Ratoath's bid to make an instant return to the intermediate grade ended in bitter disappointment when they under-performed in the Junior Football Championship final against Moynalvey at Pairc Tailteann in late September and suffered a comprehensive defeat. The scene was so different at the Navan venue four years earlier when they got their hands on the Matthew Ginnity Cup after beating Dunsany in the decider, but this time a team managed by Marty Mannering returned home empty-handed after a display that was clearly well below what they are capable of. "Our worst performance of the whole year," was Mannering's assessment. Ratoath spent three campaigns at intermediate level before slipping back down to junior last year, but there was an obvious desire to keep their stay in the lower grade as short as possible. They didn't exactly set the world alight in the divisional stages of this year's JFC, but once the knockout action was reached there was a feeling that they might just finish the job. Their championship group contained another of the leading fancies for outright honours, Longwood, as well as Boardsmill, Drumree and the second string sides from Skryne and Gaeil Colmcille and it was against the 'Mill that they opened their campaign at Summerhill where a 1-8 to 0-6 victory was recorded. Ratoath missed a lot of chances and led by only two points at the interval, but a second half goal from Dara O'Brien helped them push ahead. If they were wasteful in that encounter, it was nothing compared to their scoring efforts in the second round against Skryne at Duleek. They tallied 18 wides and that proved costly as the Tara men caught them near the end to earn a draw (0-7 each). They obviously brought their collective shooting boots to Seneschalstown for a third round meeting with Gaeil Colmcille which they won by 2-16 to 0-6, but a struggle followed next time out against Drumree at Dunboyne where Ratoath trailed by a point at the break and only got on top in the last 10 minutes to record a 0-9 to 0-6 victory. Ratoath's only defeat of the group campaign came in the final round when Longwood beat them by 0-17 to 2-8 at Dunganny, but the good news was that they had made it to the quarter-finals, if not very impressively. Longwood won all their group games and finished on top of the pile with a maximum 10 points, followed by Ratoath on seven and Skryne on six. Wolfe Tones' second string was bidding to maintain a tremendous title-winning record and when they met Ratoath in a quarter-final at Seneschalstown they made a dream start by scoring an early goal. Mannering's men recovered to lead by 1-5 to 1-2 at the break and they were still three points clear at the end, winning by 2-8 to 1-8. Dunsany must have had revenge on their minds when they made the short hop to Dunshaughlin for a semi-final meeting with Ratoath. But just as they had won the final back in 2004, Ratoath deprived the side in red of a place in the decider on this occasion when winning by 0-9 to 0-6. This game was played in monsoon-like conditions and the scoring performances of Ger McCullagh, who notched two points in each half, and Eoghan McMahon, who tallied three points overall, proved decisive in a narrow but deserved win. McMahon and McCullagh both split the uprights twice in the first quarter as Ratoath pushed ahead by 0-4 to 0-1, but Dunsany battled back well to be level (0-4 each) at the change of ends. Mick Conmy had a great chance to restore Ratoath's three-point cushion early in the second half, but he blazed wide of the posts. However, Ratoath did move ahead by 0-6 to 0-4 within six minutes of the restart thanks to points from substitute Graham Clarke and a brilliant McCullagh score and they won the remainder by 0-3 to 0-2 as the weather deteriorated even further, with McMahon, Fiachra Gaughan and McCullagh adding the remaining scores. It wasn't an overly convincing performance from Ratoath, but the weather was a real spoil sport and, after all, semi-finals are there to be won. They had achieved their goal of getting back to the decider at the first attempt and there to meet them were the previous year's runners-up Moynalvey This time weather conditions were almost ideal, but Ratoath's performance fell way short of expectations and a hungry and well-drilled Moynalvey side beat them by 0-16 to 0-7. One statistic above all others stands out for Ratoath - the fact that they failed to register a single score from play. Eoghan McMahon (five), McCullagh and Gaughan did their scoring from frees and by contrast six different Moynalvey players registered points from play. Those statistics tell their own story of the performances of both teams. Ratoath, to go with other injuries they had picked up over the campaign, were forced to start without centre-forward Conor O'Brien and goalkeeper Richie Donnelly, who were both injured, and former Dublin senior 'keeper Davy Byrne played between the posts. Four early wides didn't aid their cause and Moynalvey had five points on the board before Gaughan got Ratoath off the mark in the 15th minute. Moynalvey went on to lead by 0-8 to 0-3 at the interval, but with substitutes Paul Flaherty, Robbie Madden and Shane McMahon making an impression Ratoath gave themselves hope when they cut the gap to 0-6 to 0-9. However, that