree of working for the betterment of everyone in its catchment area, Kevin says that being able to field teams at under 12, 14, 16 and minor plus two adult teams is mind-blowing considering how the club was in dire straits little more than a decade ago. Not that Kevin and co. aren't anxious to ensure that the club doesn't rest on its laurels and the achievements of the past. Far from it. "We've got to keep pushing on and aim to make it up to senior grade in the not-too-distant future. "At the present time, we'd be hoping that the players can give that bit more commitment and cut out some of the indiscipline that might have crept in over the last couple of years. "Having lost in the junior final of '86, it was great to win it in '99 but now we have to keep our eyes focussed on winning the intermediate championship. "Things haven't been clicking into place at intermediate level over the last four years or so and it's really time the players got their act together again. "But there's a great flush of young fellas coming through again and I'm sure the team will make a big push to hit the jackpot at intermediate level in the next year or two," insists Kevin, father of 1999 Drumlane netminder, Enda. Certainly since winning the JFC title almost five years ago, Drumlane have experienced little difficulty in maintaining their place among the intermediate heavyweights in the interim. Kevin believes it is high time Drumlane hit the high notes at championship level once again. "I'd say the current team is at its peak right now and I'm sure Damien O'Reilly will get the best out of the lads this year. "I think the lads are as good as any squad there is at intermediate level right now and there's definitely no team they should be afraid of meeting in the championship. There's a great committee in place at the club right now, the facilities are there too. "Everything is in place to see that a winning team can be got together." And if a winning team is conjured up by the Drumlane's intermediate think-tank later this year, no one will be happier than the bold Kevin. Indeed, ask anyone in Drumlane about the contribution made by Kevin over the course of the last 20 years and more and they'll tell you that are few locals more entitled to another day out in the sun than the popular coach and mini-bus hire merchant. D is for dynamic Drumlane's winning run at underage level continues unabated. Last July the club's under 16s landed yet another county title for the west Cavan outfit. These days Drumlane aren't content at underage level to be simply competing in the same arena as the Mullahorans of this world - they're gunning for victory at every opportunity! And when a club has a bunch of youngsters who conspire to win successive county titles at under 12, 13, 14 and latterly under 16 levels, who'd dare afford the Sons of O'Connell anything other than parity of esteem. Hunger is the buzzword at underage level in Drumlane. But the word spirit is also on the tip of everyone's tongues in that part of west Cavan - the type of spirit that was manifest in Drumlane's odyssey to the 2003 Under 16 Division Two title last Summer. As was their wont, the Class of 2003 made life difficult for themselves but still always managed to pull out the stops when push came to shove. Digging deep is obviously a great pastime for the Drumlane youngsters and wasn't the under 16 team-management of Paul Fitzpatrick, Vincent Connolly and Sean O'Dowd mightily glad too! From first to last minute, the will-to-win burns deeply in the hearts of the Drumlane starlets. Little wonder then that seven county cups have been garnered by three different sets of Drumlane underage players over the last five years. It's certainly changed times at Drumlane and all belonging to the club are looking forward to a continuation of the good times. "We're confident that the under 16s who won the division two title will now go on and do very well at minor level over the next couple of years," outgoing under 16 team-manager Paul Fitzpatrick opines. And if the Drumlane dynamos exhibit the same level of determination and grit in 2004/05, one cannot see them being denied a minor title. One way or the other, if Drumlane don't succeed in scooping a minor title in the next two seasons, it won't be for want of trying. Not that the team had to try too hard to make it into the 2003 Under 16 Division Two final. On the contrary, the campaign went oh so smoothly with a closely-fought victory away to a strong St. Finbarrs side in the first round opening up the campaign in perfect fashion. Thereafter it was all too easy for them in the penultimate round of the competition as they comfortably disposed of the challenge of Lavey at the Crosskeys venue. With the win over Lavey, the plan cooked by the triumvirate of Fitzpatrick, Connolly and O'Dowd was just one step away from fully realised. As things panned out in the decider at Kingspan/Breffni Park in the first week of July, it was very much a case of survival of the fittest as the Sons of O'Connell and Mullahoran locked horns in what evolved into a titanic Under 16 Division Two final encounter. In what turned out to be a veritable thriller and cliff-hanger, the west Cavan crew plundered two late goals to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. As is their wont, the Drumlane dynamos put their team-management and supporters through the ringer before eventually coming good to win by 3-8 to 0-13. For with less that three minutes left in the match, Drumlane looked odds-on losing finalists. However the green and whites predictably proved doubty battlers and in gutsy and skilful style, they repeated some of the wonderful play they had produced at the outset of the tie to edge home narrow but deserving winners. On reflection the dramatic conclusion to the match was full of irony. The vocal attendance couldn't scarcely have imagined in the opening ten minutes