In 2008, St Brides made another brave bid to win the Joe Ward Cup. Again they reached the semi-final stage - accounting for holders St Patricks along the way - but this time their run was ended by Newtown Blues at Dunleer on Saturday September 13. Though disappointed by that 1-12 to 0-11 defeat, long-serving full back David J McArdle believes the Brides still have enough quality to land a coveted SFC. Having been pipped by Cooley at the penultimate hurdle in 2007, St Brides went into the new campaign determined to make it to another county final. Things certainly looked encouraging when they inflicted a 0-13 to 1-3 defeat on defending champions St Patricks in their quarter-final tie at Clan na Gael Park on August 30 but, alas, Shorty Treanor's charges came up short against the Blues a fortnight later. Looking back on the championship season, were they reasonably content that they produced another decent effort overall, or disappointed that they failed to grab the ultimate prize in Wee County club football? "I'd have to say we were disappointed not to at least go one better than 2007," comes the honest reply from David J McArdle. "We were hoping to get to the final at least, if not to win it, so it was disappointing to bow out at the same stage for a second successive year." For the past seven or eight years, the Brides have established themselves as one of the most consistent senior clubs in Louth. There's no denying their quality. It shines through beacon-like year after year as they invariably progress to the business end of the SFC; the challenge facing them now is to take it a step further and actually claim the Joe Ward. Two-thousand-and-eight was a case in point for the Knockbridge outfit. Once more, they emerged from their section with something to spare. They opened their Group 2 account with a routine 2-13 to 0-11 defeat of Kilkerley on May 3 at the Clans and followed up with a 2-12 to 0-6 thumping of Naomh Malachi eight days later. After losing to Cooley by four points at Dowdallshill on June 18, the Brides guaranteed themselves passage to the knockout phase with a 2-14 to 1-11 victory over St Marys in Drogheda on August 10. Both teams were already through before the final group outing against the Blues, which the Drogheda side won by two points - 0-12 to 0-10 - at Stabannon on Thursday August 21. In total, St Brides played seven times in the 2008 Louth senior football championship, winning four and losing three. Why did a place in the county final elude them again? "We beat the Pats in the quarter-final and it's very hard to produce two big performances one after the other," David notes. "We possibly rely a bit too much on Aaron Hoey at that's, and that's a criticism that's constantly levelled at us, but we feel we do have enough players to carry us through if everybody hits form on the day. Unfortunately, that didn't happen against the Blues in the semi-final. "We had played them in the group stage and we believed we were capable of beating them. They were the best team on the day, but the goal they got at the end of the first half was a bit of a freak goal and that put six points between us, which made life very difficult. You need to get the breaks in a game like that. "The Blues were definitely the best team but we didn't perform to our full potential, which was a pity. In a championship semi-final, both teams will be nervous, so it often comes down to who makes the least mistakes. The Blues made fewer mistakes on the day and that's why they reached the final." How frustrating is it for St Brides to continually get within touching distance only to miss out? Do the players ever feel like giving up or do they genuinely believe they can still come good and deliver a Joe Ward? "We are sick of the same old story, but we're not going to throw in the towel. We have a good record in the group stage every year but we always seem to come up short in a quarter-final or semi-final. It's our intention to get back to a county final, or even to go on and win one. "Of course, it doesn't get any easier," David continues. "But we always feel that we have a chance of winning any game if we get it right. We're not that far away. We know what these quarter-finals and semi-finals are all about now and we know we can beat any team in the county on our day. We have the players to do it." The Brides had returned to training in early February and, as usual, the numbers were good. Due to the nature of club football in the county these days, the target was clear - to win the senior championship. David J explains: "The league has really fallen back now that county players aren't involved any more, so a lot of clubs just forget about the league altogether and focus on the championship. Every club is geared towards the championship now, and we are no different. "One huge drawback - and it affects every club - is the lengthy lay-off during the summer. The delay between games is far too long. We played our second championship match against Naomh Malachi two weeks before Louth played Dublin and we only had one more championship outing from there until mid-August. That's one game in three months and I really don't see how any club could cope with that. You get yourself ready for the championship and then there are no games and then, when Louth go out, all the games are run off quickly just to get them out of the way. It's something the County Board is really going to have to look at. I don't know what the solution is - whether we really need to be playing five group games - but the numbers going to matches are down and they might have to re-jig it next year." St Brides have made phenomenal progress in the past decade or thereabouts, emerging from the shadows of junior football to establish themselves as genuine SFC contenders. David J McArdle has been a permanent fixture on that side. The first major breakthrough came in 1998 when they finished runners-up in both the JFC and Division Three, the latter finish earning them promotion to intermediate/Division Two. In '99, they won Division Two (the Toner Cup) to clinch elevation to the top table. In 2001, the Brides won the Division 1B title (McShane Cup) and the following year they qualified for the SFC final against Mattock. In 2003, they were edged out by St Marys in a semi-final replay. Since then, they've continued to knock loudly on the door St Brides is a close-knit club, with strong family ties running through their fabric. David J's dad Michael won a junior championship medal with the club in 1967 and his brother Declan is a former treasurer. His late uncle Malachy served the Brides as chairman. As for 2009, the defiant No.3 says it will be business as usually for the Knockbridge footballers: "We'll be striving to get to the final and hopefully win it," he confirms. "It's not getting any easier and the surprise element is gone at this stage, but we're not far away and we can beat them all on our day if we get our act together. The minors did brilliantly this year as part of the amalgamation with the Mochtas and Annaghminnon, so we're also hoping to get some fresh blood through from that crop. With a few new faces around to freshen things up, the future should be a bright one." Tweet

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