As the preparations for the 2008 season began at the end of last year, Louth senior footballers had plenty of reason to be optimistic. Two relatively successful years under Eamonn McEneaney gave the players and supporters plenty of encouragement and hopes were high that the side would continue to progress in the new campaign. However, the hopes of all involved weren't matched by the results on the pitch and the season ended with the county remaining in Division 3 and failing to win a match in either the Leinster Championship or the All-Ireland Qualifiers. By Eunan Whyte. While the manager admits that he was disappointed with the way things turned out, he quite obviously has great faith, not only in the current crop of players but also that the pool of young talent coming through will guarantee a bright future for Louth football. While many people have chosen to dwell on the negative aspects of the season, the manager feels that the reality is that Division 3 turned out to be a very competitive section, containing two teams who set the championship alight - Wexford and Fermanagh, a Down team that went on to defeat Tyrone, Longford who reached the O'Byrne Cup Final, and a Sligo side that went into the season as Connacht champions. While he was naturally disappointed with the size of the defeats to Dublin and Tyrone, those teams went on to prove just how good they are by winning the Leinster and All-Ireland titles respectively. Going into the league campaign, Eamonn and his management team were looking to build on the form that had seen them push All-Ireland finalists, Cork, all the way in the 2007 Qualifiers. As it turned out, a disrupted preparation and failure to pick up points when they had the opportunity left the team with a battle to stay up, but the manner in which Louth retained their status provided him with plenty of encouragement. "This time last year we were going into the new campaign with a fair degree of optimism. Unfortunately we went into the start of the year with a few injuries picked up in December and January, most notably to Paddy Keenan, Colin Goss, Peter McGinnity and John O'Brien who were out for the start of the league. There were others who had injuries clear up in time but it meant that their preparation wasn't ideal for the National League. "We made a bad start to the league when we lost in Limerick on the opening day, and then lost at home to Down in a game we should have won, and I think that affected our confidence a bit. "Nonetheless, we did well against Leitrim, inflicting the biggest defeat of the year on a side who would later beat Down. "In the next game we lost to Fermanagh by a point in what wasn't a great game, but we felt would could have won that also, and everyone saw what Fermanagh went on to do in the championship. Again we were close in that game but just didn't produce the performance needed. "We then travelled to Longford and produced probably our best display of the season against a team who were unlucky to lose the O'Byrne Cup final to Dublin. "We then dropped our levels against Sligo but showed great character to come back and get what proved to be a crucial victory. You could look at that game in different ways but the fact is we were six points down with 12 minutes left and came back to win. "The last game in the league against Wexford was a difficult one to get up for. We were already safe, while Wexford needed the points to top the league, so it wasn't a case of really setting our stall out to win that game. Instead we gave a few lads who hadn't been getting games the opportunity to show us what they could do," explained Eamonn. The mixed form in the league was not the best preparation for the Leinster Championship, particularly when holders Dublin were awaiting the Wee County in Croke Park in the quarter-final. Although thousands of supporters travelled to headquarters in the hope of seeing Louth make the breakthrough, their dreams were dashed by a Dublin side that turned on the style in the closing stages. The scale of the 13-point defeat may have been hard on the fans, but the manager points out that it was particularly difficult for a very disappointed squad who had put so much into the season. "Looking back on the game it was a heavy defeat on the scoreboard and at times it was very difficult to watch. On the other hand, the fact is that with 49 minutes gone we were still very much in the game at just four points behind. With 55 minutes played we were nine points down and the game was over. "The players were bitterly disappointed with themselves afterwards but it shows that you must play until the final whistle. I don't think it was a case that we gave up the fight but that Dublin had raised their game to a different level and we failed to match it. The Dubs are capable of doing that to teams once they get ahead and you look at what they did to Wexford in the Leinster Final. "We had a goal chance in the first half and maybe it could have been different as they are the type of chances you need to take against Dublin. If you are going to beat the, you have to take your opportunities, get in front and put the pressure on them. "The management and players were very disheartened afterwards as nobody likes to lose by that margin, but the great thing about football is that there is always another game, whether it is in a couple of weeks or a couple of months time." As it turned out, Louth were given the most difficult draw in the All-Ireland Qualifiers with Tyrone the visitors to Drogheda. "In some respects it was good to get a big draw at home as that helped focus the players again rather than perhaps travelling to one of the lesser teams. On the other hand, it was a bad time to get Tyrone as a lot of questions were being asked about their character and many suggesting that they were finished as a team. "I suppose we found out the hard way that they were not finished and they showed signs of the type of performance was to bring them the All-Ireland title. "We finished up losing by eight points and were ten behind at the break, but again you have to look at six good chances for points that were created but not taken. Had we been closer at half-time we might have been able to put them under more pressure. "I think we matched them for commitment, hunger and desire in the second half but not the