Dundalk Gaels efficiently completed an instant return to senior ranks by winning the 2003 Louth intermediate football championship, beating Oliver Plunketts in the final at The Grove on Sunday October 5th. Guess who's back, back again, guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back... Dundalk Gaels have turned the corner in double quick time. At the end of 2002, they were rattled, having surrendered their senior status. However, it's an ill wind that blows no good and the Gaels have bravely made the most of their '02 misfortune. In hindsight, relegation could prove a blessing in disguise. It galvanised the troops and provided the team with a chance to prove its mettle in the IFC. The response from the players was exemplary and the 2003 Louth IFC was duly seized. And so, this time the year's end was marked with wild celebrations on the Ramparts Road. What a difference a year makes! Having regrouped, taken stock and compiled an excellent series of results in the middle grade, Dundalk Gaels will go into the 2004 campaign stronger than ever. They know they're a genuine senior power. They know that what happened in '02 was merely a glitch in the matrix (Remember, they actually reached the semi-final of the SFC that year!). Most significant of all, though, is the realisation that there's much more in the tank. In 2003, Dundalk Gaels demonstrated that they're a very special team indeed. Gaels'1-6 to 1-4 win over the Plunketts in a very low-scoring 2003 Louth intermediate football championship final in Castlebellingham was more comprehensive than the scoreline suggests. The Dundalk side started brightest and their superiority on the scoreboard never came under any realistic threat. Indeed, the losers' goal arrived deep into injury time and was barely even of consolation value as the game had effectively ended as a contest long before Justin Byrne's controversial 65th-minute effort crossed the line. While there's never an ideal time to concede a goal, as things go, it certainly wasn't a bad time to let one in! The Gaels were already home and dry, their passports stamped for a return to the top flight! Playing against the wind, Gaels were quickest into their stride in the county final and launched a purposeful attack in the second minute only for centre half back and captain Peter McGinnity to shoot wide. The Blue & Whites went on the offensive again in the fourth minute but this time Andrew Coleman's fisted attempt came back off a post before David Coleman fired his shot across the face of goal. A couple of chances had gone abegging, but the Gaels had made a purposeful start and the signs were encouraging. There were eight minutes on the clock when full forward David Coleman - who would finish the competition as Top Scorer with a personal return of 0-37 - raised the first flag of the evening. With three frees, a sideline ball and two from play, Coleman was also his club's only point-scorer in the final. Three minutes later, the winners registered the goal from which their opponents never recovered: half forward (and county minor) Derek Crilly picked up possession on the left and caught the Plunketts 'keeper off his line, lobbing the ball to the back of the net to make it 1-1 to 0-0 after eleven minutes. Further scores from Coleman in the 13th and 16th minutes had the Dundalk outfit six points to the good. Shellshocked Oliver Plunketts didn't open their account until the 20th minute. Indeed, the Drogheda team only managed a disappointing return of two points in the first half. The irrepressible Coleman closed the first-half scoring with a point from a free in the 26th minute, leaving the Blue & Whites with a commanding lead at the interval, 1-4 to 0-2. Even though Oliver Plunketts upped their performance considerably on the resumption, Gaels defended resolutely and held out for a famous victory. In his acceptance speech, winning captain Peter McGinnity admitted that the outcome could have been different had the Maroons taken their chances. While this is true, the team that puts most scores on the board invariably takes the spoils and in this case that team was Dundalk Gaels. With possession and opportunities at a premium, the winners only managed two points in the second half, despite playing with a strong wind at their backs. The second half was a real slog. Plunketts had most of the possession, but were unable to translate their territorial superiority into scores. Plunketts opened the second-half scoring with a point from a free after two minutes but - incredibly for a county final - a 23-minute spell without a score followed. When David Coleman grabbed his fifth point in the 55th minute, to make it 1-5 to 0-3, it was clear that the Ramparts side had weathered the storm, both literally and metaphorically speaking!. Plunketts had another point two minutes from time and Coleman rounded off a fine evening's work with his sixth point three minutes into stoppage time. This score - an excellent effort from a sideline ball - encapsulated the full forward's unerring accuracy over the year. Plunketts' late, late goal mattered not ... Dundalk Gaels had won the 2003 Louth intermediate football championship! It may not have been the prettiest win in the history of Louth football, but nobody in Pairc Na nGael will care about that during the months ahead when their club re-assumes its rightful place at the top table. In fairness to both teams, they are renowned for playing effective ATTACKING football but staging a championship final so