37-year drought comes to an end
November 30, 2008
Getting back to the Junior B Championship final was the primary aim for Clonard at the start of the year and while that may not have been achieved, that disappointment was put to one side as the club ended a 37-year wait for adult silverware when they claimed the Division 5FL title.
Clonard lost to St Brigid's from Ballinacree in the 2006 decider on a very wet day at Pairc Tailteann and they were edged out by Trim after extra-time at the quarter-final stage at Longwood last year. The fact that they had contributed in a big way to one of the most entertaining games of the entire campaign brought little in the way of consolation.
That was a hugely disappointing outcome for all concerned, but there was clearly a determination to make amends for recent disappointments as they enjoyed an unbeaten run through the divisional stages of the competition this year to suggest that they might well be on the verge of the eagerly awaited breakthrough.
The Clonard coach for 2008 was Tony Walsh from the Na Fianna club and the selectors were Peter Doyle Senior and Joe Sherwood.
They were drawn in group A of the Junior B FC which also included Dunshaughlin, Seneschalstown, Trim, Cortown and Dunderry and because all their opponents were second string outfits from their clubs Clonard had to be very hopeful that they would emerge to play knockout football.
It was against Trim that they opened their campaign at Longwood where they gained a measure of revenge for last year's quarter-final defeat to the town side at the same venue.
Clonard held a 1-5 to 1-2 lead at the interval and pushed further ahead early in the second half thanks to points from Kenneth Darby and David Rowley who contributed seven points between them. The margin of victory was six points as they won on a 1-9 to 1-3 score line to start the championship on the desired winning note.
The only point that Clonard dropped during the group stages of the championship came in the second round when they recovered well from a less than impressive first half showing to earn a deserved draw with Dunshaughlin, also at Longwood. They appeared to be in big trouble at the break when trailing by 0-2 to 0-8, but they were a much improved team in the second period when Ian Campbell and Paul Boland were particularly prominent during their fight back.
They added eight points to their tally in the second half while at the same time holding Dunshaughlin to just two and the sides were locked together on 0-10 each at the finish. Rowley top scored for Clonard with three points.
The same player's second half goal was the crucial score in the third round at Kilmessan when Clonard beat Seneschalstown by six points, 1-11 to 0-8. Points from Ian Campbell, Alan Farrell, Paul Boland, Rowley and Rob Hoey helped them to hold a slender 0-5 to 0-4 lead at the interval and they defended very well when Seneschalstown applied the pressure in the second period, before Rowley's goal helped to put the issue beyond doubt.
Longwood was the venue for a fourth round assignment against Dunderry and Clonard made it seven group points from a possible eight when they gained the upper hand in the second half to win by 1-12 to 1-7. The sides were level on 0-6 to 1-3 at half-time, but Clonard took their points well in the second period when a goal from Alan Campbell also helped them to put significant daylight between the teams.
A strong second half performance also did the trick in the last round of group matches against Cortown at Athboy when they won comfortably by 0-12 to 0-3 to book their ticket to the knockout stages once again.
With scores at a premium in the first half the sides couldn't be separated at the break when they were level at 0-3 each, but Clonard held Cortown scoreless in the second half and tagged on an impressive nine points themselves to win with plenty to spare. Rowley and Darby proved particularly effective once more and accounted for nine of the winners' points between them.
Once a team has succeeded in getting through to the knockout stages thoughts begin to concentrate on possible big days out at Pairc Tailteann, but Clonard's hopes of reaching the final for the second time in three years were dashed when Donaghmore/Ashbourne, who were later to go on to defeat Moynalty after extra-time in the semi-finals and St Vincent's from Ardcath in the final, beat them by 1-14 to 0-13 at Trim.
A disastrous start to the contest inflicted massive damage on Clonard's prospects of advancing to the penultimate hurdle as they conceded a goal in the first minute which clearly unsettled them and then found themselves six points (0-0 to 1-3) adrift by the end of the opening quarter. The game was only in its infancy and already they found themselves with something of a mountain to climb.
Clonard did enjoy a much improved second quarter, but they were still half a dozen points in arrears at the change of ends when Donaghmore/Ashbourne led by 1-8 to 0-5.
They continued to demonstrate improved form in the second half and added eight points to their tally as they reduced the deficit. But that dreadful start to the match had left them with so much to do and they were four points adrift at the final whistle. Midfielder Paul Boland was their leading scorer with five points and Rowley contributed three, but it just wasn't enough and their attempts to get back to the final go on into 2009.
