Dreadnots took no prisoners in 2002 as they stormed inexorably towards an instant return to senior football. They fell marginally short in the intermediate championship but set the pace all year at the top of Division 2A. At the time of going to press, the Clogherhead men had one hand on the Toner Cup and were long odds-on to return to the top grade. It was a tall order: bounce back to senior football with a new-look team. Dreadnots had it all to do in 2002. First, they had to put the disappointment of the previous season behind them and come to terms with the fact that their exciting but brief flirtation with the top teams in the county was over for the time being. They had to lick their wounds and adapt once more to the dog-eat-dog world of intermediate/Division 2A. Also, the Clogherhead club was in transition. Consequently, there were other, more pressing factors to cope with: any success they would achieve would have to be done with limited resources. At their disposal, Dreadnots had a small pool of players, many of them mere youngsters never before exposed to the cut and thrust of competitive first team football. It was a big ask. But, typically, the Dreadnots regrouped and came out fighting, demonstrating remarkable reserves of pride, determination, commitment and resilience over the course of a highly satisfactory season. They needed a point from their last league game - against O'Connells - to clinch promotion to the top flight. At the time of writing, that fixture had yet to be played as Wee County GAA subjected the unwary fan to yet another ridiculously protracted season [a number of major issues had yet to be decided even though Christmas was only six weeks away]. But Dreadnots had dragged themselves to within touching distance of glory and their performances thus far had been sufficient to mark their '02 season out as a resounding success. What character they demonstrated! A lesser power would have buckled under the pressure. The club had taken a step backwards at the end of the previous season and it took remarkable levels of fortitude and conviction to not only stem the tide but actually turn things around. In 1999/2000, Dreadnots stormed from junior to senior level in successive seasons by virtue of success in the junior and intermediate championships. Last year (2001), they carried a two-year unbeaten championship record into the SFC, which was played on an initial league basis for the first time. Dreadnots played five games in the 2001 senior championship. They were in the same group as Cooley Kickhams, Lannleire and St Josephs. After a three-way tie at the top of Group A, they bowed out of contention following play-off defeats to both the Joes and Cooley. It was a thoroughly commedable effort from the fishermen. Imagine then, the abject disappointment that engulfed the small seaside village when Dreadnots eventually lost their senior status at the end of a season that had promised so much. Thus, they found themselves back in the intermediate grade for the 2002 season. They had no choice but to knuckle down and strive for an instant return via either league or championship. Considering that there had been wholesale changes in playing personnel since the triumphs of '99 and '00 (and also that a lot of new, young players had to be blooded during the 2002 campaign), the Black and Reds performed heroically. As club chairman Anthony Murphy puts it: "Under the circumstances, they have done exceptionally well. At the beginning of the year, we went all out to regain the intermediate championship, but unfortunately we came a cropper against the Malachis. Things went even better in the league: we lost our first game to Kilkerley but then won ten in a row, to leave us needing just a point from our final game to guarantee ourselves outright victory in the division." As this publication crept towards the printers, Dreadnots had done enough to assure themselves of, at the very least, a play-off for the Division 2A crown. They had one foot across the threshold of senior football and were on the verge of switching grades for the fourth consecutive season! Their championship form in 2002 was something of a mixed bag. They lost to both Kilkerley Emmets and Naomh Malachi, both of whom went on to contest the intermediate decider. Pitted in Group C, they kicked off their campaign with a five-point defeat of Sean O'Mahonys in early June, 2-11 to 2-6, Gary Shevlin bagging a goal in each half. Shevlin helped himself to another brace of majors as St Mochtas were beaten by 2-16 to 2-6 four weeks later (June 30th). In their final group outing, Dreadnots faced Kilkerley on July 11th. The winners would top the table; the runners-up would finish second. As it turned out, Dreadnots had no luck on the day, Kilkerley getting the crucial goal mere moments after the Clogherhead side had struck the butt of the post. Final score: Kilkerley Emmets 2-8, Dreadnots 1-8. Naomh Malachi provided the quarter-final opposition on August 9th. Thanks to goals from Ronan Connolly and Gary Shevlin, the Black and Reds led by seven points at the end of the first quarter but they were outscored by 2-8 to 0-4 for the remainder of the match and ended up losing by three points, 2-10 to 2-7. It was a disappointing end to Dreadnots' campaign and their 45-minute fade-out was inexplicable. The Malachis had undoubtedly been let off the hook and made the most of their good fortune by going on to take the IFC. In the league, meanwhile, Dreadnots set the standard that everyone else was challenged to follow. After a comprehensive 3-12 to 0-10 first-round defeat at the hands of Kilkerley, they embarked on an amazing run of ten straight victories. What made this sequence of results all the more remarkable was the competitive nature of Division 2A, where there were literally no easy pickings to be had. Dreadnots had to fight tooth and nail for literally every point. As club chairman Anthony Murphy quite accurately observes: "I think Division 2A is every bit as hard as the bottom half of senior." The Kevins were thumped mercilessly (3-15 to 0-6); Naomh Malachi were edged out (1-12 to 2-7); and Oliver Plunketts also learned a harsh lesson (2-16 to 2-14) as the relentless Dreadnots machine clicked into gear. More victories followed, at the expense of O'Connells (1-9 to 0-11) and Geraldines (1-15 to 0-12). In the second round of games, the defeat to Kilkerley was duly avenged at Clogherhead (1-12 to 1-6) and St Kevins provided more stern opposition at the Philipstown venue (0-8 to 0-6). Naomh Malachi may have knocked Dreadnots out of the championship and gone on to take gold but there was no denying who was the class act when the sides met again in the league at Clogherhead on October 12th: Dreadnots won 0-16 to 0-3 to complete a telling league double over the side that had just gone senior. Doubles were also completed over Geraldines (1-9 to 2-2) and Oliver Plunketts (1-7 to 0-6) to leave Dreadnots on the brink of a senior return with just one league game remaining, at home to O'Connells. All things considered, Dreadnots performed superbly in 2002. Taking both league and championship into consideration, they were the most consistent intermediate side in the county. It was a commendable effort from both players and mentors alike. Sean McEntee - an ex-O'Raghallaighs player who has been with the Dreadnots for the best part of 25 years - took charge of the team in '02, ably assisted by selectors Tom Matthews and Eamonn Lynch. As for significant changes in playing personnel, the signing of Louth legend Colin Kelly from Newtown Blues was the obvious one. Mark Kelly was also brought in, as was Donal Skinnader from Monaghan for the last six weeks or so of the season. Meanwhile, on the debit account, two key players emigrated to Australia during the year while another went to England. So Dreadnots certainly had it all to do. From the outset, a clear emphasis was placed on promotion and a return to the top grade - this despite the fact that Dreadnots had a particularly small base of players to pick from (for the first year in five, they were unable to muster up the numbers to field a second team). Thus, everyone had to knuckle down and row in together for the common cause. "The players were more dedicated and really put the effort in. And the management team put their backs into it as well," reports a satisfied club chairman. "The team has changed a lot over the past few years and a few lads came in during 2002 and made a hell of a difference." They sure did. It was great to witness Dreadnots back in full flow. Tweet

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