first. Admittedly, they had a couple of goal chances but we also missed a penalty," explained the manager. Eamonn points out that playing the top teams in the country over the past number of seasons hasn't made it easy to get on a winning run, but the benefit of it is that it makes players realise the standards they have to reach to be among the best. "When you look at the calibre of the teams that have beaten us in the past three years, you realise how tough the task has been. This year we lost out to the Leinster and All-Ireland champions, and last year we lost to All-Ireland finalists, Cork, in the Qualifiers and in the Leinster Championship to Wexford, a team who went on to reach this year's provincial final. "In 2006 Meath beat us before going on to the All-Ireland semi-final (the following year), and in the Qualifiers we lost to Tyrone after a replay. "The reality is that the teams that have been beating us are formidable but the challenge for us is to get up to that level and to beat them. The way forward is to develop lads with the hunger to be inter-county footballers both on and off the field and to realise that hard choices have to be made if they want to close the gap to the best teams in the country." With three years as senior team manager behind him and a vast knowledge of the underage set-up in the county, Eamonn is confident that there is sufficient talent in Louth to make the breakthrough in the coming years, but he stresses that it will take a big effort from many quarters to achieve their goals. "There is a fair amount of potential in the county with some good players around the 18-20 mark and I believe that if they get the support and the proper training Louth will begin to close the gap. Allied to that, we have some good players already in the county set-up and we have to have them performing at the best and providing the leadership for the young lads coming through." In order to make the breakthrough, Eamonn knows that players must be mentally prepared as well as physically ready to take on the challenge. "There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic and it is important to figure out what we can improve on and go and do it. It is essential to have the talent but this must be matched with mental and physical fitness and if we can achieve that then we can make progress." The manager knows from a number of games this year that the players can compete with the best, but it is important to produce that on a consistent basis. "I believe that we are improving and there were good signs in various challenge matches we played. For example we beat Cork, drew with Donegal and gave Mayo a very close game. Although they were challenges, they were important in that we were not outclassed by that type of strong opposition. "At times in the Dublin game it was the same, and I suppose the Tyrone game was the only one where we didn't match the opposition but I hope we have learned a lot from that match." Eamonn will be hoping that the injection of new blood into the squad will help raise the team to a new level and is anxious to give the younger players a chance. "I feel there will be changes for the coming season and I have said to the young lads from the U21 and Minor set-up that there are places up for grabs. As a result we have set them targets and if they can show the hunger, desire and attitude to raise their standards then there will be a place for them. "Added to that is the fact that the players already in the panel know that there is a crop of young players hungry to make the grade and push them aside." Eamonn is confident that the talent is in Louth to compete at a higher level and believes the example of Wexford and Fermanagh should provide the inspiration for Louth. "You have to admire Wexford for getting to a Leinster Final and All-Ireland semi-final, while Fermanagh made a great impact and I don't think their resources are any greater than ours." The manager believes the key to their success has been the work at underage level and while he concedes that Louth don't have a strong colleges tradition that has been the catalyst for so many teams in the North and also Meath, great improvements have been made in the Wee County. There have been some encouraging displays at Minor level in the past couple of years and he is confident that the team under Mick Matthews and Seamus O'Hanlon will do well this year and help some more players come through. The manager believes that success at underage level is essential for Louth to make the breakthrough and feels that this can be achieved, but that it requires both patience and persistence. "I have been involved in coaching at underage level in Louth for the past ten years and I know the talent is there but it needs to be nurtured. We have a lot of good quality coaches but the approach to coaching must be co-ordinated to ensure we get the best players coming through. Og Sport has been a real success and there is great enthusiasm and with the proper coaching will bring the players of the future on." Overall, Eamonn is looking forward to the challenge of the new season which he will take on with changes in his backroom team, and he is grateful to those who have helped in his first three years. "I would like to thank Seamus O'Hanlon and Pat Mulligan for their contribution in the last three years. They promised me three years and gave it their best shot and they are both very knowledgeable men about Louth football. Seamus is going to the Minors this year and Pat is taking a break, but he will be there to help out if required." He is also grateful to others such as John Pepper, Stephen Melia, Aaron Rogers, Colm O'Neill, Declan Gartland, David Connolly, Dara Morgan, Charlie McAllister and James McKeown who have made great contributions as part of the management team. Stephen Melia and Padraig Califf will act as selectors this year, while Colin O'Hare will act as trainer, and the manager is hopeful that the efforts will be rewarded this year. "Things are definitely not as bad as some people make out as there are a lot of talented young players very keen to play for Louth and proud to wear the jersey. It is not all about results and it will take time for real change but hopefully will see progress over the next 12 months." Tweet

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