Things may not have gone exactly according to plan for Wolfe Tones' first team in 2001 but, as club Chairman and selector/player Martin Kelly tells Gerry Robinson, they're not reaching for the panic buttons just yet. To the contrary, in fact, they're looking to the future with unprecedented optimism. To outsiders, Wolfe Tones displayed all the classic symptoms of a struggling club in '01 but, according to Martin Kelly, the club's personable Chairman, that illusion couldn't be farther from the truth. While the year was not without its disappointments, Martin is convinced that the good times are genuinely just around the corner for the Drogheda outfit. He reasons: "We did struggle this year in certain departments but we are keeping our heads up because we have a very good young team coming through now and the outlook for the future is bright. What's even more encouraging is that our juvenile section continues to get stronger and there are even more young players in the pipeline ready to come through and supplement those already breaking into the junior team." Martin is convinced that the Tones are on the verge of something really big and, to be honest, it's easy to see where the long-serving-player-cum-Chairman is coming from. There is talent in the club that's undoubtedly the envy of everyone else in the Wee County, including senior clubs. Kevin Bull has already been called up by Paddy Carr and - assuming the Tones lads continue to progress - is surely the first of many to gain such recognition. Martin enthuses: "We have some absolutely outstanding talent here and if they can stay focused then they - and the club - have a major future. As well as Kevin, we also have Barry Kelly, John Kelly, John Gallagher Jnr., Andrew Farrell and John Downey. "These guys all have a fantastic future in Louth football. The future of the Tones is very much in their hands. Indeed, if they put in the time and effort, they will not only be massive assets to the club but they are so good that I think Louth football in general will benefit from their presence as well." Not to put too fine a point on it, this is the most exciting crop of players the club has unearthed in living memory. The outlook for Wolfe Tones has never appeared more positive, as Martin illustrates when he reveals: "Our minor team of this year won the U14 championship a few years ago and that was the first championship the club had won at any level since 1946! They went on to do the U16 league and championship double and they also won the minor B league and championship double last year. "This is unheard-of success for a Wolfe Tones team so it's not hard to see why we've placed such a major emphasis on these players. They are an exceptional bunch of lads and it's imperative that we keep them together because we could have a big, big future." Looking to the future certainly offers a bit more comfort than reflecting on 2001 although Martin - who's worn the blue and yellow year in year out since he was eight (he's now 31) - is keen to stress that the season just ended was not without its rainbow moments: "As has become the trend, our juveniles did exceptionally well. Our U14s won the Drogheda league and the U11s won their shield, while all our other juvenile teams at least reached the final of one or the other of those competitions. Our underage arm is doing really well under the stewardship of Paddy Fanning who is Chairman of the juvenile committee. "Another highlight of the year is that we had three players on the county minor team. John Gallagher Jnr., John Kelly and Andrew Farrell all started for the Louth minors this year, which was a big achievement for the club..." ...but... ..."we had some major disappointments in 2001 as well. With the minor team we had, we were hoping to win a minor championship. That team had been so successful at U14, U16 and minor B levels that we expected big things from them. But they were beaten by Clan Na Gael in the quarter-final of the championship and by the Pats in the league semi-final. That side really had some exceptional players and we had great hopes for them but for a variety of reasons they just didn't do it this year. "The juniors struggled all year. One of the biggest things working against us here is the influence of other sports, especially soccer because of the proximity of the local Meath and District league and the Leinster league. Soccer is the biggest hindrance that hits us every year. Out of a starting team of 15, I'd say with a conservative estimate that ten or twelve of them play soccer. I'm not trying to make out that we're any different from any other club in the county in this respect because everyone has the same problem but for some reason our lads tend to place a greater emphasis on soccer and we don't have the numbers in the club to deal with that situation." One of the most encouraging things is that Wolfe Tones' junior side is surely the youngest in the county, with as many as 8-10 minors lining out in 2001. "It's a very young side," Martin agrees. "Our aim is to get all those young lads blended in with the existing lads on the team and then work towards winning a junior championship in 2002." They'll have to improve somewhat on their 2001 performance, a point which doesn't escape the Chairman. "We were beaten in the championship semi-final by Young Irelands and one of the main reasons for that was the lack of games the players had together as a team in the run-up to that game. We just couldn't seem to be able to get the same 15 out from one week to another and it's very difficult to get any kind of momentum going under those circumstances. "As a follow-on from that, confidence has been a problem because it's impossible to build a winning ethos without a settled squad. Work and college commitments caused these difficulties and the Foot & Mouth was probably another factor, as well as the soccer." Martin is fully confident that the problems will be eradicated in time for next year's championship: "If we can blend in the exceptional bunch of youngsters with the more established, experienced players then I really do think we can win the junior championship. "We weren't expecting to win it this year but we can do it in 2002, I'm sure of that. People might ask 'how can they do it when they couldn't field a team for some games in 2002?' but I honestly think that we can if things start to go our way. The players are here so it's largely in our own hands. "In the juvenile end of things we continue to go from strength to strength. The only downside is that there's a shortage of mentors. We field at all levels from U9 up to minor so that requires a lot of coaching and training. I'd love if more parents could find the time to come over and help out, so we could give the youngsters more training. We're very fortunate to have men like John Gallagher Snr., Mick Kelly Jnr., Paddy Fanning, Leo Henry and David Tully who have all put in tremendous work with the juveniles and have sowed the seeds for what should be a great future for Wolfe Tones GFC." Tweet

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