Geraldines came tantalising close to earning a return to senior ranks in 2002 but a narrow intermediate championship final defeat meant their year petered out in an anti-climactic whimper. Despite a gallant effort, there was to be no return to senior football for Geraldines whose brave 2002 IFC bid faltered in the final against Naomh Malachi at Dowdallshill on Sunday September 29th. The Haggardstown/Blackrock men were favourites to prevail in the decider, but a combination of crucial defensive lapses and inspirational goalkeeping by Malachis custodian Aidan Hoey conspired to thwart them on the day. When county star John Neary - who was patrolling the midfield sector - landed a mighty equalising point ten minutes from time, it looked as though the Gers might steal the spoils with a late burst. The sides were still level five minutes from the end of a hard-fought match but the concession of a 56th-minute penalty contributed enormously to Geraldines' downfall as they capitulated on a scoreline of 3-8 to 2-7. The September 29th meeting was the third time these two sides had clashed in the 2002 intermediate competition. They drew in the group stage before the Gers won a play-off (albeit after extra time) to determine who would go through to the semi-finals and who would have to content themselves with a place in the quarter-finals. The triumphant Gers overcame Oliver Plunketts in the 'semi' while Naomh Malachi took a more scenic route to the final, defeating Dreadnots before squeezing past Kilkerley Emmets after a second replay. Those three semi-final matches undoubtedly stood the Malachis in good stead going into the final and gave them a vital edge. The Gers played their semi-final a full five weeks before the decider, while their opponents had the benefit of three good hard matches in the space of 15 days. Geraldines were also hampered in the final by injuries to two key players - John Sands (who was forced to depart the fray at half time) and Paudie Lynch (who soldiered on manfully but was clearly below par). Naomh Malachi took an early lead but Emmet Duffy fired an equalising point in the third minute. Again, the Malachis edged ahead and again it was Duffy who restored parity, latching onto the ball following a wonderful 6th-minute save by the in-form Courtbane 'keeper. The Geraldines got well on top and moved two points clear thanks to converted frees from Duffy and John Sands. Naomh Malachi were all over the place at this stage and were fortunate to stay at the full compliment of 15 players. Geraldines continued to dominate up until the 20th minute but failed to register their superiority on the scoreboard. A suckerpunch was delivered when the Malachis grabbed a Ronan Greene goal against the run of play to edge back in front. By the 26th minute, Gers trailed by three points following two more Malachi scores. A minute later Joey Corcoran blasted to the net to draw the Gers level once more. They would have been delighted to go in level at the break. However - disastrously - a lapse of concentration at the back allowed the Courtbane-based men in for their second goal two minutes into first-half injury time and they led by that goal at the break, 2-4 to 1-4. Corcoran hit a quick point on the resumption but this was quickly cancelled out. Five minutes into the second half, Corcoran scored his second goal of the game, this one from the penalty spot following a foul on Roger Lynch. The sides were level. 2-5 apiece. All to play for. Game on. There were only two points in the next ten minutes and Naomh Malachi claimed both. As the game flowed into its final quarter, Geraldines - inspired by Neary - began to take control. First, the county man set up Brian Cafferty for a point; then he landed the equaliser himself. In between those two scores, he also set up Niall Carroll for a possible goal only for goalkeeper Hoey to once more come to his side's rescue. It was 2-7 apiece after 50 minutes. Geraldines had a number of opportunities in the closing ten minutes but were unable to add to their tally while the winners had Colin Murtagh to thank for converting a free (55) and a penalty (56) to book their place in senior football for the first time ever. Geraldines were left bitterly disappointed, not so much over the fact that they had lost but more down to the realisation that they had not performed to their full potential in the final. The Seamus Flood Cup was not going to Haggardstown/Blackrock after all. The final was always expected to be an extremely close contest - and so it proved. Tradition decreed that Geraldines were favourites: they have won five senior championships and had won their last IFC in 1996 (only to be relegated in '99), while the Malachis had never won the IFC and had never gone senior before. The lead-up to the final was a long way from the start of their campaign when Geraldines didn't even look capable of getting out of the five-strong Group B. They picked up only a solitary point from their first two games against Westerns and Naomh Malachi but hit form with impressive defeats of Sean McDermotts and O'Connells before accounting for Naomh Malachi (play-off) and Oliver Plunketts to power through to the final. Westerns The Gers kicked off their championship campaign in disappointing fashion when outscored by 1-11 to 1-8 by Westerns at Ardee on June 2nd. Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of this defeat was the fact that it was the Reaghstown club's first ever championship match outside junior ranks. Westerns got the game's first two points before John Sands pulled one back for the Geraldines in the ninth minute. Roger Lynch goaled for the Gers after gathering a long John Neary delivery. Westerns hit four points on the trot and the rest of the first half was even fare as the sides went in level at the interval: Westerns 0-8, Geraldines 1-5. Geraldines could only manage three points in the second half and the crucial score arrived ten minutes from the end when Westerns midfielder Padraig Brennan scored a brilliant goal to put his side five points clear. Despite a spirited late rally from the Gers - which almost yielded a goal - they were unable to salvage anything from the opening game. Naomh Malachi It was a full four weeks before Geraldines' second Group B fixture, against Naomh Malachi, at Roche on June 30th. A controversial