Like most other counties in Ireland, Ladies football in Louth is very much on the up. Each season more and more young players are getting involved in the sport and this has resulted in the emergence of many new clubs throughout the Wee County. By Eunan Whyte. With so much talent being nurtured by clubs it is hoped that the emergence of players will help return the glory days to the Louth team. The Wee County embraced ladies football from the outset and enjoyed their day in the sun when the All-Ireland Junior Championship was captured in Croke Park. However, over the past few years success has been hard to come by. However, with the amount of talented players coming through and the interest shown throughout the county, there is reason to be optimistic for the future. Although this year's campaign was not a memorable one, the 2007 captain, Catherine McGee is confident that the future is good for Louth Ladies football. The Cooley player revealed that despite the side going into the season in optimistic mood, it didn't work out as planned. Nonetheless, there is a feeling that they will be able to compete for honours in the Junior section in 2008. "When we started training in January the expectations in the camp were high. We had a squad of over 30 training regularly and with managers David Fedigan and Rosemary Coyle taking over, we did feel that we were in good shape. "Unfortunately, it didn't go as well as we had hoped and although there were some good results, overall it was a disappointment for us," revealed Catherine. "We started out in the National League away to Fermanagh and after losing that game our confidence seemed to be affected. "We did bounce back in the next game when we scored a 3-8 to 0-5 win over Offaly. The next game saw us take on Carlow and we secured a 2-4 to 0-10 draw and that was enough to get us into the quarter-final which was some reward for our efforts. Spirits were high once again as we faced Westmeath in the last eight, but it didn't go our way on that occasion and we missed out on the chance to make the semi-final." Reaching that stage gave the players a lift as they faced into the Intermediate Championship, but Catherine points out that they failed to seriously challenge the top teams. She puts this down to the fact with some many young and inexperienced players in their ranks, they were probably playing at too high a level. "While we were reasonably happy with the league form, the championship proved that we were not yet at the standard required. "We suffered a couple of heavy defeats and when that happens I suppose it is natural for the heads to go down. In the end we lost the semi-final to Westmeath on a 0-10 to 0-6 scoreline. It was disappointing because once again we started the year with high expectations and like every other team had dreams of playing in the final in Croke Park." Despite that disappointment, Catherine reveals that there is no sense of despair within the camp and she feels the experiences of this year will stand to them in 2008. "Playing at Intermediate level was too big a step for the team at present. We have a lot of young players coming into the team for the first time and overall there is not a lot of experience. "In 2008 we are back down in Junior and there is a real sense of hope that we can compete for honours this time around. We have a lot of very enthusiastic players and I think we have a great chance if the team can give the required commitment. "Once again we will go in with big expectations based on the fact that most of the success we enjoyed this year was against the Junior team. "For example we defeated Kilkenny who went on to win the Junior All-Ireland Final so we hope that this will stand to us next year. "Such is the determination that we are already back in training and looking forward to the new season which starts in February. "While this year overall was bad, we are trying to forget it and move on with the positives. We have a new trainer in Brian Carroll and he is very professional in his approach and everyone seems to be responding", added Catherine. Louth's biggest game of the season was the Leinster Intermediate Semi-final which was played at Milltown on April 15, but unfortunately they lost out by 0-10 to 0-6. Louth captained by Catherine Mc Gee from Cooley got off to a good start and were unlucky not to have had a goal in the first minute of the game as Grainne Mackin's shot went slightly wide. After that it was Westmeath to took control of the game but Louth battled throughout the half and at the break were still very much in contention, trailing by just 0-5 to 0-3. Westmeath stretched the advantage at the start of the second half and the Wee County had goalkeeper, Lynn Savage, to thank for keeping them in the game with a number of excellent saves. The midlanders moved 0-8 to 0-3 ahead but Louth once again fought their way into the game and reduced the gap to just two points. Unfortunately that was a close as Louth got to their opponents as a strong Westmeath side held out for a four point win. Scorers: Rosana Heany (0-3), Sharon Dromgoole, Orlaith Kirk and Niamh Reid 0-1 each. Team: Lynn Savage, Karen Raftery, Sandra Lynch, Ciara Raftery, Caroline Hanlon, Edel McKeown, Jenny Agnew, Orlaith Kirk, Catherine McGee, Nicola Whyte, Rosana Heaney, Grainne Mackin, Patricia Marmion, Sharon Drumgoole, Niamh Reid. Subs: Anne Marie Lynch, Marie Brennan, Karen Wynne, Kim Lynch, Blainaid Callan, Grace Lynch, Majella Agnew, Rita McShane, Una Coleman. Tweet

Most Read Stories