mini revival wasn't a sign of things to come and they managed only one further point as a Moynalvey team bursting with confidence and poise pushed away to be nine points (0-16 to 0-7) clear when referee Brendan Darby sounded the final whistle. "It was very disappointing," manager Mannering said. "It wasn't for lack of possession and I don't think Moynalvey were nine points a better team than us. We had four or five lads who never played in Pairc Tailteann before and it had to be a huge advantage to Moynalvey to have played there in the semi-final. "I'm not using it as an excuse, but it has to have stood to them. It was a factor. But on the day Moynalvey were the better team. It was just sad to see the whole season unravel on that day. We had a 15 minute spell in the second half when we could have got on top of them, but we missed chances. The Moynalvey lads admitted that they were worried at that stage. "If you win you are the best in the world and if you lose you are the worst. Some people were saying that we had too many old lads on the team, but look at Moynalvey. "We have been very unlucky with injuries all year. Donal Kirwan got his appendix out and then got an infection. Our captain Shane McMahon only came on as a substitute in the final and missed a lot of football. Paddy Colreavy injured his back and didn't play all year. Robbie Madden also missed a lot of the year. He also came on in the final. "We also had to play without our regular goalkeeper Richie Donnelly on final day and that was a big problem. Davy Byrne hadn't played football all year and replaced him." It was bitterly disappointing for Ratoath, but it's now a case of looking forward. "If we had been asked at the start of the year we would have settled for getting to the final," Mannering added. "We are rebuilding; starting from scratch. Hopefully, what happened will stand to them; I believe it will. We have to come back from this." The Ratoath team in the final was - D Byrne; C Killian, T McGuane, E Horan; S O'Brien, T Garvey, B Crowley; P Kirwan, A Hickey; E McMahon (0-5), G Clarke, G McCullagh (0-1); F Gaughan (0-1), M Conmy, Colm O'Brien. Subs - P Flaherty for Kirwan, R Madden for Colm O'Brien, S McMahon for Conmy, Conor O'Brien for Clarke, M Dorrigan for Gaughan. HURLERS ALSO SUFFER FINAL LOSS Junior finals certainly weren't good to Ratoath this year and the club's hurlers also suffered disappointment when they lost the JHC decider to Kilmessan's second string at Ashbourne in early August. Ratoath's form in the group stages had been encouraging and they opened up with a clearcut 2-15 to 0-5 victory over Na Fianna, before coming face to face with the side they were later to lose to in the final, Kilmessan. On this occasion the teams finished level (Ratoath 2-8, Kilmessan 1-11). Another easy victory followed when Boardsmill were beaten by 3-15 to 1-6 and the group campaign was completed with a 2-13 to 2-11 win over last year's junior champions St Patrick's. That set up a semi-final against Kiltale which Ratoath won by a point (1-14 to 2-10). Ratoath were bidding to bridge a 20 year gap back to their previous outright success in the grade when they made the short trip to Ashbourne for the final, but there was disappointment when Kilmessan got on top when assisted by the strong breeze in the second half and won decisively by 1-15 to 1-7. Aided by the wind, Ratoath needed to build up a good sized advantage during the first period and they made a great start when John Kirwan did brilliantly to flick a Colm Kelly delivery to the net after five minutes. However, Kilmessan got their goal on 14 minutes when Shane Clarke's shot was deflected home and that gave them a lead they never surrendered. Kilmessan were in front by 1-7 to 1-3 late in the first half, but points from Michael Cooper, Stephen Gorman and Philip Lanigan enabled Ratoath to cut the deficit to the minimum (1-6 to 1-7) at the break. Lanigan split the uprights again four minutes after the restart, but that proved to be their last score as Kilmessan upped the tempo and pushed clear. The Ratoath team in the final was - D Kirwan; M Brassil, T O'Neill, D Eiffe; C Kelly, P Kirwan, K Fahy; K Fitzmaurice, S Gorman (0-1); B Crowley, J Brady, E McMahon; P Lanigan (0-5), J Kirwan (1-0), M Cooper (0-1). Subs - J Crehan for Kelly, R Crehan for Brady, M McGuane for Eiffe. Junior B honour for Ratoath ladies The lady footballers of Ratoath created history when they garnered their first adult championship title as Clann na nGael were beaten in the Junior B decider at Ashbourne on a 2-8 to 1-7 scoreline. This victory was much to do with the vibrant underage scene in the club and those who have worked so hard to re-establish the team. The side was a mixture of youth and experience which came together perfectly to turn what looked like certain defeat into a four point winning margin. The side was made up of many of those who played in the 2005 final under manager Packie Reilly along with a new wave of players who have come through the ranks at U14 and U16 level. At the young end of the scale were the McCann twins - Lauren and Adrienne - along with Katie Callaghan, all three of whom were on the Meath U14 side. The spirit of the side was there for all to see as Ratoath came back from conceding an