Two-thousand-and-four saw Louth senior footballers experience a real rollercoaster championship ride but, all in all, selector Terry Hyland reckons progress was achieved. A Cavan man by birth but a Louth man by adoption, Terry Hyland reflects on his maiden voyage as selector to the Louth senior footballers with the merest hint of satisfaction intertwined in his dulcet tone. Galway's success in dumping Louth out of the championship in 2004 still obviously rankles with him and no doubt it will for some time to come. It wasn't so much the flattering margin of the westerners' victory (2-8 to 0-9) but the actual result in Parnell Park itself. Val Andrews' minnows had chances to effect the biggest shock of the year but agonisingly fell short of the target. "We went into the Galway game with nothing to lose but we didn't go into it with any fear either. "Most people would have looked at it as a David versus Goliath type thing and rightly so but we gave it our best shot and the lads had every reason to be proud of their efforts." Yet, in recording 14 wides, the underdogs were their own worst enemies on the day. Terry doesn't even begin to disagree. "Our shooting wasn't the best and I'm sure that's part of our game that the supporters will remember from the Galway game. "And unfortunately some of those wides were recorded at crucial times when we had them (Galway) backpeddling and when we were only a couple of points behind well into the second half." Indeed, when Louth cut their deficit to 0-9 to 1-8, their long odds looked generous. "They got an early lead but it was very close all through and we were never out of the hunt. "Galway played a two-man full-forward line and we played Aaron Hoey in a defensive role and it worked well. "It was the right strategy because it was crucial that we didn't allow them to build up a head of steam early on as they're such a classy team, they could really break loose if you give them any incentive at all. "The plan was to be still in touch going into the last ten minutes and take it on from there and when we got to within two points we definitely had them in a bit of trouble. "We had a couple of chances in the last few minutes to get on level terms but we didn't take them. And then they got the goal after that." Considering that Louth were beaten by 15 points by Dublin in Croke Park in 2003, Wee County fans must surely have been lifted by their team's surprisingly stout challenge in Parnell Park. "I don't think the supporters had any big expectations of us this year. "I'd say most of them realised that we geared ourselves towards building a team and that maybe the performance against Galway came as a bonus for everyone," the Lacken Celtic clubman explains. With a full season now under his belt as assistant to Val Andrews (in tandem with fellow selector Niall O'Donnell), the former Cavan senior selector (assisting Liam Austin) is relishing the prospect of furthering the Louth cause in 2005. The Ballyhaise-based businessman feels that there will be a more settled feeling about Louth in the New Year. "At the start of 2004, we introduced a lot of new players to the panel. "I think we had something like eleven new fellas on board for the game against Wexford in the Leinster championship and it took a bit of time for them to get to grips with the step up from club to inter county level and to get to grips with our training methods too," Terry reminds us. But there was no denying the enthusiasm, ambition and willingness to work of rookies and seasoned countymen alike. A series of trial matches from last October - a kind of mini-tournament - helped separate the chaff from the wheat. And with the total backing of the Louth County Board, the Andrews/Hyland/O'Donnell triumvirate went about their task with the requisite degree of professionalism. "It was always going to be case of everyone having to be patient as we all tried to get to know each other. Two-thousand-and-four was all about Louth football going through a transition stage and seeing if the fellas that we got together were prepared to show the kind of commitment that was needed. "They did give us everything and I think progress was made over the past year." Like everyone close to a team trying to find its feet, Terry accepts that there are a number of pieces missing from the jigsaw at the present time. "Louth is a small county and the playing population isn't nearly as big as the Dublin, Meath or Kildares of this world but you have to try and make the best of the playing resources at your disposal. But it would be nice if we could get a few fellas around the six feet two mark. Unfortunately big men like that seem to be a bit thin on the ground in the county." Time and time again, Terry reminds us that patience must be the operative word for everyone with a vested interest in Louth football. He insists that, in terms of ability, the squad isn't a million miles removed from the top teams in Leinster. The team, he says, lost a few games in last year's national league by one or two points and gave Galway one hell of a fright as well as accounting for Antrim in the championship. Injuries in the early part of the year to JP Rooney and Mark Stanfield didn't help. "A lot of the players are learning the ropes of inter-county football but they showed a lot of potential in the past year, a good bit of resolve too. "The league was a means to an end for us and in the championship we discovered that these fellas are prepared to work and learn from their mistakes." But the Leinster SFC defeat to Wexford must be a sore one? "It is, no doubt about it. We felt beforehand that we would do quite well against them, especially if we could keep Mattie Forde under wraps. "We prepared well for the game and with a bit of luck on the day could have been four or five points ahead at half-time. "Instead we conceded a few silly scores and Wexford grew in confidence from that and went on to show that they're not a bad team at all. "Wexford probably deserved to edge it over us but I thought our lads competed very well. They showed a lot of spirit and adapted to the higher pace of championship football fairly well." One wonders what did Louth's think-tank learn from the Wexford defeat about their players and how they needed to improve as players? "I don't think the Louth players showed enough self-belief against Wexford, especially after they (Wexford) got their noses in front. "The feeling of 'here we go again' might have crept into our fellas' minds. And our shooting wasn't great or our teamwork at times either." Louth's fervent football support must have breathed a sigh of relief though when they subsequently netted Antrim in the qualfiers? "I suppose they did. They probably saw it as a plum draw for us and the perfect pick-me-up," Terry admits. And with Mark Stanfield that bit fitter and JP Rooney playing closer to goal, Louth duly gained revenge over Antrim for their NFL defeat in Ardee back in February. "Sometimes it's harder to motivate players to play to their best against the likes of Antrim than against teams like Galway but the lads showed a lot of pride and ambition in beating Antrim. "We were delighted to have got back on the winning road because, like the Cavan football support, Louth has a passionate following and it's just a big pity that the county hasn't managed to achieve any significant success for nearly 50 years now." Now that all belonging to the Louth football camp are well and truly bedded in, can we expect a change of fortune for the Wee County in 2005? "I hope so. "The players have no inferiority complex; they're just as ambitious and as hungry as any county and, one way or the other, if we don't come good in the coming year, it won't be for want of hard work." Tweet

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