Curraha might have suffered relegation from the intermediate ranks in 2004, but the mood in the club remains upbeat and positive as they look to the future, happy in the knowledge that they have good under-age structures in place which should sustain them in the years ahead. Naturally, there was great joy and a sense of achievement and fulfilment among all concerned when Curraha won the Junior Football Championship title in 2001, but their three-year sojourn in the intermediate grade came to an end when they lost to neighbours Donaghmore/Ashbourne in a relegation play-off which brought a disappointing '04 campaign to a close. Club PRO Frank O'Connor put it very much in context when he said that it "wasn't the end of the world" and how right he is. Curraha's focus now is very much concentrated on the future and there is an enthusiasm and passion within the club to ensure that its future is very bright indeed. The Curraha intermediates were drawn in Group A of the championship, a section that also included Na Fianna, the previous year's beaten finalists Carnaross, Drumree, '02 champions Ballivor, Wolfe Tones, who had won the Junior Championship so impressively in 2003, Nobber, who claimed that title in '02, and Drumconrath - all in all a very tricky and demanding section. And that's how it worked out, though Curraha were by no means outclassed in the first round at Duleek when they came face-to-face with a Tones' side that was to take the competition by storm in their first year back in the second highest grade. Tones held a slender 1-2 to 0-4 interval advantage after Eoin Carroll and Ian McManus had accounted for the Curraha points but, unfortunately, they didn't manage to add to their tally after the change of ends when the Kilberry combination tagged on a further three points to win by double scores on a 1-5 to 0-4 score line. Curraha did suffer some heavy defeats during the intermediate campaign and one of them came in the second round at Slane when Nobber inflicted a 3-19 to 0-8 loss as county panellist Brian Farrell accounted for 2-8 of the north county side's tally. The match was well out of Curraha's reach by the interval when they trailed by 0-3 to 3-11 and that made the second period a formality. Drumconrath provided the opposition in the third round at Rathkenny and Curraha looked to be in with every chance of success when the sides retired level on 0-5 each at the interval. The second-half was also extremely close most of the way, but that all changed in the closing 10 minutes when Drumconrath rocked Curraha with a brace of goals that made all the difference and helped them to a very comfortable 2-12 to 0-8 success. Ballivor, who had lost their senior status the previous September when they went under in the SFC relegation play-off to Kilmainhamwood, were next up for Curraha in the fourth round at Dunsany and, for more than half an hour, they looked likely to break their duck. Curraha led for the majority of the first-half, but Ballivor were marginally in front at 0-6 to 0-5 by half-time. However, Curraha responded extremely well and were ahead 11 minutes after the change of ends, but Ballivor gradually gained the upper hand to come out on top by five points (1-10 to 0-8). It was clear that Curraha, with four defeats from as many outings, were badly in need of a victory if they were to have any chance of steering clear of the relegation zone, but two heavy losses followed in rounds five and six which left them in real trouble. Dunsany was the venue again as Curraha met Na Fianna and the south Meath combination held a comfortable interval advantage, before Curraha improved in the second period as Ian McManus impressed. But they were unable to peg back the deficit and Na Fianna won very comfortably on a 2-13 to 0-6 score line. Carnaross were recovering from a less than convincing start to the championship and Curraha lost to them by 0-8 to 2-15 in the sixth round at Kilberry, despite again demonstrating improved second-half form after trailing by 0-2 to 2-7 at the interval. The meeting with Drumree in the last of the group matches at Dunshaughlin was a crunch confrontation for both and it was Drumree who secured the victory and survival in the intermediate ranks by recording a 1-8 to 0-7 victory. The winners led by 0-6 to 0-1 at half-time after playing with the advantage of the wind and Curraha's revival hopes in the second period were destroyed when Drumree scored the only goal of the match. Their seventh defeat of the group stages meant Curraha faced Donaghmore/Ashbourne in a relegation shoot-out which attracted a large attendance to Ratoath. Donaghmore/Ashbourne edged their way into a narrow 0-6 to 0-4 interval lead and a second-half goal from Eoin Carroll wasn't sufficient for Curraha who were badly hit when Ian McManus was forced to retire with a knee injury. In the end, they went under by 1-4 to 0-10 and their brief enough sojourn in the intermediate ranks was over. "I thought it would have been worse, to be really honest," commented PRO O'Connor as he reflected on his club's demotion back to the junior grade. "Donaghmore/Ashbourne, to their credit, weren't triumphalist about it. They said hard luck about what had happened. "But we felt we had missed our chance against Drumree in the final round of group matches. We felt we should have beaten them. They were five points ahead at half-time, but we fought back in the second-half. Unfortunately, we then gave away a sloppy goal which was a big blow to our hopes. That was our chance. "We were in the same situation in 2003. We are probably better off playing at junior level. Nobody likes being relegated, but it wasn't the end of the world." Was he disappointed that Curraha didn't manage to win any matches during the championship campaign? "We lost all our games and that's demoralising," O'Connor added. "But, looking back to the first round against a very strong Wolfe Tones' team, we really missed a serious amount of chances and yet we were beaten by only four points. It also has to be appreciated that Tones were going very well in the Leinster Junior Championship at the time, yet we had stayed with them." Unlike other clubs, Curraha don't have the luxury of a very large panel of players which can help make life so much easier in whichever grade you're playing. "We are working off a very small panel of players, with a lot of young lads," he said. "Intermediate is a tough grade of football and we are so dependent on young players who are playing so many games with their clubs and their schools. It should also be remembered that since we won the junior title in 2001 we lost the main backbone of the team. That's been a big problem because you really need that backbone." O'Connor was very pleased with the attitude of the Curraha players throughout a campaign that brought little or no joy. "We suffered some heavy defeats, but the lads kept at it," he added. "Numbers were very good at training and, to their credit, they maintained a positive attitude. Robbie Hetherton, our regular full-back, missed vital games with injury and that certainly didn't help either, while Ian McManus got injured against Donaghmore/Ashbourne. That was a big blow and we really felt more concerned for Ian than the defeat." Curraha must now look forward and that's exactly what they will do - to 2005 and beyond. "A development committee was set up earlier this year with a view to upgrading our facilities," O'Connor added as he looked ahead with enthusiasm. "We have only one pitch and, as a result of the large number of under-age teams we are fielding, we feel we are stuck for space and need to improve our facilities. That's so vitally important for the future. "And I am very, very positive for that future, especially with the under-age structures we have in place. A lot of new people are moving into the area and the population has grown in the last few years. "There's a lot of vibrancy and, despite being relegated in the Intermediate Championship, there's not so much doom and gloom. There's a very positive attitude. But we do need a decent-sized panel. That's very important, because we're working off a panel of approximately 20 players." A further reflection of the magnificent work being done in the under-age structures in Curraha is the fact that it isn't purely concentrated on football and that in excess of 25 players are going to Ratoath to play hurling from under-10 up to under-16. Concentrating a trojan amount of effort on those under-age structures is vitally important for any club and Curraha are clearly fully aware of that. It's one sure way to work towards a bright and successful future. Tweet

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