At the beginning of this year, one of Louth's best known coaches, Tommy Connolly, surprised many when he announced that he was ending his 36-year association with Dundalk Football Club. While many were wondering what Tommy would do with himself without football, the officials at Clan na Gael didn't waste any time in approaching him about the possibility of throwing his lot in with the Castletown club writes Eunan Whyte. Although it would represent a major change of direction, the former Republic of Ireland U-15 & U-16 manager didn't take long to accept the offer to get back into coaching. At the end of successful year, both parties could reflect that it was the right decision to make. While others may have elected to take an extended break, Tommy, always intended continuing in coaching, and was delighted to get the opportunity so soon to try something new. "I didn't last too long away from sport, but it wouldn't be good for my health to take a lengthy break. They say that a change is as good as a rest, and that is the way I felt about it. "I spent so long at Oriel Park that in the end it became a bit of a chore. It got to the stage where I wasn't enjoying it, and that was not me. I was involved in so many things that I didn't have one night free in the week. As a result, the only option was to take a complete break so I decided to change direction." While it may have been a change of course for Tommy, it was a case of going back to his roots, having been involved with the Dundalk club in his younger days. "I was born and reared beside the Clans in St. Laurence's Place, just off the Castletown Road, and spent much of my childhood at the club, so I suppose I went back home in a way. When you lived in that area, you played with De La Salle and Clan na Gael, but then I rambled off to the soccer. However, my brother Seamus, played with Clans for a time." Going back to Castletown wasn't a completely new experience as Tommy had a brief but successful association with the club in more recent times when he was involved as coach when they collected the Joe Ward Cup in 1998. Last year Tommy, who had three spells managing Dundalk, was involved with St. Patrick's, and as a result, will had no fears regarding his new role. "It wasn't that strange going back because there were a lot of familiar faces there from my previous time and also through the soccer. I always felt that the most challenging part would be adapting to the skills, but I soon came to terms with that. "I have to say that I was greatly assisted by the response of the players who were incredible. There was nothing negative in their approach and the response at training proved that. I was told during the summer that if we went out of the championship, there would be a massive drop-off in training. However, at our last session we had 35 out on the field so that shows the effort the lads put in." Tommy believes that players could have lost interest after losing in the senior semi-final having just failed in what would have been a dramatic comeback against eventual champions, Mattock Rangers. "Of course, we still had the league to play for and while it could have been a big downer for the lads but they responded very well. The manner of our exit from the championship was particularly disappointing because we knew we were a lot better than our first half performance suggested. Mattock are a very good team and they proved that in the end, but with a bit of luck, we could have pipped them in the second half." Despite that failure, Tommy was pleased that the club achieved their main objective of the season which was to get back into Division 1A, a task they knew was never going to be easy. "We were aware from the start that it was going to be difficult to get out of Division 1B as it is very competitive. That's the way it proved to be as there were never any easy games. Even at the very end, one of our hardest games was against Gaels even though they had been relegated the week before. Right up to the end everyone was giving it their best at both ends of the table and that's the way it should be and no team wants to get anything too easy. "I was delighted for the players that we won the league because after being relegated last year there was a sense that there was going to be a bit of a transition year and maybe it wasn't worth putting in a big effort in training. "However, we soon put those thoughts out of our minds and developed into a fast running team. At the end I was delighted to see that we were playing some good football. Apart from the younger lads coming through, we also had the experienced men such as Barry O'Connor, Paddy McEneaney, Thomas Staunton and Gerry Curran, all playing a very important part. They were willing to work hard in training and gave great commitment which rubs off on the younger players." Over the year, Tommy has attempted to bring about a more disciplined and professional attitude in all areas such as training, match preparation and, of course, the games themselves. He believes he has made progress and is hoping that it will continue next season. Overall, he has enjoyed his year and is looking forward to bringing the club on another step in 2003. "It was a big challenge for me, but I have enjoyed it. It is not like soccer in that you have to work with the players you have and can't go about brining anyone in. I suppose