Hunterstown Rovers have plenty of cause for optimism going into the 2004 season. The mid-Louth club has a smattering of exciting new talent at its disposal, including Padraig Mathews, a young player who made a big impression in '03. Hunterstown Rovers were handed a thankless task in the 2003 Louth senior football championship, their prospects of reaching the latter stages virtually non-existent. Pitted in Group B, the Red & Whites were up against the might of 2000 and 2001 county champions Newtown Blues, 2002 kingpins Mattock Rangers and would-be 2003 champions St Patricks. Even the most accomplished of senior sides would hardly have fancied their chances of emerging from that section, and the fact that the defending champions from Collon were eliminated at the group stage speaks for itself. Even though Hunterstown have an impressive championship pedigree and usually provide stubborn opposition in the premier competition, the enormity of the task at hand in '03 proved too much for them. After making a real fight of it in their first group outing against the Blues, Rovers were comprehensively beaten by both Mattock and the Pats. However, it's not all doom and gloom: they can still glean some positives from the season gone by, not least of which was the stellar form of young attacker Padraig 'Paddy' Mathews. In the championship opener in Dunleer, Mathews was terrorising the Blues defence from full forward before a cynical challenge ended his involvement in the match. Even though he spent the second half up the road in Drogheda - Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, to be precise! - 19-year-old Padraig was still his side's top scorer with a return of 1-3. That match was played on June 13th and Hunterstown were somewhat unfortunate to go under on a scoreline of 1-15 to 2-7, after giving as good as they got for much of the hour. Indeed, the injury to Mathews could be cited as a turning point as the underdogs struggled to sustain their challenge right through to the long whistle (the sides were level on 1-6 apiece at the interval and Hunterstown trailed by a mere point with ten minutes remaining). Reflecting on the Blues game (or at least what he remembers of it!), Hunterstown's up-and-coming dangerman admits to being reasonably satisfied with the team's performance: "We started out fairly well and gave them a good game up to the last few minutes when we faded out of it. We played some football in that game and were pleased with our performance. "We knew after the previous year, when we gave them a good game in the championship as well, that there was no reason why we couldn't put it up to them. That's exactly how it turned out and in the end we were a little disappointed not to get something out of the game..." Even though it was an extremely difficult group, Hunterstown's approach was far from defeatist. They went into the '03 Louth SFC intent on rattling cages: "We were completely up against it, that's for sure, but at the same time we had nothing to lose and the pressure was off us. It's not a bad position to be in because you can just go out and concentrate on playing football. "In the championship, you always have a chance no matter who you're playing, so we were quietly confident. Training went well too and we felt that the stage was set for a couple of surprise results. The first half went well against the Blues but for the second half I was on my way to hospital. From what I heard afterwards, it slipped away from us in the last ten minutes." Up until the point at which he was 'removed' from the game, Padraig had a massive influence on proceedings. His performance was inspirational, although he is quick to share the credit: "The whole team was playing really well. When the team plays well, it's easy to go with them..." Padraig was concussed and unwell for a few days but had returned to full training within a week. Next up was a glamour tie against neighbours and friendly rivals Mattock Rangers. The game was put back a week before taking place in Drogheda on Friday July 4th. It didn't go to script for Rovers; they lost by a whopping 18 points! Collon had been beaten by the Pats in the first round and unfortunately it was Hunterstown who suffered the backlash of that result. "They were missing a few players and had been beaten in the first round, so we felt that if we were ever going to beat them this was our chance," reveals Padraig. "There's a good rivalry between the clubs - they're only up the road and we play with them at minor and under 21 level as part of the Hunterstown/Collon/Tullyallen amalgamation. It's a healthy rivalry and we were looking forward to the game. "Unfortunately, they were smarting from the first-round defeat and we suffered the backlash. We only stayed with them for the opening few minutes and they really cut loose in the second half. Even though they never got any further, Collon showed that day what a class side they are and we just happened to be on the receiving end!" Hunterstown were already out of contention before they completed their Group C programme against St Patricks at Pairc Clan Na Gael on July 10th. Considering that the Lordship representatives had to win to assure themselves of a place in the last eight, it was no major surprise when another heavy defeat (3-18 to 0-7) was inflicted on the hapless Hunterstown men. "We had little to play for except pride. We were short a few influential players but still played as well as we could with the men we had on the night. It wasn't enough though and the Pats were determined to prove their championship credentials." Bearing in mind that their group contained three of county's best senior sides, there was no shame in finishing the campaign pointless. Padraig opines: "I suppose we would've had a better chance in one of the other groups. There are senior teams in the county that we may have been able to stay with ... but who knows? There are no easy games and there's no point making excuses or feeling sorry for ourselves. We had as good a chance as anyone else in the group..." At 19, Padraig Mathews was a revelation in 2003. There are many other exciting young players coming through at Pairc Baile Fiach as well. The two Carries are showing great promise, while Daniel McKenna and Alan Landy are also starting to prove themselves. Says Padraig: "There has been a lot of work put into underage development and we're hoping to see more of that over the next two or three years. For the time being, however, it's starting to slowly come through. We still have some of the more experienced players on board too. Dessie Levins played through 2003 and his form was superb. He's still a brilliant midfielder and there weren't too many who got the better of him this year. He's a very dedicated footballer and a great example to the younger players." Looking to the future, Padraig believes it's imperative that Hunterstown nail down a place in the top grade, reasoning: "It's important for Hunterstown to be playing senior football for as long as we can. Young players are probably at an advantage coming in at senior level because the game is quicker and suits them better. Hunterstown's priority has to be to return senior and then, when the championship comes around, give it a shot... "When you see clubs like Mattock, Glyde and St Brides doing so well - with so many young players having such a big influence on the team - you like to think your own club could do the same some day. We have a lot of good U16 players now and that's giving us hope, because Collon had a good U16 team that came through together. If we even have half the success they've had we'd be happy! "To just consolidate our senior status would be a tremendous achievement in itself because Hunterstown is a small area and the fact that we have been senior in the first place is quite admirable." Padraig was a member of the Hunterstown/Collon/Tullyallen team that won the 2002 Louth U21 football championship. He was under 21 again in '03 and will be eligible for the grade for two more seasons. The gifted forward hails from a family steeped in Hunterstown Rovers tradition. His father Paddy played for the club as have his uncles Tony and Donal. Meanwhile, his cousins Jim and Ciaran were manager and selector respectively of the first team in 2003 (alongside fellow selector Brendan Crosby). Padraig's brother Colin also played for Rovers but has been Down Under for the past two years, while sisters Ciara and Orla have lined out for the club's ladies team. Some people say football is a second religion in Hunterstown; others contend that it's the first one! Tweet

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