late in the year is always a big gamble and this one didn't come off for the County Board. Winter broke to co-incide with the throw-in and the final was played during a heaving storm of wind and rain. The players were up against it in such inclement conditions but, as the history books always show, all that really matters in football is the result. And what an outcome for Dundalk Gaels! Full back Aidan Delaney, the ageless Robbie McCrave in the corner, wing back Ray Rooney and captain Peter Fitzpatrick were outstanding in defence, while goalkeeper Stephen Faulkner was soundness personified in the most testing of conditions. Paddy Hearty, who joined the club from Na Piarsaigh the previous year, had a huge game in the engine-room and the big midfielder deservedly collected the Man of the Match award for his efforts. David Coleman was his usual assured self on the edge of the square, leading the attack brilliantly and making a match-winning contribution with all six of his team's points from a variety of angles and distances. When Dundalk Gaels and Oliver Plunketts qualified for the 2003 Louth IFC final, there could be no disputing that the two best intermediate teams in the county at the time had made the decider. They were the two top teams on the Division 2A table and both were pushing for promotion on two fronts! (However, it must also be pointed out that by the time this edition went to the printers, O'Connells and Naomh Fionnbarra had closed the gap, with the Castlebellingham men in particular looking a real threat for promotion.) In the past, the IFC tended to throw up a few surprises but there was no such deception in '03 as things went to form and the two ante-post favourites booked their places in the final. Gaels had - bizarrely - been relegated in 2002 despite reaching the SFC semi-finals, while the Plunketts are perenially shortlisted as potential Seamus Flood Cup winners. While there was always the strong possibility that the losers could still clinch promotion via the league as a 'consolation prize', both sides wanted to go up in style as championship winners. The Ramparts-based outfit's championship group went pretty much as expected. They accounted for St Nicholas and Na Piarsaigh and qualified for the knock-out stage as table-toppers (by virtue of scoring averages) despite only managing a draw against stubborn St Kevins, themselves a seasoned intermediate proposition. They kicked off on June 15th with a 0-12 to 0-6 defeat of the Nicks at Ardee and followed this up with a 2-14 to 0-2 hammering of Na Piarsaigh seven days later. Both teams were already through to the knock-outs when Gaels and Kevins drew at Castlebellingham on July 15th, 0-10 to 1-7. Gaels' hopes were very nearly derailed when they met town rivals Sean O'Mahonys in the quarter-final. The Blue & Whites dominated the first half and were further boosted by an Andrew Coleman goal early in the second half. However, the O'Mahonys came with a late surge to draw level and, in boxing parlance, Gaels were saved by the bell... In the replay at Louth village on September 7th, the underdogs produced a rousing first-half effort to lead by five points at the interval, but Dundalk Gaels got their act together after the break and held their opponents scoreless for the remainder of the game, carving out a three-point victory (1-8 to 0-8) and passage to the last four. In the semi-final, Gaels proved that they had learned from their group-phase meeting with St Kevins, beating the Philipstown men by nine points to march through to the final. The semi-final was played at The Grove on September 13th and the Gaels prevailed by 1-10 to 0-4 Gaels had the decided advantage of playing in a senior 'semi' twelve months earlier and went into the decider full of confidence. Plunketts may have been on a high following their minor championship success, but Gaels had no shortage of young stars themselves! Stephen Faulkner was having an excellent year in goal, while his minor colleagues Derek Crilly, Sean Fee and Stephen Coleman were also to the fore all year. They had plenty of experience too: Aidan Delaney was enjoying a stellar year at full back, while Gaels could also call upon the vast experience of men like Robbie McCrave, Ray Rooney, Peter McGinnity and David Coleman, all of whom know a thing or two about pulling on the county jersey. Then there was the exceptional midfield pairing of Martin Harvey and Paddy Hearty, who will be a handful at senior level in the coming year(s). Dundalk Gaels were always going to be a tough team to beat at intermediate grade. If they keep this team together, the same will apply at senior next year! The championship secured, Gaels turned their attention to an intermediate double. At the time of writing, they were top of Division 2A and on course for a famous league and championship heist. But, due to the fixtures backlog, the issue had yet to be resolved. Either way, it mattered not to the town side ... they had already achieved their prime objective for 2003 and were safe in the knowledge that, come what may, they'd be playing senior football once more in '04. Dundalk Gaels, 2003 Louth intermediate football champions: Stephen Faulkner; Robbie McCrave, Aidan Delaney, Paul Grier; Ray Rooney, Peter McGinnity, Niall McCabe; Martin Harvey, Paddy Hearty; Derek Crilly (1-0), Stephen Coleman, Ciaran Culligan; Anthony McSorley, David Coleman (0-6), Andrew Coleman. Subs: Noel Mahon, Conor Delaney. Tweet

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