Two-thousand-and-eight was a truly fantastic year for Newtown Blues, who reclaimed the Joe Ward Cup with a magnificent campaign, culminating in their superb 1-15 to 1-12 defeat of arch rivals Mattock Rangers in the county final at Drogheda's Gaelic Grounds on Sunday September 28. All in all, the Blues were worthy outright winners as they ended their seven-year wait in absolutely emphatic style, winning every single game they played in the '08 SFC. They have now won the county title a staggering 18 times. The Blues are back They hadn't won the Joe Ward Cup since completing back-to-back successes at the start of the decade. They had lost the county decider to Mattock Rangers in 2005 and they trailed the Collon men by two points, 0-9 to 0-7, at half time in the '08 final. This time, however, Newfoundwell's new young breed demonstrated the kind of spirit, power and guile that made them the traditional giants of Louth football in the first place. When the final whistle sounded, the Blues were back on top, lords of all they surveyed in the Wee County. Another spell of Drogheda dominance could be upon us... Roll the clock back to 2000: the Blues had gone twelve years without winning the Louth senior football championship but they set the record straight by taking the first title of the new millennium. The timing of that victory seemed fitting. The following year, they retained the blue riband prize. Few would have predicted that it'd be another seven years before a third SFC of the decade winged its way to the Newfoundwell clubhouse but, in the intervening years, the Blues seemed to lose their edge as St Patricks and Mattock took five titles between them and the Joes nicked the other. Each year, even though it was a transitional period, they were listed amongst the favourites; invariably, they went close but couldn't quite get back over the winning line. In '02, they lost a quarter-final replay to the Clans; in '03, the Brides beat them by a point in the Last Eight; in '04, we witnessed a rare group stage exit; '05 brought a county final reversal against Mattock; '06 was the year of that semi-final replay loss to the Joes; and '07 brought a quarter-final defeat to Cooley. Newtown Blues won the other senior trophies during those six seasons, but there's no denying that it's the big one they always crave most. They were pre-competition favourites again in '08 and this time they justified that billing with a flawless campaign. From the very first throw-in in the SFC, the Blues were the best team in the county. Newtown Blues topped their group with a 100% record and this earned them an automatic place in the semi-finals, wherein they beat St Brides by four points at Dunleer. The county final was a repeat of the deciders of 2001 and 2005 and pitted together two teams with outstanding records in the '08 competition - Newtown Blues had beaten the Marys, Cooley, Kilkerley, Naomh Malachi and the Brides (twice), while Collon also topped their group with four wins and a draw, beating the Pats in their third group outing. The only blot on the Mattock jotter was a draw with Glyde, but they wiped that out with a three-point semi-final win over the Tallanstown men. Thus, the stage was set for a fascinating finale, with plenty of recent history and a distinct lack of peninsula involvement. The Blues went in as slight favourites, and they duly avenged their '05 defeat with a solid display. The match ebbed and flowed but the Blues seemed to have that extra bit of class when it mattered most. Man of the Match Hugh McGinn opened their account on three minutes and would finish the match with a haul of nine points, including three from open play. McGinn got the winners' first three points as they led by 0-3 to 0-2 after twelve minutes, but four successive Collon strikes had them in trouble. Mattock led for most of the first half. The management team rang the necessary changes and a brace from Colm Judge kept the Blues in touch before brilliant full back Cormac Reynolds typified their spirit of adventure with an injury-time point at the end of the first half, a score which kept them in the shake-up at 0-7 to 0-9. The second half began in a blaze of Blues brilliance. Barry Sharkey - the man for the big occasion - slammed the winners' goal to the back of the Collon net after just 42 seconds and the towering Keith Lynch doubled the Blues lead with an instant point. Mattock refused to give up as further points from McGinn (3) and Judge left the margin at three points with five minutes remaining. Goalkeeper Mickey Harte made a fine safe to protect that lead but Mattock got a lifeline when David Reid scored an equalising goal in the 56th minute. Suddenly, it looked as though the Collon side had all the momentum. A lesser team than Newtown Blues would have wilted but, instead, they took a long hard look at themselves and decided they would not be beaten at any cost. When it mattered most, they proved that they really were the best team in the competition. They monopolised possession from conceding the goal until the final whistle, to claim a dramatic success. Rather than let the glory be snatched from under their nostrils, they redoubled their efforts to prove the doubters (if there were any