While that championship defeat was disappointing for all the Gaels in the club, there was consolation to be had by their league form, which was so impressive that they ended up in the Division 5 final against hot favourites Dunsany, with promotion to Division 4 already in the bag.
1971 was the past time an adult title came to the club and Clonard were up against it as they faced Dunsany, who has reached the junior quarter-finals this year. However, Clonard would not be overcome and they gave one of their best displays of recent years to see off the side from a championship grade above them by 1-10 to 2-5 in Longwood on the first Sunday of November.
The first half was a closely fought affair with Clonard's David Rowley displaying his class with a superb goal from play followed by two pointed frees. While Dunsany were awarded a penalty, which they converted, Clonard attacked strongly with points from Niall Walsh and Paul Boland to hold a 1-4 to 1-2 lead at half-time.
Three points in the first fifteen minutes of the second half gave Clonard a five point lead which was increased with points from Joey Darby and Niall Walsh. Despite being a man down, Dunsany pressed forward to score a goal to narrow the gap but with a superb point from play from substitute Simon McNevin. Clonard grew in stature with Eoin Treacy and Joey Darby giving a huge performance to secure a historic victory.
As Niall Walsh received the cup from TJ Reilly there were scenes of great joy from the hordes of Clonard supporters.
The Clonard side which claimed the Division 5 FL was: D Campbell, F Hoey, A Farrell, E Treacy, C Darby, J Moore, E Connolly, I Campbell, P Boland (0-1), D Flynn, N Walsh,(0-2), P O'Donovan, D Rowley (1-5), K Darby, J Darby (0-1). Subs - R Hoey for D Flynn, C Treacy for K Darby, S McNevin (0-1) for P O'Donovan, A Campbell, W Darby, J Kelly, P Doyle, E Darby.
Efficient club PRO Angeline Treacy was delighted with the league win and believes there is plenty of promise within the club.
"Tony Walsh did great work with the team," she said. "He was terrific. The lads had great respect for him. We were so psyched up for the quarter-final against Donaghmore/Ashbourne. We were very disappointed to lose that game and they went on to win it out."
But the tremendous work being carried out in the under age ranks of the Clonard club is impressive and that certainly offers them plenty of hope for the years to come as they continue to strive for success at adult level.
And one man who has done a huge amount to bring the young Clonard players through the ranks is former Trim and Meath player Kevin Foley, who was a hero of so many great days under Sean Boylan's management and the scorer of that famous goal of all goals against Dublin at the end of the amazing four match Leinster Championship saga in 1991.
"We have had Kevin Foley training our under age teams since 2001," Angeline added. "He has brought on so many lads. He trained some players who are now breaking into the junior team. He has had a great input.
"The young players really respect him. Kevin is a wonderful trainer. He is very quiet and very calm and he says it as he sees it."
Fresh hopes of a breakthrough in the Junior B Championship will dawn once more when preparations get under way in earnest in the new year and Clonard will again be one of the more fancied sides for outright success.
"I would be very hopeful for next year because we have under-17 and minor lads coming through," Angeline said. "They can all play football. They have the coaching done with Kevin. He has been such a big influence on them.
"It would be nice to win the championship with this team for the likes of Niall Walsh who is one of the more experienced players."
Of course, Walsh brought great honour to the Clonard club back in the early years of the 1990s at a time when Meath were the envy of so many other counties because they were winning under age titles on a regular basis, including All-Irelands.
He was a member of the Meath panel that won Leinster and All-Ireland MFC titles in 1992 and experienced the great thrill of playing in the All-Ireland minor final the following year when unfortunately the Royal County, who had earlier beaten Wicklow in the provincial decider, lost to Cork by four points. He is also the holder of two Leinster JFC medals.
If anybody deserves a Junior B Championship medal it's surely Walsh who also acts as club secretary. Perhaps 2009 will be the year.
The Clonard team in the quarter-final was - D Campbell; E Connolly, C Darby, E Treacy; C Treacy, J Darby, J Moore (0-1); I Campbell, P Boland (0-5); P O'Donovan (0-2), A Campbell, D Flynn (0-1); G Raleigh, K Darby (0-1), D Rowley (0-3). Subs - N Walsh for A Campbell, F Hoey for Raleigh.
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