Dowdallshill came agonisingly close to capturing the Louth junior football championship in 2002. However, they were decidedly unfortunate to finish the season empty-handed. After surprising favourites St Nicholas in the semi-final, the 'Hill were edged out by Na Piarsaigh in the decider. And, unfortunately, in this game, the runner-up goes away with absolutely nothing. What an effort from Dowdallshill's young team in 2002! They caused the shock of the year in junior football by deservedly ousting red-hot favourites St Nicholas in the championship semi-final and stormed through to their first county final in 32 years. And in the final - played at Clan Na Gael Park on Sunday October 6th - they pushed fellow Dundalk club Na Piarsaigh (who had the benefit of having played intermediate football the previous season) all the way before succumbing narrowly on a scoreline of 0-13 to 1-8. The Dowdallers may be one of the oldest clubs in the county but they have fallen upon hard times of late and, therefore, have at times excelled just to keep things ticking over. Against such a trying backdrop, they deserve copious credit just for reaching the '02 final . . . their first JFC decider appearance since the title was captured in 1970. At the start of the season, most pundits would've listed the St Brigid's Park outfit as one of the teams LEAST likely to annex the Christy Bellew Cup. That they came within a couple of points of doing so is testament to a trojan effort from all concerned - players, backroom staff and club officers. Reaching the final also brought the 'Hill within an ace of attaining intermediate status for the first time ever - remember, the last time they won the junior title the winners stepped straight into the senior grade. Despite having lost to Na Piarsaigh in an early-season Kevin Mullen Shield outing, Dowdallshill subsequently defeated the Holy Family parish outfit in a league game at Rock Road, so their young troops went into the decider as quietly confident underdogs. Calling upon the experience of Colin O'Hare and Declan Roe in the middle of the pitch and dependable souls, Stephen Martin (scorer of five points in the semi-final and 1-1 in the final), Gerry McShane (captain) and Gerard Roe (who was unable to start the final but had a massive impact when entering the fray late on) up front as well as teak tough defenders Ciaran O'Callaghan and David Agnew, the men from the 'Hill had every reason to be feeling confident. Long gone are the days when the team consisted predominantly of Gardai and customs officers. Here is a team of local young talent, playing for local pride. They had been improving gradually in recent seasons (finishing a close second to Westerns in the Division Three league in 2001), usually without reward. But the appointment of the management triumvirate of Hugh McParland, Gerard Roe and Declan Roe worked the oracle and brought the team on in leaps and bounds last term. Their never-say-die performance against high-flying St Nicholas in the championship semi-final was nothing less than a revelation - and the Dowdallers didn't exactly let themselves down in the final either! At the end of a closely-contested first half, the match hung very much in the balance. Dowdallshill gave as good as they got in that opening half-hour and went into the interval on level terms, 0-7 apiece. The sides were level on no fewer than six occasions in the first half. Dowdallshill had the better of the possession but could never get any further than one point ahead as Na Piarsaigh gamely hung to their coat-tails. The game was lost in the third quarter as Dowdallshill's forwards struggled to find their composure in front of the posts. Indeed, the 'Hill didn't register their first score of the second half until the 55th minute, having conceded five points in succession since the resumption. Gerard Roe came off the bench and had an immediate impact. First he set up Donal Sheridan for that 55th-minute point, then he provided Stephen Martin with the pass that led to the game's only goal two minutes from time. Suddenly, there was only a point in it and the excitement mounted to fever pitch. Try as they may, Dowdallshill couldn't muster any more scores and it was Na Piarsaigh who tagged on an insurance point before taking the spoils. But it had been close, very close. And Dowdallshill were left wondering whether it would have been a different story had Roe entered the fray earlier. The player-selector made a massive impression and his presence on the field would undoubtedly have tipped the scales in the 'Hill's favour. Without doubt, Dowdallshill's best performance of the year was the semi-final defeat of fancied St Nicholas at The Grove in Castlebellingham on August 25th. It was the narrowest of victories (2-9 to 1-11) and the 'Hill had to withstand a strong late rally from the Nicks, but they were full value for a place in the Last Two. The draw appeared kind to the men for St Brigid's Park when it granted them an automatic semi-final spot. However, when St Nicholas trounced Young Irelands by 3-17 to 0-2 in their quarter-final, it looked as though the 'Hill had been done no favours whatsoever. The general consensus of opinion (that most reliable of gauges, ha!) had it that Dowdallshill would be steamrolled. Nobody gave the Dundalk outfit a snowball's chance in hell of defeating their Drogheda opponents - but how they proved the critics wrong with a magnificent team performance! The Nicks were on top early on but Gerard Roe's 19th-minute goal kept the Dundalk side in contention. They trailed by five points with fifteen minutes left but a converted penalty from captain Gerry McShane in the 51st minute brought them level before points from McShane and Stephen Martin (to a solitary St Nicholas reply) booked their place in the final, in the process bridging a tortuous 32-year gap. Dowdallshill wore the Cooley Kickhams jerseys for that semi-final tie to avoid a colour clash, and at times played not unlike their peninsula neighbours. They got off to a superb start. Colin O'Hare quickly seized the game by the scruff of the neck at midfield and the underdogs registered the evening's first two points through Donal Sheridan (free) and Donal O'Callaghan. The Nicks came back with four unanswered points before McShane and O'Callaghan combined to set up Gerard Roe for a wonderfully-executed goal. But the Nicks are nothing if not a quality act and they came back with three more points on the trot to lead again, 0-7 to 1-2. Dowdallshill had the final say of an absorbing first half when in-form wing forward Stephen Martin landed a fine point. Matchwinner Martin would kick a total of five points from play as his team earned a memorable victory. It was magic Martin who supplied the equaliser on the re-start but the favourites managed a goal and three points in the third quarter, while the 'Hill added only another Martin point. Trailing by five points, the Dowdallers would outscore the Nicks by 1-3 to 0-1 in the final quarter. The gap was narrowed by Martin and Sheridan (free) before Nicks goalie Tommy O'Boyle wrestled Gerard Roe to the ground inside the square for a 51st-minute penalty which Gerry McShane confidently converted. McShane then put the winners back in front and Martin fisted the insurance point. St Nicholas threw everything at them in the closing stages - including about seventeen kitchen sinks - but the 'Hill held on to book their place in the 2002 Anglo-Printers Louth Junior Football Championship final. The Dowdallshill side that beat St Nicholas on Sunday August 25th to qualify for the 2002 county junior football championship final: John Kerr; Eamonn Duffy, Vincent McKevitt, Peadar Toal; Eunan Whyte, Ciaran O'Callaghan, David Agnew; Declan Roe, Colin O'Hare; Kevin McParland, Gerry McShane (1-1), Stephen Martin (0-5); Gerard Roe (1-0), Donal O'Callaghan (0-1), Donal Sheridan (0-2). Subs: Eddie McArdle, Peter Hughes, Paul Gallagher, Niall O'Hagan. Tweet

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