O'Connells won Division 2B and reached an intermediate semi-final in 2001. Despite failing to reproduce that form in 2002, they still got within touching distance of a place in the knock-out stages of the IFC. All of which leaves goalkeeper Leslie Walsh wondering: "How far could we have gone if we'd actually played well?" O'Connells went into the 2002 season full of hope. And understandably so. They had been a revelation the previous year, producing performances that suggested they were on the verge of a breakthrough into senior ranks. But unfortunately '02 proved something of an anti-climax. The Castlebellingham/Kilsaran outfit lost some key men over the winter months and were also hampered somewhat by the county commitments of Mark Stanfield and Stuart Reynolds, their two most influential players. Louth goalkeeper Reynolds plays outfield for the club, a tactical switch made possible by the placement of Leslie Walsh between the O'Connells sticks. Leslie - the veteran of the team at 32 - is imbued with a wonderful kick-out and has never let the side down. Looking back upon the events of 2002, he admits that disappointment is pretty much the order of the day: "We were hoping to continue where we had left off in 2001 when we got to the semi-final against Togher and were unbeaten in the league all year. And we looked really good in our first two league games. "We then went out for our first match against Naomh Malachi in the championship and it didn't work out for us on the day. We had hoped to get off to a good start but were on the back foot for the whole campaign. "It was all very disappointing and we never managed to turn it around. Between injuries and fellas missing out through various commitments, the attendances began to drop and we never really got going at all." Certainly, in spite of their failure to hit top form, O'Connells still weren't too far off the pace. They were in Group B - a section that contained both Geraldines and Naomh Malachi, both of whom went on to contest the IFC final. As it transpired, O'Connells lost three of their four group matches. But it could have been much different had they enjoyed anything resembling a rub of the green. O'Connells' first Group B outing was at Dowdallshill on Friday May 31st and Naomh Malachi emerged victorious on a scoreline of 2-7 to 1-9. Both Stuart Reynolds and Leinster star Mark Stanfield were unavailable through injury for the clash with Sean McDermotts at Stabannon on Thursday June 11th. No club side in the Wee County could cope with the loss of two such influential players and, hardly surprisingly, O'Connells were beaten, 0-13 to 1-6. They were still not out of contention, however. Victories in their final two group games would still guarantee at least a play-off for a place in the knock-out stages. At Louth village on Friday July 5th, O'Connells finally threw down a marker when they thumped Westerns by 4-11 to 0-10. The 'big two' were back for this game and Westerns had no answer to their prowess: Reynolds netted twice while Stanfield contributed 1-5. O'Connells' fate was still in their own hands when they faced Geraldines at Dromiskin a week later. When they drew level with only nine minutes remaining, their supporters sensed a dramatic turnaround to their season but the Castlebellingham/Kilsaran combination missed a number of match-winning chances before being undone by a point in the third minute of added time. A 1-11 to 0-13 defeat meant that the dream was over, for another year at least. Leslie is rueful, if not crestfallen: "It was all a bit unfortunate," he recounts. "There's nothing between the teams and we had beaten Naomh Malachi in the first round of the league, so we know what we could have achieved, which is probably the most disappointing aspect of the whole thing. "Our defence was pretty solid all year but we weren't clicking up front. We had a lot of players missing from the previous year and there was no real continuity, particularly in attack. It can be very frustrating when things don't click..." Leslie is long enough in the tooth to recognise a missed opportunity when he sees one: "It was sad because we were still in contention even though we weren't playing well. For the Geraldines then to go on and reach the final showed us how close we were . . . we played them twice and lost by a point on each occasion - without ever moving into top gear. For some reason, we weren't able to kill teams off when we got the chance. "With all our players fully fit, we could have beaten any intermediate team on the day if we hit form. We have the talent to put it up to any team but you have to get your game right on the day and we didn't manage to do that. I don't know why that was - perhaps we were lacking a little bit of confidence - but we weren't putting the ball over the bar and we were leaving games behind us..." After an electrifying start, O'Connells' league campaign also ran out of juice: "In our first two games we beat Naomh Malachi and Oliver Plunketts. There was a lapse of four or five weeks then due to Louth playing and championship matches and we never got back into our stride. Things just fell apart. The break upset our momentum and we never got going again." What positives can O'Connells draw from their 2002 experience? "The obvious one is that we have a couple of very promising young players coming through. Colm Kearney at midfield and half back Peter John Tuite both played really well all year. Hopefully, the older players on the team will stay on and see it through for a few more years. We have to get our confidence up and build morale. "At the end of the day, if the effort is put in, we can do it. Time is still on our side. I'm the oldest on the team at 32, while the two youngest players [Kearney and Tuite] were both still minors in 2002. Outside of that, the average age of the team is about 25 or 26." Former Young Irelands clubman Ciaran Maguire did an excellent job managing and training O'Connells in 2002, ably assisted by selector Martin 'Bo' O'Hanrahan. Sessions were held two nights a week from February right through until October (as the club now battled against the spectre of relegation to Division 2B). Looking forward to the 2003 season, Leslie says O'Connells will be going all out to win the intermediate championship. "You have to set yourself targets and you have to aim to better yourself. There's no point in O'Connells just being happy to play a few games and stay where we are. By setting targets, there is something to drive the players on and hopefully O'Connells can win an intermediate championship and go senior. "We know we are capable of it. We went unbeaten in league matches for two years so consistency shouldn't be a problem. There's no reason why we can't get our act together and go on to win an intermediate championship." Leslie says O'Connells have plans to one day build new dressing-rooms and a social centre at The Grove but adds: "We have to raise some funds before we can get started. At the moment we have our weekly lotto which covers the day-to-day expenses incurred in running the club, but some major fundraising would be required for such an undertaking." A resident of Williamstown (between Castlebellingham and Stabannon), Leslie has been training with O'Connells for about 15 years, since he was 16 or 17. He broke into the first team a decade ago and played mostly at corner back initially but has been in goals for the past two seasons since it was decided to deploy Stuart Reynolds in an outfield role. "There's a lot of pressure involved when you're in goal. You're the last man and if you make a mistake it's usually a costly one. And things tend to stay with you and dwell on your mind. But the lads are great and they'll slap you on the back and give you some encouragement. I'm hoping to keep playing for the next couple of years, until somebody is groomed to come in and replace me. As soon as there's someone ready to take my place, I'll gladly step aside," he quips. Avonmore Shields in the colours of O'Connells, Leslie Walsh is hoping to collect an intermediate championship medal before hanging up his boots. The intermediate championship will be as competitive as ever next year, but O'Connells won't be too far away... Tweet

Most Read Stories