own goal and missing a penalty to turn the match around at the death. Ratoath had starts all over the field in the Lowe sisters, the O'Reilly sisters, Ashling Brazil, Ann Marie Copeland at centre back. The midfield pairing of Fiona McGill and Grace Donnelly showed all their experience, while captain Eimear Brennan, as well as making a fantastic victory speech, showed continuously for the ball. Rachel Quinn and Sinead Ryan came of the bench and contributed handsomely to the win. Ratoath started the match in good form and led by 0-4 to 0-2 after fifteen minutes. A couple of goal chances were missed but when Adrienne McCann goaled all appeared rosy for the Ratoath ladies. Clann na nGael responded well before the break with three points and could indeed have had a goal, as Ratoath led by 1-4 to 0-5 at the interval. The Athboy side impressed after the break and had drawn level entering the third quarter when disaster struck for Ratoath, as they conceded an own goal and missed a penalty. Ashling O'Reilly showed her star quality to point two frees to level the game before Adrienne McCann hit a lead point. Sinead Ryan's goal attempt then cannoned off the crossbar to Katie O'Callaghan, who despatched the ball to the net for the insurance score. Ratoath - Yvonne McGee, Ashling Brazil, Mairead Dolan, Lauren McCann, Kate Byrne, Anne Marie Copeland, Ali Lowe, Fiona McGill, Grace Donnelly, Amanda O'Reilly, Adrienne McCann 1-2, Amanda Lowe 0-1, Ashling O'Reilly 0-4, Eimear Brennan, Olivia Cuttle. Subs - Rachel Quinn for Brazil, Sinead Ryan for Cuttle, Katie O'Callaghan 1-0 for Lowe. Subs not used: Anne McIntyre, Laura Ryan, Tara Callaghan, Lorne Osborne Ryan, Laura Copeland, Kate Whelan. Mentors: Catriona Lynam, Margaret O'Reilly, Vinny Donnelly (manager), Sean Whelan (trainer) The Elizabeth McDermott Cup returns to Ratoath The Ratoath U10 Camogie girls overcame Dunboyne in the semi-final of the Championship to meet Kilmessan in a great final that saw Ratoath finally raise the Elizabeth McDermott Cup after a long four years. Frank McDermott presented the Cup to the Championship in 2004 in memory of his wife the Late Elizabeth McDermott. Ratoath, who are sponsored by O'Reilly Transport, lost that year to Dunboyne in a very tight game. The following year Ratoath went out in the semi-final and last year they lost out to Boardsmill in the final. So this year the manager Tommy McLoughlin, who has been there since the beginning was on a mission with the help of the mentors, Patricia Crehan, Maire Cooke, Veronica O'Riordan, Linda Leonard and Stewart Griffiths. The match took place in Donaghmore Ashbourne. The excitement on the day was electric and both sides had terrific support. The game got off to a flying start with both teams challenging for every ball. Whoever won this match was not going to do it easily. There was terrific ground hurling and Ratoath wasted no time in bringing the ball up the pitch with some fine ground hurling challenging the Kilmessan backs in the early stages. Five minutes into the game Ratoath's half forward Niamh McLoughlin netted the ball. If Ratoath thought it was going to be plain sailing from then on they were very much mistaken. Once full hurling came into play Eimear Cooke and Niamh McLoughlin demonstrated some terrific lifts and Niamh McLoughlin got her second score of the match with a point. Kilmessan battled on and kept the score to 1-1 to 0-0 at half time. The second half saw Ratoath come out strong and Kilmessan's backs were put under fierce pressure. Ratoath's strong midfielders Eimear Cooke, Sarah McInerney and Ciara Leonard controlled the middle of the pitch and fed some terrific passes to the half forwards Niamh McLoughlin and Dearbla Murphy. Murphy could be found all over the pitch such was her work rate. Ruth Fagan and Fiona O'Riordan bombarded the Kilmessan goal and only for some near misses and fabulous blocks by the Kilmessan goalkeeper the match would have been put out of Kilmessan's reach. Again once full hurling commenced both teams raised their game and the Kilmessan goal was under attack again. It was during one of these attacks that Ratoath were awarded a '45 and Eimear Cooke stepped up to the mark and did what she does best putting the ball into the back of the net. Other teams might have put their heads down but Kilmessan continued to fight and they were rewarded with a goal. This just spurred the Ratoath girls on and Aine McInerney and Clodagh Griffiths in half back positions went on a mission to protect their lead and fought tirelessly throughout. Abbie Feeney, Anna Brannigan and goalkeeper Eimear McCabe stood strong and made it impossible for Kilmessan to break through. With minutes to go Eimear Cooke secured the victory with a lift and buried the ball into the back of the net. Game over, Ratoath finally got their win and it was so special to have Frank McDermott present the Cup to the Captain, Dearbla Murphy and Vice Captain Ruth Fagan. Ratoath - Eimear McCable, Anna Brannigan, Abbie Feeney, Clodagh Griffiths, Aine McInerney, Eimear Cooke, Sarah McInerney, Ciara Leonard, Niamh McLoughlin, Dearbla Murphy, Ruth Fagan, Fiona O'Riordan, Abbey Coakley, Roisin Crehan, Kerry Leonard, Eilisha McDonnell, Jennifer Grehan Tweet

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