that is one of the most rewarding aspects of the game as you have to try to get the very best out of the players at your disposal. "It was great to end the year with a trophy and with a bit more luck we could have had a championship, but we will be working on that in the future." Although his own club missed out on the Joe Ward Cup, Tommy was pleased to see a club like Mattock Rangers coming through to enjoy their moment of glory. "For anyone with an interest in the game, it is nice to see a club like Mattock coming through to win for the first time. It has to be good for football in the county to see new teams making the breakthrough as it will increase the competition and the overall standard." On the negative side, Tommy admits that it was sad to see Dundalk Gaels losing their senior status, but hopes they will bounce back in the near future. "It was a pity to see Gaels going down because I think a town the size of Dundalk can sustain two or three senior teams, so I hope they are back up in the near future. "It would also be great to see Young Irelands making a comeback, but overall it hasn't been a bad year for Dundalk teams with Sean O'Mahony's winning their league and Na Piarsaigh going back up to Intermediate football after beating Dowdallshill in the final. "Na Piarsaigh certainly have the talent coming through and the test for the club is that they nurture those young players and make sure they come through to adult football in the coming years." Clans U14s complete three-timer Clan Na Gael enjoyed a most satisfactory year at juvenile level, the highlight of which was winning the county U14 A championship for a record third successive year. Club chairman Fra Byrne was one of three selectors in charge of the Clans' latest all-conquering side. On September 9th 2002 under 14 specialists Clan Na Gael defeated Sean Treacy's by 2-7 to 2-5 to win the Louth U14 football championship. Incredibly, it was the third year in a row that the Castletown club had reigned supreme in this particular category. But nobody had said it was going to be easy . . .. and it certainly wasn't. The Clans reached the final with gutsy, hard-fought wins over St Michaels (1-12 to 3-4), O'Raghallaighs (3-8 to 1-10) and Eire Og before edging out the Treacy's with sheer heart and determination (as well as no little skill). Reflecting on the triumphant campaign, team mentor Fra Byrne concedes that the Clans may have been a little fortunate to prevail but adds that the players' hunger and courage separated them from the rest of the pack. The Clans U14 Class of 2002 was not prepared to roll over for anybody! "We didn't expect it, to be honest," he concedes. "But the longer the year went on and the more I saw of the team, I knew it would take an exceptionally strong side to beat them. Normally, when a club wins an underage championship, you then have a bit of a lull at that level - but we've just produced three U14 championship-winning sides on the trot, which is a unique feat. "We were by no means the best team - but they refused to accept defeat. There were better teams in the county at under 14 level in 2002, but we beat them! The lads all showed great character and they had a very strong belief in themselves once they pulled on the Clans jersey. They knew about the great tradition the Clans have and played with exceptional pride in their jersey." Fra (who was also in his first year as club chairman) took charge of the team along with fellow selectors Alan Moran and Andrew McAllister. Having been active within the Clans' juvenile section for the past decade, the veteran of some fifteen or so senior campaigns has nurtured an abundance of talent on behalf of Dundalk's most decorated club. He has played a part in each of the three U14 championship-winning campaigns, 2000-02, but is quick to stress that it's far from a one-man show. The Clans operate a slick, well-oiled underage machine. As well as the aforementioned triumvirate of Fra, Alan and Andy (who took the U14s and U13s), Clan Na Gael are also indebted to Aidan Kirk (U16s), Paddy McKeever (U16s and minors), Benny McKeever (U15s), Gerry McKeever (minors) and John McShane (minors) for their unstinting and selfless voluntary contributions during the past twelve months and more. And there were many others, as Fra intimates: "We ran an internal U14 blitz at the start of the year and there was a large number of people involved in making sure that ran smoothly and served its purpose." Clan Na Gael's recent juvenile record is the envy of every other club in the Wee County. They claimed U14 championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and also garnered back-to-back county minor championships in 1999 and 2000. As well as contesting four successive U14 finals, they also contested the under 16 championship final and league semi-final in 2002 (losing both times to a strong Gaels XV). Fra adds: "All our teams from U13 to U16 reached at least a championship semi-final this year, and the minors won the Division 2 league." The juvenile selector wastes no time scoffing claims that it's easy for the Clans to dominate at underage level due to the vast number of players at their disposal: "We are very well organised in how we conduct our juvenile affairs and run our teams - that's why we are successful. It's a complete myth that we have an abundance of players. That's not the