left!) wrong once and for all. McGinn added two more points and it was left to priceless Meath import Ian McManus to tag on the closing score in injury time. Raymond Hughes collected the Joe Ward on behalf of his thoroughly-deserving team-mates. To say that this ranks as one of Newtown Blues' greatest ever successes would be an understatement. The club is steeped in fabulous achievements; few demonstrate as much backbone and character as that witnessed in the county grounds on the final Sunday of September 2008. Indeed, throughout the '08 SFC campaign, the Blues were an irresistible force as they played seven matches and won all seven. Phenomenal! The Blues supporters must have been worried when Mattock drew level in the dying moments. After all, it was with a late surge that Collon had annexed the SFC three years earlier. For a brief moment, it looked like history was about to repeat itself. But the players had other ideas and were intent on writing a different piece of history. All year, they played with purpose and the balance in the team was hugely impressive. Playing a beautiful, free-flowing brand of football, they mixed attacking flair with defensive solidity - keeping clean sheets in five of their six matches en route to the final. Goalkeeper Michael Harte provided a sound platform from the back, showing authority at all times, starting off many moves with his excellent distribution and even chipping in with two penalty goals during the course of the championship! At midfield, Brian Kermode and Keith Lynch formed a formidable axis. Both players were a revelation. Even the fact that county man Jimmy Murray had to sit out the last group match, semi-final and most of the final with injury could not derail Louth's most successful club from their date with destiny. Up front, Colm Judge embellished his reputation as the trickiest attacker in the county, while Hugh McGinn had his best season thus far in the sky blue shirt and former Curraha clubman Ian McManus proved a vital addition in the No.14 jersey. The blend of youth and experience was also just right, while the management team learned from the experience of 2007 to get it spot-on at the second time of asking. Throughout the year, all 29 players demonstrated a remarkable degree of consistency in all competitions. The ACC / Sheelan Cup was used as a basis to get the team ready for bigger challenges that lay ahead, producing victories over Geraldines, Naomh Mairtin and Dundalk Young Irelands as well as defeats to Mattock and Oliver Plunketts. Nobody in Newfoundwell was overly deflated when the subsidiary league run came to an early end. After all, the Blues had bigger fish to fry. They kicked off their Division One programme with a 1-14 to 0-9 win in Collon on April 12 and followed up with wins over Naomh Mairtin, the Brides and the Marys (0-18 to 0-3) before slipping to a rare defeat on the Point Road. They lost in the Ramparts too but compiled further wins against the Joes, the Pats and Naomh Malachi (3-15 to 1-3 - what better way to prepare for a SFC semi-final!) to sit joint-top of the table by the end of September, with nine games played and only two remaining - away to Kilkerley and at home to Cardinal O'Donnell holders Cooley. Though the post-championship celebrations caused an unexpected slip to Kilkerley on October 4, the senior double was still a distinct possibility. With one game left, Mattock led the way on 16 points, with the Blues, Cooley and Dundalk Gaels all tied on 14. After a semi-final defeat of the Gaels, Newtown Blues' brave bid was thwarted by Cooley in the Cardinal O'Donnell Cup final - 1-7 to 0-8 at the Clans on Sunday October 26. A fortnight later, the Louth champions pushed Kilmacud Crokes all the way in the Leinster club championship at Parnell Park. Newtown Blues were in Group Two of the 2008 Louth senior football championship. They opened their account with a bold statement of intent, sweeping to a stunning 3-14 to 0-2 demolition of St Marys at Dunleer on Sunday May 4. If there were any doubts that the Blues meant business in '08, that performance banished them! Though this result had to be qualified by the mediocrity of the Marys challenge, the Blues nonetheless did what they had to do - and then some! The winners played some devastating football and cut through their opponents at will time and time again. They didn't allow the Ardee men to score from play over the hour and held them completely scoreless in the second half. Colm Judge got 1-4, Hugh McGinn chipped in with four points, and even the goalie scored a goal. Wing back Emmet Judge had the first three-pointer as early as the eighth minute and his fellow wing back Ged Kellett got forward to fire over two minors. The midfield pairing of Kermode and Lynch started the year as they would continue. Over all, the team made little of the absence of want-away county man Jamie Carr. Eight days later, Cooley provided the opposition and the result was every bit as impressive, even if the scoreline wasn't quite so spectacular - 1-13 to 0-9. This game was the first meeting of any two of the so-called 'Big Four' and it provided an opportunity for somebody to show their credentials. It was the Blues who stepped up to the plate and