Noel McHugh is one of Killygarry's most recognisable members by virtue of the work he puts into the club. He's looking forward to progress being maintained in 2006. Noel McHugh accepts most football observers in Cavan are expecting Killygarry to race up along the rails to challenge current top dogs Cavan Gaels sooner rather than later. However the club's eager-beaver underage mentor and outgoing PRO insists no one in the upwardly moving club is going to weigh down their charges with great expectations. "We've reached quite a few underage finals over the last five or six years and won a few of them but it will take time for lads from those teams to come together at senior level. "There's plenty of good, young talent coming up through the ranks but we'll have to be patient and it could be another three of four years before we see the best of them." Apart from the promising displays of the club's senior team in league and championship circles in 2005, there was plenty to admire in particular about the Killygarry under 21s. "The under 21s were a group that you could compare favourably with any other team in that grade in the county and the progress of those players has been great to see. "In other years, the club has fielded teams at under 21 level that failed to realise their potential but our 2005 team got a good draw and made the most of it," Noel explains. The cohesion, continuity and class of underage teams produced over the last ten years or thereabouts at Killygarry means that the chickens are coming home to roost. Triumphs at under 14, under 16 and minor levels in recent times has meant that a very fine crop of under 21 players are now in place in Killygarry, Noel contends. Noel says the beauty of it all is that the club's current under 21 players are still showing the same ambition, loyalty and commitment as they did at juvenile level and later. So can we expect those prized under 21 players to combine with the best of the rest at adult level in the club and seize the blue riband SFC title in due course? "Well, I think there's a lot better judges of footballers than me in the club who'd be better qualified to answer that one but, overall, I'd be optimistic," Noel answers. "Certainly everyone at the club is hoping they will do the business and winning the senior championship is what the players will be aspiring towards achieving. "Sometimes though very little can separate those teams who go the distance and others who come close; maybe even just the addition of one or two players. "But the lads who are there at the minute won't lack for ability, ambition or self-belief; they've all been well coached over the years and their talent well nurtured," Noel opines. As someone who has been at the coalface of underage football affairs in Killygarry for the past ten years, Noel has seen a bevy of talent emerge in the proud club in that time. And with the likes of 'old hands' like Raymond Galligan, Jamie Coffey, Pauric Cahill (current Cavan senior) and Eoin Smith there to guide the young guns, the signs are good. "There's a nice balance in the team with the average age just around the mid-twenties mark but there's enough experienced lads on board to advise the younger ones. "The team has quite a bit going for itself with a very good defence and forwards who have a lot of pace and potential and can take their scores. "We're just hoping that we can get a settled combination in place in midfield for the coming year because we've laboured a bit in that area over the past few years." Noel doesn't argue with the suggestion that neighbours Cavan Gaels have stolen a march on the rest of the clubs in the county and that they'll take some pegging back. But he recalls Killygarry's reserves playing the Gaels' second string in a junior final a couple of years ago when the blues were pushed to the limit before edging home. "They had to bring on a few of their senior stars to deny us that day which shows that our strength in depth isn't that bad at all. "We'll again be able to field three adult teams this year which shows that the structures are there to try and supply the division one team with up and coming talent and ensure that players on the margins of things at senior level will always get a game. "There's always the chance that a fella who mightn't show up at minor level will come through at senior level and that has been shown to be true in a lot of cases in Cavan." It's clear that Noel is quite optimistic about the future for the relatively young club that is Killygarry and there are plenty of his ilk living on the southern outskirts of Cavan town. Killygarry have always played an attractive brand of football and they seldom fail to entertain, especially when they make it to the big stage at Kingspan/Breffni Park. "They've shown at different times that they can play the type of football that compares favourably with any other team in the county but they need to be more consistent. "The team could do with having a bit more steel too, more power in the tackle and maybe a bit more cuteness, especially when it comes to taking on the better teams. "But hopefully with continued good coaching and a bit more maturity and experience, things will come right on those fronts," says the popular gael. Certainly the senior team's showing in 2005 backs up Noel's belief that the talent is there, the ambition is on tap and there's not too many pieces of the jigsaw missing. Just missing out on a place in the division one league semi-finals and a decent showing in the championship made for some quite content faces down Killygarry way. "I thought we made progress in the past year and I'd say most people in the club would be content with how things worked out last year," Noel contends. "We competed well in both the league and the championship and blooded a lot of young fellas in both competitions with at least two or three fellas getting their first run outs. "There's some good competition for places on the senior team now and hopefully under Tony Dunne things will stay that way because you definitely need a squad of players." But while the players in Killygarry certainly have the talent, the ambition and the skill, one wonders will their level of self-belief come up to scratch? "I think they're alright in that department because I think they have confidence in their own ability and that there aren't very many players who'd outclass them on any given day. "Definitely our defenders are on a par with any backs on any other team and if we can get a settled midfield and keep the forwards supplied we can do very well this year." Looking towards the coming season, Noel maintains that Killygarry have no reason to fear any team and he'll be disappointed if they aren't in the picture at the business end of the year. "We'll be hoping to maintain our progress and we can at least aspire to achieving a semi-final place in the championship. "The league could be used to keep the lads ticking over and keep them sharp for the championship. "There's not much separating the likes of ourselves, Mullahoran and Gowna and on our day we could give Cavan Gaels a real run for their money." Tweet

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