The words true and grit have been synonymous with Shercock GAA down the years. In 2007, the club showed that it had character in abundance, especially at underage level. Shercock gaels scarcely enjoyed such a rich dividend at underage level as it reaped in 2007. The best of young talent at the club hit the jackpot, not once but twice. Traditionally, the east Cavan club has been to the forefront of underage coaching with a firm policy of nurturing talent from under 10s upwards being in place for close on 20 years. Underage title successes have become the norm rather than the exception in Shercock in recent years and under 12 and under 14 success in 2006 surprised no one. In 2007, it was a case of deja vu for those at the coalface of juvenile affairs with county championship final wins at both under 16 and under 13 levels to celebrate. With the club's U21 charges hugely impressive over the last couple of years, the future looks very bright for the club with the under 16s in '07 giving a glimpse of their promise. Superior technique and fitness allied to a superior will-to-win served Shercock's under 16s well as they embellished their club's burgeoning underage record with a well-merited Division Three Championship title win at Kingspan/Breffni Park last autumn with a 2-13 to 2-9 win over Denn in the final. In what turned out to be a game of 'survival of the fittest', the town team proved the more resilient and determined and their collective efforts duly reaped the ultimate reward. Shercock were the better team in the opening 15 minutes in particular and, even at that juncture, it was patently obvious that Denn would have to make the most from sporadic counter-attacks to de-rail Shercock's vaunted ambition. For all that, Denn impressed in the opening ten minutes and they managed to sneak in behind the Shercock full-back line to find the net in the 8th minute. However while well-engineered and clinical in its execution, the goal served to put a slant on the scoreboard which was scarcely reflective of the balance of play at that stage. Denn were clearly outgunned in the possession stakes in the opening quarter but Denn had a lot of place and Shercock were forced to play with some caution as a consequence. The would-be winners trailed by 0-0 to 0-2 after three minutes before their first concerted attack saw Stephen Donnery narrowly fist wide in front of goal in the 5th minute. Undeterred by the concession of the early goal, Shercock proceeded to create a further two goal chances but sadly for them both went abegging within a ten minutes spell. In the 11th minute, Philip Gillick dribbled through soccer-style but just as he pulled the trigger, a Denn defender effected a great block on the ground. Three minutes later, Shercock's Lee Clarke was denied a certain goal by a last-ditch block by a Denn defender. Shercock's defence were far from under-employed in the first half and it took some timely blocks from Shane Clarke to prevent Denn from adding to their increasing points tally. Shercock trailed by 0-5 to 1-5 entering the final five minutes of the half before they finally managed to hit the jackpot in clinical fashion. The yellow and greens' goal came when Lee Clarke reacted quickest to Philip Gillick's powerful shot which richocheted off the underside of the Denn crossbar in the 26th minute. Shercock showed their inexperience though in the minutes running up to the interval by allowing their opponents to regain the initiative and engineer a 1-7 to 1-5 half-time lead. The second half was a more free-flowing, less tentative affair with Ciaran McDermott's 34th minute goal for Shercock really throwing the cats among the pidgeons. McDermott's major propelled Shercock into the lead for the first time in the match (2-6 to 1-7) and it was a position they were never subsequently to relinquish. Indeed such was the grip Shercock exerted on the match in the second half that Denn went from the 36th minute to the 54th minute without adding to their tally. A point for Denn just after Shercock's second goal had left just a single point between the sides but by the time Cian McCann pointed six minutes from time, Shercock's lead was a handsome seven points, 2-12 to 1-8. With Damien McIntyre pulling the strings for Shercock around the middle and substitute Colin Clerkin adding further pace up front for the leaders, Denn's cause became increasingly grave as the second half progressed. The Shercock defence was in no-nonsense mode while Denn also simply failed to garner enough 'breaks' in the vital diamond area of the field to craft a rejuvenation of their hopes. Shecock were forced to remain on their toes though and the Crosskeys-based side duly rattled the Shercock goal on the hour mark. It was to prove too little too late though for the maroon and whites though and not nearly enough to steer the classy Shercock side off-course. Shercock's absolute ascendancy was not to be over-turned and, appropriately, top man Damien McIntyre had the last say by tapping over yet another sure-fire free to put the seal on a tremendous triumph for the town team. The Shercock players who did duty in the U16 county final against Denn were as follows; Christopher Ward; Shane Clarke, Greg Eakins; Paul Crosby (0-1), Killian Clarke, Brian Sankey; Ciaran McDermott (1-2), Philip Gillick (0-1); Stephen Donnery, Damien McIntyre (0-8, five frees), Dean