For the second successive year Louth's minor footballers exited the Leinster championship following defeat after a replay. In 2003, Dublin pipped the Wee County in a provincial semi-final rematch; this time, Longford came out in a preliminary round play-off to determine who would progress to face Kildare in the quarter-final of the 2004 Leinster MFC proper. Defeat came as a bitter blow to Peter Fitzpatrick's charges, whose credentials and preparations suggested that greater things awaited across the horizon… It's been quite a while since a Louth minor team was surrounded by as much optimism as that which cloaked the 2004 side. Granted, all expectations had to be tempered - after all, the Wee County haven't contested a provincial decider at under 18 level since 1971. But there were definite signs of improvement. We also had every reason to hope that the Class of 2004 might bridge the 33-year gap. This very publication named the county minor's as Louth's 'Team of the Year' in 2003. Paddy Oliver's side slalomed through the preliminary group and defeated Offaly in the quarter-final before frightening the life out of eventual Leinster champions and All-Ireland finalists Dublin at the provincial semi-final stage. Many of the '03 team were available again in '04. They had quality and experience. And belief. At the helm was Peter Fitzpatrick. The Clan na Gael clubman had steered St Patrick's to an historic Joe Ward Cup breakthrough in 2003 and was the ideal man to lead Louth out of the minor football wilderness. The Wee County made an excellent start to the year, winning the Leinster minor league - the county's first piece of minor silverware in 51 years. They gave a superb account of themselves in the preparatory competition and finished their campaign with a 100% record as well as the silverware. Louth then beat Meath in the first round of the Ulster minor league and suffered their first defeat of the year against Armagh at Mullaghbawn before rediscovering winning ways with victory over Antrim seven days before their Leinster championship campaign commenced. The team had an abundance of competitive games under its belt going into the premier competition and appeared in good stead for a crack at Leinster glory. Unfortunately, injuries took their toll on the Wee County warriors and their championship campaign ended prematurely. There were two preliminary groups in the Leinster minor championship this year. Kilkenny, Wicklow and Wexford made up Group A, while Group B comprised Louth, Longford and Carlow. Longford and Carlow played first, with the midlanders coming out on top. When Louth subsequently got the better of Carlow in an embarrassingly one-sided affair, it set up a crunch clash with Longford, which would effectively decide who progressed to the business end of the competition. Louth were clearly the better team first time out but somehow Longford (Leinster minor champions in 2002) managed to force a draw they scarcely deserved. As is so often the case with replays, the team that got out of jail in the drawn game took full advantage of their good fortune to steal through to a quarter-final date with the Lilywhites. It was all over for Louth. And it was hard to believe. Louth's minors began their 2004 season with an encouraging win - a four-point defeat of Wicklow in the first round of the Leinster minor football league. The game took place at a wet Gaelic Grounds on Saturday January 31st and marked the Wee County's return to the competition after a two-year absence. In 2003, Louth had only contested the Ulster minor league, but this year they decided to compete in both the Leinster and Ulster minor leagues. The management team of Peter Fitzpatrick and Aidan Magennis wanted to get as many competitive games as possible under their belt against Leinster opposition - and the winning start was a welcome bonus. Louth had the best of the first half but were guilty of some wayward shooting and also conceded a goal from an injury-time penalty, leaving them only three points to the good at the break, 0-9 to 1-3. Adrian Reid opened the scoring for the winners with a third-minute point and Colm Judge doubled the lead before Trevor O'Brien's ninth-minute free made it 0-3 to 0-1. Sean McCloskey tapped over the next score and the Wee County were still three to the good at half time. Wicklow were reduced to fourteen men just before the short whistle and Louth just about made their numerical superiority tell, holding out for a