avenged their quarter-final defeat of the previous year in impressive fashion. Cooley were still in it for ten minutes or so at Dowdallshill, but the Blues hit turbo-charge to reel off seven unanswered points and assume a commanding 0-8 to 0-2 interval advantage. The six-point margin remained with 51 minutes played and the peninsula men then rallied to halve it, 0-12 to 0-9. Breen Phillips had been sent off for a second yellow on 56 but the Blues kept their cool as Ian McManus tapped over a free and substitute Aidan O'Brien wrapped the points up with an injury-time goal. Five weeks passed before Round Three was played and the Blues continued where they had left off with a crushing 2-13 to 2-4 defeat of Kilkerley at Dunleer on Sunday June 22. That was the only round of SFC games played in the three-month high-summer period between May 11 and August 9. Kilkerley had Shane Lennon (2-3) on call for the first time but they had no answer to the twin threat of Colm Judge and Ian McManus. Along with McGinn, they accounted for 1-12 of the winning tally. Brian Kermode blasted the opening goal and that score confirmed early on that the Blues would maintain their 100% record and plant one foot in the knockout stage. When the competition resumed in early August, it became quickly apparent that the Blues had lost none of their hunger as they powered to a 2-14 to 0-4 thumping of hapless Naomh Malachi at Ardee. This match was played in dreadful conditions and the Blues had the points wrapped up by the short whistle. They stamped their authority all over the game from the outset and once more underlined their status as the form team of the summer-that-wasn't. Again, Brian Kermode registered the opening goal and this time the outstanding midfielder finished with 1-2 to his credit. Netsman Harte got his second major of the campaign. Both teams were already assured of a place in the knockout stage by the time Newtown Blues and St Brides met in the final round of group games at Stabannon on Thursday August 21. Lest there be any doubting who would progress as group winners, the Blues closed their round-robin programme with a 0-12 to 0-10 victory, preserving the perfect record that would hold right through to the end of September and the handing out of the Ward Cup. Topping the group meant that the Blues wouldn't have to bother with the inconvenience of playing a quarter-final match. The Brides gave them their most searching examination of the competition thus far but, in truth, the Blues always seemed to have something extra in reserve. Colm Judge (2), Hugh McGinn (3), Keith Lynch and Stephen Moonan got the points that established a 0-7 to 0-5 interval lead. After the resumption, Brian Kermode, Judge, Ian McManus and McGinn (2) did the damage, while Colm Nally made a fine save to make sure the Blues didn't have to up the ante. Jimmy Murray, who had retired at half time in the last round, missed the game through injury and he would also sit out the semi-final against the same opposition. He was also unfit to start the county final. That he wasn't missed speaks volumes for the strength in depth in the squad. The Brides put paid to St Patricks' hopes at the quarter-final stage and provided semi-final opposition at Dunleer on Saturday September 13. The Blues turned the screw and led from start to finish. Barry Sharkey got the goal as they prevailed by 1-12 to 0-11 to advance to the decider. In terms of personnel, there may not have been a massive difference from the side that lost the 2005 county final, but the players had developed enormously since then and it is worth pointing out that it had been an exceptionally young side that represented the club in '05. Eugene Judge, Richie Culhane and Sean Finglas took charge of team affairs in '08 and they set about getting the team to play the brand of football for which the Blues were renowned, moving the ball quickly and effectively. Having been involved with the 2004 MFC-winning side, Judge had a thorough knowledge of the players at his disposal and he knew what their most useful positions were. The acquisition of former Meath player Ian McManus over the winter was a coup for the club, as the Drogheda resident - winner of four Leinster and one All-Ireland junior championships with the Royals - slotted nicely into the attack. The big target man had a fine year on the edge of the square and complemented home grown dynamos like Colm Judge and Hugh McGinn superbly. Every player in the squad excelled from start to finish and the combination of outstanding teamwork mixed with stellar individual skill made Newtown Blues the toast of Louth for the 18th time. Newtown Blues, 2008 Louth senior football champions: Michael Harte; Thomas Costello, Cormac Reynolds (0-1), Craig Owen; Aidan O'Brien, Raymond Hughes, Emmet Judge; Brian Kermode, Keith Lynch (0-1); Barry Sharkey (1-0), Breen Phillips, Hugh McGinn (0-9); Colm Judge (0-3), Ian McManus (0-1), Stephen Moonan. Subs: Niall Costello, Martin Phillips, Jimmy Murray, Donal Nugent. Rest of panel: Colm Nally, Gerard Kellett, Ronan Phillips, Eoghan Judge, John Kermode, Karl Clinton, David Donovan, Lorcan McQuillan, Paul Black, Stephen Kermode. Tweet

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