O'Reilly; Lee Clarke (1-0), Paul McIntyre. Subs; Colin Clerkin (0-1) for Stephen Donnery; David Harper for Paul McIntyre. Meanwhile earlier in August, a power-packed second half performance by the club's Under 13 elite saw them out-score Drumalee by 3-6 to 0-3 on their way to a decisive Roinn B Championship title victory. Shercock's scoring blitz proved all-important as they steered their way to a none-too flattering 3-10 to 2-5 triumph after what was a heartwarming at Kingspan/Breffni Park. In a game which showcased a lot of what is best about underage Gaelic football, Shercock's success in bagging two goals inside 90 seconds early in the second half was a revelation in the second half having been out-foxed in the opening half. After a summer of heartache at under 12 level, Shercock's underage troupe couldn't have wished for a sweeter autumnal pick-me-up. In fairness, the spoils weren't so much thrown away by Drumalee as, rather, grabbed with both hands by the resurgent Shercock contingent. The winning of the match was a credit to Shercock's think-tank and their charges in tandem as true grit liberally laced with tactical nous left green and yellow garlands on the silverware. The opening stages of the match gave no inkling of the turnaround in the match in the second half. In fact, the first half saw Shercock playing a game of catch-up they understandably found frustrating and tiresome as Drumalee played with their tails up. That said, Shercock enjoyed the bumper share of possession in the opening five minutes but crucially couldn't engineer a decent chance at finding the target. Shercock actually opened the scoring, albeit belatedly, when John O'Reilly pointed but it was the would-be losers who proceeded to pull most of the strings in most departments. Drumalee hit back with interest with a goal in the 8th minute and adding a point straight after to leave Shercock on their heels for the first time in the match. Defences were in the ascendant in the first half and the see-saw nature of the play fairly reflected the closeness of the exchanges and the determination of both sides not to yield an inch. The quality of the combination play, blocks-down and foot passing was matched only by the entertainment quotient on what was a perfect evening for Gaelic football. Drumalee hit the jackpot again in the 19th minute when one of their forwards found the Shercock net with a well-drilled shot. Shercock's defence remained under the cosh in the ensuing minutes but twice the woodwork came to their aid. However the champions-elect hung in there though and good work by Micheal O'Reilly saw Ryan Clerkin cut Drumalee's lead to three points, 2-1 to 0-4. Shercock had the final chance of the half to make a major dent on the scoreboard but an inviting fisted ball into the Drumalee square by John O'Reilly was expertly intercepted by a Drumalee defender. Trailing by 0-4 to 2-2, Shercock came under the cosh as the second half kicked into action and two points by the Lilywhites made it a five point game. Amazingly the lights became stuck on red for the Cavan parish side and they were destined not to score again for another 25 minutes as Shercock took the game by the scruff of the neck. With the relocated Owen Duffy driving his comrades forward, the yellow and greens fairly tore into the long-time leaders. Shercock played like a team facing a do-or-die proposition and their guts and grit shone under the evening sun as they ate into Drumalee's lead. A classy penalty conversion by Niall Clerkin in the 38th minute served to cut Drumalee's advantage to the minimum, 2-4 to 1-6. A spurned chance from a close-in free momentarily stymied Shercock's advance before John O'Reilly turned sharply in the square to notch a second Shercock goal as Drumalee were left rocking from the double whammy and having to face up to a 2-4 to 2-6 deficit. With the Clerkin/Harper axis in top gear at midfield and a steady supply of ball being ferried into target-man John O'Reilly, Shercock's momentum was unstoppable. Two goal bound efforts from Shercock were blocked on the double as the pressure on the Drumalee goal continued unabated. There was simply no arresting Shercock's drive for the winning post and it took a brillant last-ditch bit of tidying up once more by Drumalee at the back to deny Ryan Clerkin a fisted goal in the 44th minute. Drumalee were forced to try and make the most of all-too rare counter attacks and it wasn't until they pointed in the 59th minute that they managed to add to their tally. The chasing team just couldn't engineer a way out of their travails and their woes were compounded when they went down to 14 players with less than four minutes left on the clock. Like true champions, Shercock finished with a flourish and a point apiece by John O'Reilly and Ryan Clerkin served to put an added gloss to the team's brillant fightback. Just what the club's underage troupe will produce in 2008 remains to be seen but it's fair to say that you can rule out a barren season! The Shercock team that defeated Drumalee in the 2007 Under 13 Championship decider was as follows: James Smith; Philip Clerkin, Owen Duffy, Paul Clarke; Kieran Cundlen, Colin Clerkin, Paul Sloane; Niall Clerkin, David Harper; Ryan Clerkin, Gary Lynch, Patrick McMahon; Micheal O'Reilly, John O'Reilly, Adrian Cooney. Tweet

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