case at all. We're no better off numbers-wise than most other clubs - but we do a lot with the limited players we have. It's all about getting the best out of them. "They know when they come to join the club that discipline is of paramount importance and that it will be a key factor. We instil that into them from the very first time they pull on a Clan Na Gael jersey and they row in with that. "I have to say, we had no hassle at all with this U14 team. They behaved impeccably and showed great spirit and character." Fra was already familiar with most of the players from the previous year's U13 side as well as his work at the Redeemer and De La Salle Boys primary schools where he works as a PE instructor (as indeed does his fellow Clans selector Andrew McAllister). How did the latest triumphant year take shape for the U14s? Fra recounts: "We first got the team together when we ran our internal blitz in March. The purpose of that was to take a look at what we had on offer. We started off with about 60 kids ranging in age from twelve to 14 and developed a panel of 25 from that. "The County Board decided to run a preliminary round of matches in North Louth to decide which teams should be in Division One and we came through along with Cooley Kickhams. "We went through that league campaign unbeaten for seven or eight matches until our last game against Cooley. That result let them back into it. We finished top of the table and they finished fourth - and they beat us in the semi-final of the county U14 league." It was a little perplexing. And slightly frustrating. But things went much better in the championship: From what I'd seen in the league, I thought O'Raghallaighs were going to win the championship. I rated them as the best U14 team but we ended up beating them in the quarter-final and we never looked back." Fra believes it was a solid team effort that saw the Clans through. There were no prima donnas on this team: "Overall, the side was fairly well balanced. A number of them were selected to play for Louth but didn't show up, which I found disappointing, but there was no questioning their commitment to the Clans. Once they pulled on the club jersey, they were very strong. We looked compact and well balanced - the longer it went on, the more I knew it would take a good team to beat us." Togher outfit Sean Treacy's provided the final opposition and the Dundalk lads scraped through with a couple of points to spare. The Clans management was modest in victory. Says Fra: "We were very fortunate to win the final. We were leading comfortably but they came back at us with a tremendous surge and got their noses in front late on. We got a penalty in the last minute and converted it to win. "You have to admire the lads because they refused to give in and it's the first time any club has won three U14 championships on the trot. So they have good reason to be feeling pleased with themselves..." The U14 win was a fitting feather in Clans' cap. All in all, it was a most satisfactory year for the Clans. As chairman of the club, Fra Byrne was greatly encouraged not just by the various juveniles but also by the endeavours of the first team: "We had a good year. We set out our stall at the start of the year to regain our position in Division 1A and achieved that by winning the McShane Cup. That was our number one objective. "We also had a good run in the championship and the further we went the higher the expectations rose. At the start of the year we would have settled for a good run but once we got to the semi-final, we felt we could do it. [Clans ousted defending champions of two years Newtown Blues in a replayed quarter-final. "We ended up playing the best team in the county in the semi-final. Mattock Rangers have without doubt been an improving team, but we still felt we could turn them over . . . and we almost did. "They blitzed us for 30 minutes but we came back at them in the second half and they were hanging on at the end. We had them on the back foot but ran out of time. We looked strong but the whistle went and we were out. We were disappointed because everybody worked really hard and we had good selectors in Sean McGeough, Barry Cullen and Niall O'Donnell, while the team was ably trained by Tommy Connolly. "We had a great response from the players with regards to training all year and everything was very positive. Our objective now for the coming year is to hold our place." Is it too early to be talking about this team winning a senior championship? "Probably. We're still rebuilding. We have a number of lads coming towards the ends of their careers and a lot of young lads coming through at the other end . . . the problem is that there's not really anybody in the middle." But it may be only a matter of time before the Clans reclaim their throne as top club in the Wee County: "We have a sequence of teams in place that will certainly be in contention at minor level. We will also be there or thereabouts next year at U16 level. We had a strong U13 team this year and they'll be in contention as U14s." Things are looking good on all fronts, therefore: "We've been fielding three adult teams for a number of years now and that's the way we intend to continue. For as long as people want to pull on the Clans jersey, we'll make sure they get that opportunity." Tweet

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