late point (which appeared to sail wide) awarded three minutes into injury time gave the Malachis a share of the spoils. Final score: Geraldines 0-9, Naomh Malachi 1-6. Gers were sharpest into their strides and led by 0-4 to 0-0 after eight minutes thanks to Emmet Duffy, Joe Corcoran (2) and Roger Lynch. The Courtbane men replied with a goal but Gers were two points clear again when Corcoran landed his third point in the 12th minute. A late tackle on Neary led to an ill-tempered ten-minute spell during which the Malachis missed a penalty. A brilliant point from Barry Reneghan made it 0-6 to 1-0 in the 22nd minute and the sides tagged on a further point apiece (Duffy obliging for the Gers) before the short whistle sounded. Corcoran increased the advantage on the resumption and Duffy hit another point after Naomh Malachi had twice split the posts. The Geraldines led by three points after 40 minutes but failed to raise a flag in the final 20 minutes plus stoppage time... Seans Geraldines recorded their first win of the 2002 Louth Intermediate Football Championship when they held out to beat 2001 finalists Sean McDermotts by 1-10 to 1-8 at Louth village on Friday July 5th. The key to this win was economy as the men from Haggardstown/Blackrock registered only five wides against a team that dominated possession. Geraldines rushed into a four-point lead inside 22 minutes but the Seans levelled with a goal and a point. Two frees from John Sands left the McGeough Park men leading by 0-6 to 1-2 at the break. McDermotts had the better of the third quarter and sneaked in front but were rocked in their boots by a Brian Cafferty goal which made it 1-6 to 1-4 to the Gers, who tagged on the next four points and ran out winners despite a late spurt from the Seans. O'Connells The final group game against O'Connells was a massive one, a winner-take-all clash with a place in the knock-out stages up for grabs. The sides clashed at Cluskey Park, Dromiskin on Friday July 12th and Brian Cafferty struck an injury time winner for Geraldines , who prevailed by 1-11 to 0-13. Cafferty fisted the winner two minutes into added time to send the Gers into the knock-out stages - the following Friday they would face Naomh Malachi in a play-off to determine which team would go through to the semi-finals and which would instead have to play a quarter-final. The sides were level ten minutes into the second half but Geraldines seized a sudden initiative thanks to a goal from Shane Thornton and a Joe Corcoran point. But O'Connells refused to lie down and were level again by the 51st minute. Emmet Duffy restored Geraldines' advantage only for Stuart Reynolds to bring O'Connells back on level terms three minutes from time. O'Connells talisman Mark Stanfield had a number of late chances and Geraldines rode their luck a little to emerge victorious courtesy of Cafferty's late point. While others around them in Group B seemed determined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, Geraldines were making the most of the opportunities that presented themselves. Naomh Malachi Revisited Meanwhile, Naomh Malachi surprisingly lost their last group game to Sean McDermotts, providing Geraldines with an unexpected opportunity of progressing to the semi-final of the 2002 IFC. As they had finished joint top of the group with five points apiece, both Gers and the Malachis were through to the knock-out stages. But one of them would progress to a semi-final place . . . they met at Knockbridge on Friday July 19th to determine who that would be. The sides were level at the end of normal time but a power-packed extra time showing from the Haggardstown/Blackrock men saw them storm through to the last four on a comfortable-in-the-end scoreline of 1-15 to 0-11 (AET). John Neary was a hugely influential force as the Gers outscored their opponents by 1-5 to 0-1 during added time. The match was played in wet, difficult conditions and the Geraldines made their by-now-customary impressive start, racing into a four-point lead inside the first quarter thanks to Emmet Duffy, John Sands, Joe Corcoran and Fintan O'Hara. Two frees from Duffy saw the eventual winners take a 0-6 to 0-3 advantage into the interval. The Malachis drew level within seven minutes of the restart before Brian Cafferty swapped points with Malachis' Colin Murtagh. The Reds got on top and took the lead for the first time in the 41st minute before doubling their advantage at the three-quarters stage. Three unanswered points from Sands, Duffy and Corcoran put the Gers 0-10 to 0-9 to the good with six minutes left but the north Louth men struck late to force extra time. Geraldines dominated extra time, with Emmet Duffy firing home the decisive goal that brought his personal tally for the evening to 1-5. Oliver Plunketts Oliver Plunketts provided the semi-final opposition at The Grove on Sunday August 25th and the Gers carved out a thoroughly deserved two-point victory, 1-11 to 2-6, to advance to their first final since 1996. The teams only managed a point apiece in the opening 27 minutes, John Sands firing over for the Geraldines. But there was a scoring spurt at the end of the half and Aidan Thornton scored three fine injury-time points from play to give the Green and Whites a 0-4 to 0-3 interval advantage. The Geraldines got a lucky break shortly after the resumption when John Neary's long punt was fumbled to the net by Plunketts 'keeper Cathal Collins. Duffy and Joe Corcoran quickly entended their lead to six points before Collins made amends for his error by denying Niall Carroll what looked a certain goal. Plunketts goaled at the other end but points from Thornton and Corcoran left Gers ahead by 1-8 to 1-3 with 20 minutes to play. Another Plunketts point was followed by one from Brian Cafferty and the Drogheda side then got in for their second goal to put the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons. Shane Thornton extended the Gers advantage in the final minute but two points in the first minute of injury time left Plunketts a mere point adrift. But it was the Geraldines who had the final say when Corcoran grabbed his third score of the day deep into injury time to send the McGeough Park outfit through to the 2002 Louth Intermediate Football Championship final. Tweet

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