It wasn't a landmark year for St Fechins - but it was by no means a bad one either. The Hoops reached the knock-out stage of the intermediate championship and consolidated their position in Division 2B of the league. Speaking to Gerry Robinson, veteran campaigner Michael McCormack reflects on the events of 2002 Michael McCormack has served St Fechins well on the field of play for the past 15 years. Due to other commitments, he wasn't always available in 2002 but his passion for the Green and Whites is as strong as ever. He's looking forward to a big showing from the Termonfeckin side in '03 and firmly believes the Fechins have what it takes to step up to senior level. They missed the boat last season, however, bowing out of the intermediate championship at the quarter-final stage and failing to make a major impression in Division 2B of the league, all of which disappointed the long-serving clubman. "The season probably didn't go as well as we had expected," Michael admits. "After bringing in Mickey Heeney to coach the team, we were hoping for a lot better, but it didn't happen for us. But we survived in the division and that was probably the main thing in the end because we live to fight another day and can give it a go again next year. "Even though we didn't win anything, there were a lot of positives to be taken from the year. Numbers at training were brilliant and even when things were going against us, the enthusiasm was still there. The commitment couldn't be faulted - a lot of effort went in and everyone tried hard. We just didn't seem to get the results our overall efforts deserved." For the 2002 Louth intermediate football championship, St Fechins found themselves in Group A, along with St Kevins, O'Raghallaighs, Oliver Plunketts and Annaghminnon Rovers. They emerged from the group stage, in second place, thereby qualifying for the quarter-final. Had they beaten the Plunketts in their final group outing, the Termonfeckin men would have gone straight through to the IFC semi-final. As it turned out, they lost that game by a goal and had to content themselves with a place in the 'last eight'. Here, they faced Kilkerley Emmets, who proved too strong on the day. It was a disappointing end to a campaign that had promised more... The Fechins embarked on their '02 championship odyssey with a comprehensive 0-13 to 0-2 first-round defeat of St Kevins on June 28th. St Fechins led by 0-5 to 0-2 at the break, thanks to scores from Kevin McGeough (2), Colm Mulholland (2) and Anthony Duff. They held the Philipstown side scoreless in the second half and added points from Vincent Mulholland (3), Fergal McNally (2), McGeough, Duff and John McEnteggart. All in all, it was a fluent and impressive performance from the winners who were thoroughly deserving of the two points. Winning ways continued on July 6th when Annaghminnon Rovers were outclassed, 1-13 to 1-6. John McEnteggart scored the goal while Kevin McGeough and Vincent Mulholland chipped in with eight points between them. Next up were near-neighbours O'Raghallaighs, six days later. The first half was something of a non-event, with the Drogheda side leading 0-3 to 0-1 at the break. But Fechins got on top in the second half and began to work some good scoring opportunities. Eventually, the scores began to follow. The Hoops led by 0-6 to 0-4 when John McEnteggart bagged the game's crucial score - a goal following good approach play from Anthony Duff. This was enough to guarantee the Termonfeckin men a third successive win, 1-6 to 0-5. A semi-final place was at stake when St Fechins clashed with Oliver Plunketts on July 19th. Both sides had won their three outings to date and were already guaranteed passage to the knock-out phase of the competition. The winners would advance to the 'semis' while the losers would pick up the consolation prize of a quarter-final spot. The Plunketts prevailed by a single score, 1-8 to 0-8, despite the best efforts of David Savage, Vincent Mulholland and Kevin McGeough. As it transpired, defeat in that game came as a crushing blow to the Fechins who were unable to regroup in time for their quarter-final meeting with Kilkerley. They had in effect missed the boat when falling marginally short against the Plunketts. The quarter-final took place at The Grove in Castlebellingham on Saturday August 10th and, despite making a decent enough start, the Fechins never got into their stride against a more purposeful Kilkerley outfit. A disappointing 2-7 to 0-5 reversal - and successive defeats - meant that the championship dream had been terminated for another year at least. No ultimate glory then - but Fechins' championship run could hardly be termed a disaster either: "Certainly not," Michael concurs. "We had to be happy with the three wins against the Kevins, the O'Raghallaighs and Annaghminnon, but the result against the Plunketts was the one that really hurt us. "We went all out to win that game and it was there that it all went wrong. We had a second chance to reach the semi-final when we played Kilkerley, but losing to the Plunketts seemed to knock the stuffing out of us. We weren't too far off against the Plunketts though and I genuinely believe that if we'd won that game we'd have taken a lot of beating." Alas, it was the final group game defeat rather than the actual quarter-final itself that the Fechins were left to rue: "I thought the Plunketts game was definitely the one to win," says Michael. "Victory there would have put us through [to the semi-final] as the top team in our group. "We weren't as badly beaten in the quarter-final as the scoreline suggests. We missed a lot of chances on the night and paid the price for those misses." Of course, the most important thing is that St Fechins haven't slipped back. They have retained their intermediate status for another season, which means they can give it another lash in 2003: "After we got knocked out of the championship, our main aim was to hold our position in the division and we were quite happy to achieve that. We can give it another go next year." What is a realistic target for the 2003 season? "I certainly feel that the players are here and, if the commitment is given, then I see no reason why we can't move up to Division 2A and go on to compete in that division. I'm pretty confident as well. I think the effort will be put in because there is a desire to go back up to Division 2A." As a member of the St Fechins first team for the past 15 seasons, Michael McCormack played senior football for most of his career. Honours won include two ACC Cups and, more recently, a Dealgan Milk Shield in 1998 (when Naomh Malachi were beaten in the final) and a McGahon Cup in '99 (Oliver Plunketts providing final opposition). Michael believes the main reason why St Fechins lost their senior status was due to the break-up of the very strong side that served them so well in the 'eighties/'nineties: "It was no coincidence that during our last few years in senior, the likes of Matt McDermott, Johnny McDonald and Peter Briscoe - all great players for the club - were coming towards the end of their careers. With a lot of new players coming through at the same time, we struggled and went down. It was a whole new ball game. Suddenly, we were intermediate and we were trying to keep a team together. We were facing fresh challenges." The general feeling within the club at the moment is that St Fechins are on their way back, and that the necessary structures are in place to ensure they have every chance of success in the future. As Michael notes: "The club is in a very strong position, from committee level right through. There are quality players coming through from underage level and our future will be bright if they keep coming through.. "It's a fantastic club to be involved in right now and the facilities we have here at our new home are second to none." As for Michael McCormack's own future, he is hoping to play more than a cameo role in St Fechins' brave new age: "I'm going on 35 now, but I'll certainly be giving it 100% next season. I think there could be two good seasons left in me. "Fortunately, I've never had any great problem keeping my fitness levels up, so hopefully I'll get an opportunity to play senior football with the Fechins again. You never know what the future holds. "St Fechins has become part of my life. Even after I stop playing, I'd love to stay involved at some level." Know what? As long as there are men like Michael McCormack on the scene, one suspects that St Fechins will do just fine... Tweet

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