narrow but satisfying win. Trevor O'Brien - a star of the previous year's county minor team - landed five points in total. In hindsight, there is a sense of irony about the result chalked up the following weekend when Louth recorded their second successive win in the 2004 Leinster minor football league, beating none other than Longford by 0-8 to 0-3. The game was played on away soil in Dromad on Saturday February 7th and the Wee County boys were full value for their five-point victory. Cold and blustery conditions contributed to the low-scoring nature of the game and the visitors led by three points to one at the short whistle despite having played into a gale-force wind in the first half. Louth opened the scoring in the tenth minute when Hugh McGinn rounded off an impressive move involving Derek Crilly, Keith Arnold and Colm Judge. Trevor O'Brien missed from the penalty spot in the twelfth minute but Longford's Declan Hynes also drove a spot kick wide six minutes later. Sean McCloskey and O'Brien (free) added to Louth's tally before the midlanders opened their account with an injury-time point. On the resumption Robert Leavy (36), McGinn (43, 44) and substitute Gary Hughes (47) extended Louth's lead to six points. There was no way back for Longford and O'Brien closed the scoring with a 57th-minute point from a free. Louth's third game in the competition was at home to Carlow on Saturday February 21st and victory proved a formality as they were six points better than Carlow, 1-14 to 1-8. Louth effectively won the 2004 Leinster minor football league with victory over Kilkenny in their next outing. Though there was still a round of games remaining, Peter Fitzpatrick's team was already guaranteed to finish top of the table following a comfortable defeat of the Cats in Drogheda on Saturday February 28th. The 2-14 to 1-4 drubbing of the Cats was the Wee County's fourth straight win and saw them capture the title in emphatic manner. Even if Louth were to slip up in their final outing against Wexford, they would still be in an unassailable position, with outright victory already secured. Still, were intent on protecting their winning record with the Leinster championship imminent. Hopes were growing that the Class of 2004 can go even further than their predecessors. Louth confirmed outright victory in the Leinster minor football league shield competition with an emphatic defeat of Wexford, turning on the style for an 18-point drubbing of the Model County in the final round at Ballygarrett on Saturday March 13th. By virtue of their comprehensive 5-11 to 1-5 success, Louth became inaugural winners of the Perpetual Shield. Significantly, in winning the new-look provincial competition, the Wee County had garnered minor honours for the first time since 1953. The sides were level early in the second quarter but the visitors compiled a 2-7 to 1-2 interval advantage, thanks largely to first-half goals from impressive attacking pair Colm Judge and Trevor O'Brien. The other member of Louth's inside forward line, Sean McCloskey, added the third goal three minutes after the resumption. Four minutes later, O'Brien bagged his second three-pointer as the Wee County ran riot. Midfielder Michael Fanning added the fifth goal in the 51st minute and the winners eased up before the final whistle. Afterwards, captain Hugh McGinn was presented with the 2004 Leinster minor football league Perpetual Shield. It was a proud moment for the team but the championship was what it was really all about and there was no rest for the wicked. On Saturday March 20th, they beat Meath in the first round of the Ulster minor league at Drogheda, but a week later Louth's minors got their first taste of defeat this year when losing to Armagh in the second round. Having already won the Leinster minor league as well as their opening round appearance in the Ulster competition, the Wee County went into the game at Mullaghbawn on Saturday March 27 with a 100% record in 2004 but came unstuck on a scoreline of 1-13 to 0-9. Louth made the brighter start and had two excellent early points on the board from Trevor O'Brien as well as another from Derek Crilly. Armagh replied with two points but Colm Judge quickly cancelled these out with a brace. The Orchard County landed the next four points but scores from Sean McCloskey and O'Brien gave the visitors a narrow interval lead. Louth started the second half with points from Judge and Crilly but then lost their way as Armagh - assisted by a controversial goal - took control of proceedings. In the end, it was a rather disappointing and worrying result for Louth with the season's main challenges still ahead. Louth got back on track thanks to a 1-14 to 2-7 defeat of Antrim in the Ulster minor league at Annagallan on Saturday April 10, recovering well from the Armagh setback to take both points from their next trip north. After falling three points adrift inside the opening four minutes, Louth gradually got their act together. Two great points (from Hugh McGinn and a Trevor O'Brien free) brought them back into the game and scores from O'Brien (2) and Colm Judge (2) kept Louth in touch at half-time (1-5 to 0-6) despite the concession of a first-half goal. The visitors had played good football in the third quarter and carried considerable momentum into the break. They started the second period like they meant business, quickly firing 1-2 without reply. Points from McGinn and Judge and a Sean McCloskey goal all arrived within seven minutes of the resumption and effectively knocked the heart out of the Saffrons. It was a morale-boosting win for Louth who would commence their Leinster championship campaign against Carlow the following Saturday. Full forward Colm Judge was the star of the show as his tally of 1-5 helped the Wee County to a comfortable 2-14 to 0-3 win over Carlow in the first preliminary round match of the 2004 Leinster MFC at Carlow on April 17. Judge was a constant threat and all but a point of his tally came from open play. Goals from the full forward and Crilly helped the Wee County into a 2-6 to 0-1 interval lead, with Carlow's sole opening-period score coming on the stroke of half time. With the Louth defence dominating the second period, Carlow could manage only two more scores as Peter Fitzpatrick's side delivered eight more points. The result ended Carlow's interest in the competition - the 'Round Robin' series would be decided in the final game between Louth and Longford. Peter Fitzpatrick was handed an injury headache ahead of the Wee County's vital Leinster MFC preliminary-round clash with Longford at Drogheda on Saturday May 1 - a winner-takes-all encounter, with the victors going on to face Kildare in a provincial quarter-final on Saturday May 15. Both Colm Judge and Hugh McGinn became major doubts after sustaining injuries during Newtown Blues' senior football league defeat to Cooley on Sunday April 25. Both men played but it was unclear how fit they were - and the effective Judge was forced out of action in the 41st minute. Longford came back into the game thereafter to force a fortuitous draw. Louth were undoubtedly the best team at the Gaelic Grounds on May Day but the scores finished level, 0-11 apiece. Longford were behind at half time by two points (0-3 to 0-5), with Judge (2), Derek Crilly, McGinn and Robert Kearney slotting over their first-half points. Louth looked well on their way to victory up until the closing minutes of the game. However,Longford went ahead in the 62nd minute only for Bernard Osbourne to level the contest with the closing score. Three days later, at Pearse Park on Bank Holiday Monday May 3, Longford made the most of their good fortune to record a 2-8 to 0-8 win in the preliminary play-off. Longford made the perfect start with a goal from full forward Brian Kavanagh grabbed an early goal and the midlanders led by 1-5 to 0-4 at half time. When they netted their second from the penalty spot just after the re-start one could sense that this would be Longford's day. The Longford 'keeper produced a magnificent save to deny Robert Leavy a goal, and minutes later Michael Fanning saw his goal attempt rebound off the upright. Louth, 2004 Leinster minor football championship preliminary round play-off V Longford: Stephen Faulkner (Dundalk Gaels); Niall Costello (Newtown Blues), Colm Finnegan (Clan Na Gael), David Moley (Dundalk Gaels); Stephen Fitzpatrick (Clan Na Gael, 0-1), Craig McEnteggart (O'Raghallaighs), Keith White (Cooley Kickhams), Hugh McGinn (Newtown Blues, 0-1), Michael Fanning (Naomh Mairtin); Bernard Osbourne (Seán Treacys, 0-1), Robert Leavy (St. Marys), Derek Crilly (Dundalk Gaels, 0-2); Trevor O'Brien (Baile Talún, 0-1), Colm Judge (Newtown Blues, 0-1), Keith Arnold (St. Nicholas). Subs: Seán McCloskey (St. Nicholas, 0-1), Michael McArdle (St. Josephs), Colm Hanlon (Oliver Plunketts), Paddy Halligan (Naomh Mairtin). Tweet

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