that matters were going to be so closely contested as Drumlane leaped into a non-too flattering 0-4 to 0-0 lead. "The funny thing about the way we got going in the final is that we're not known to be particular good starters but everything just clicked at the start of the final," team-manager Fitzpatrick remembers. Totally fired-up and playing a type of cohesive, intelligent football way beyond their years, the west Cavan side continued to drive at their opponents as the first half gathered pace. With influential midfielder Stephen McCann very much to the fore, the Drumlane forwards received an abundance of quality ball as Mullahoran backpeddled furiously. Mullahoran paid the penalty for their early lethargy with the impressive duo of John Fitzpatrick and Shane Kelly grabbing a brace apart to really put it up to their opponents. Gradually the Dreadnoughts eased their way back into the match and by the 21st minute, Drumlane's lead had been cut to just two points, 0-5 to 0-3. Drumlane later saw their advantage reduced to the minimum but the players regrouped though and hit back with interest. The impressive Ciaran Maguire steamed his way through the heart of the Mullahoran defence and unleashed a stinging shot which Mullahoran 'keeper Patrick Coyle could only get a hand to before watching it nestle in the back of the net. It was nip and tuck from there to the interval with Shane Kelly almost in for a goal for Drumlane after a great pass by Fitzpatrick only for a Mullahoran defender to fly-kick the ball clear. Things looked good for Drumlane at half-time but their team-management worked hard to keep their charges' feet firmly on terra firma. "We kept telling them in the dressing-room to forget about the score and what happened in the first half. The second half was a new game, we said, and they had to do just as well again for the last half-hour," Paul says. Within a minute of the restart, Mullahoran had cut into Drumlane's 1-5 to 0-5 lead and then Drumlane conceded another point two minutes later to really put the cat amongst the pigeons. However John Fitzpatrick replied with a point to steady the ship for Drumlane, leaving four points between the sides with four minutes played of the second half. The tide appeared to turn distinctly Mullahoran's way over the next eleven minutes though as they notched four unanswered points. Drumlane were really under the cosh at that juncture. But nobody wearing green and white was prepared to panic. "There was nobody reaching for the panic button. Our lads had a history of coming back from being behind and recovering the lead. "We were used to seeing them making comebacks and we honestly felt that they had it in them to make another great recovery. "At no stage did we feel the game was going away from us. "We had a feeling the final was going to go to the wire because we had played them (Mullahoran) earlier in the year and drew with them. "There was never going to be anything much between us in the final. And we were in no doubt but that the two best teams in the division were in the final." No panic then alongside the Drumlane dug-out but, still, the green and whites were in need of an escape route. And on cue, hard-working midfielder Stephen McCann afforded them just that by firing over a precious point in the 22nd minute to relieve the siege. Drumlane still found themselves trailing by 1-7 to 0-12 at that stage and when Mullahoran converted a 35 metre free with six minutes of normal time left, the omens didn't look good for the Sons of O'Connell. But like true champions, Drumlane rolled up their sleeves as the finishing line came into sight. "The lads done everything we asked them to do but they have this self-belief and inner strength that no coaching of ours can instill in them and that's what came to their rescue against Mullahoran more than anything else. "We knew Mullahoran would not stand back and admire any of our work but we weren't going to do that either," Paul explains. And so the duel to the death increased in tempo as the last quarter entered its final moments. Suddenly, the Drumlane think-tank gambled on relocating exciting winger John Fitzpatrick into full-forward. And the move worked like a dream too. With two minutes remaining, the would-be winners got a huge lift when Fitzpatrick fed the in-running Ciaran Maguire. But in attempting to get in his shot the number 11 was hauled down and with the subsequent penalty kick, Shane Kelly placed his shot high and left of the Mullahoran 'keeper to tie the scores at 0-13 to 2-7. "There's no doubt the penalty came at just the right time. You have to hand it to Shane (Kelly) though. For a young lad, he kept his cool really well to put away the spot-kick," Paul Fitzpatrick recalls. With the excitement and tension at fever pitch, Drumlane retained the momentum and less than two minutes later careered into the lead when John Fitzpatrick fed the in-running Stephen McCann who managed to flick the bouncing ball over the head of the advancing Coyle and into the Mullahoran net. From there to the finish, Mullahoran tried their damnedest to engineer a get-out clause. However it was Drumlane who, fittingly, had the last say with impressive midfielder Stephen McCann launching over a long-range effort to put the requisite gloss on their great win. "The match could have gone either way but fortunately things went our way in the end and I think the lads deserved to win in the end," Paul concludes. The Drumlane under 16 team, and sub, that featured in the win over Mullahoran was as follows: Damian Kennedy; J.P. Kelly, Stephen Connolly, Ryan Dolan; Glen Fitzpatrick, Colin Reynolds, James Green; Dane O'Dowd (0-1), Stephen McCann (1-1); John Fitzpatrick (0-3, one free), Ciaran Maguire (1-0), Mark Reilly; Richard Elliott, Shane Kelly (1-3, one free), Aidan Green. Sub used; Ciaran O'Reilly. Tweet

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