The main aim for any club which moves up a grade is to maintain that status for the following year. St Michael's, Junior A champions in 2005, achieved that goal with considerable ease and had fortune been with them on occasion, the Carlanstown outfit could well have been involved in the business end of the intermediate championship. Success in the junior championship last year came at a price for St Michael's as they were relegated to Division 4 in the league. So priority number two was to regain their place in the third tier. The league format saw 12 teams in Division 4 and all apart from the 'Mickeys' were junior clubs, and although all willprovided a stern test during the year, it was important for St Michael's to be playing their league football amongst teams that are in the same grade in the championship. The retirement of former Meath great Martin O'Connell brought an end to memorable era in the club's history and it was fitting that the 'Millennium Man' would end his career as a winner. With such a young squad at their disposal, survival in the intermediate championship was of the utmost importance for the club as a return to the junior ranks could have been a major setback for them. The campaign began with a tough match against one of the championship favourites, St Colmcilles. The East Meath side are an experienced side in the intermediate grade and considered potential championship winners on an annual basis. This game would be a test of St Michael's resolve and one that their management team of Kit Henry and his selectors Christy Regan and Tommy Moriarity would learn a lot from. Leading at half time, it looked as if the Carlanstown outfit would get their campaign off to the perfect start, however a second half lapse of concentration let Colmcille's off the hook and they lost out by two points, leaving Henry and his selectors to wonder what might have been. On a positive note, the fact that the black and reds could compete with one of the top sides in the grade was an encouraging sign, although it was to be a case of so near yet so far for the majority of the championship. The draw for the group stages of the IFC did St Michael's no favours at all as their second outing was against another of the top sides in the grade, Oldcastle, who were senior until four years ago. St Michael's were dealt a blow early on when influential midfielder John Barry O'Reilly was sent off in the first half. Nonetheless, the numerical disadvantage did nothing to dampen their spirits and they battled bravely, but once again fell short by two points at the final whistle. Two defeats in as many matches could be detrimental to many teams, but St Michael's have shown in the past that they have a strong resolve and they bounced right back against Slane. From the outset this was a match that Henry's charges had to win. Slane were also struggling for points and even though it was only the third round of the championship, it was evident that the losers of this clash would be sucked into a relegation battle. As expected the match itself was a tense affair with both sides looking nervous from the start. St Michael's ability to take their scores gave them the edge as the game entered the final quarter and so the first points of the year were picked up following a three point win. This win eased the pressure somewhat, although there was still a mountain of work to be done in order to make sure survival in the intermediate grade was secured. Rathkenny, who proved to be one of the surprise packets of the campaign were next on the list and the confidence that was gained following the win over Slane was evident as the Carlanstown outfit held a healthy four point lead at the interval. However, as so often had been the case throughout the year, St Michael's failed to hold on their lead and were pegged back by Rathkenny, who recorded an unlikely one-point win. A frustrating result left the Carlanstown outfit needing to pick up at least another win from their three remaining matches against Ratoath, Syddan and Nobber. The 2004 junior champions were first up as South Meath met North Meath. Both sides were in a similar situation and were desperate to pick up more points as they languished at the wrong end of the table. In a close fought match, St Michael's showed their determination and grit once again to win by two points and this gave them a cushion going into the remaining matches, although other results need to go their way in order to ensure survival. A three point defeat to Syddan was followed by arguably the club's best performance of the year, although it did end in their heaviest defeat in the campaign. Near neighbours Nobber were the opponents and on the day, Meath star Brian Farrell turned on the style. Henry's charges kicked some outstanding points and normally 0-14 would be a good enough score to win a match, but the concession of three goals did not help their cause as they lost by 3-11 to 0-14. With Slane and Ratoath finishing below them in the table, it was a case of job done for St Michael's and they can look forward to the 2007 campaign with an air of optimism. Backboned by such players as county star Daithi Regan, John Barry O'Reilly, Ciaran Lynch, Peter Clinton and Johnny Reilly, the Kells-border side could well make the breakthrough in the very near future and restore the club to their rightful place at senior level, where they sat proudly for many years. Despite having a relatively small area to choose from, the club keep producing talented sides at all levels and this is down to the hard work of too many to mention. The year was not just about championship survival and once that was secured, the side could concentrate on gaining promotion in the league back to Division Three. With eleven games to play in the league campaign, matches started early in the year and were then fitted in between championship outings. As expected, St Michael's topped the table from a very early stage and remained there right until the end. After ten games, the red and blacks could not be caught having won eight games, drawn one and lost one to Meath Hill to leave them top of the table on seventeen points. In second place was a St Mary's side who were also promoted to Division three, but with a final at stake both sides were determined to finish the year with some silverware. Played in ideal conditions in September, both sides produced an enthralling encounter and at the end of the sixty minutes, the teams could not be separated. St Michael's cause was not helped by the second half dismissal of Ciaran Lynch, but the returned to the full compliment of 15 for extra time. They then got off to the perfect start as Daithi Regan scored his second goal of the match and St Mary's seem to lose heart after this. The eventualwinners superior fitness began to tell and they were worthy of their 2-11 to 1-10 victory. So, all goals achieved for the club and with their standards set higher next year, no one can write off St Michael's even if Martin O'Connell has retired! Let's stay together Having won the 2005 JFC, St Michael's did reasonably well to cement their intermediate status in '06 (capturing the Division Four title into the bargain). As the Carlanstown men prepare another onslaught on the IFC, team stalwart Daithi Reilly (Player of the Year in 2005) believes they are capable of making an impression in 2007, particularly if the current crop of players stick together. After the high of the previous year, 2006 was an awkward year for the Mickeys. They were determined to make a mark in the intermediate championship but playing in Division Four was always going to work against them. The Red & Blacks had no difficulty booking an immediate return to the third tier but failed to progress to the business end of the IFC, winning only two of their group games. However, crucially, those two victories were sufficient to safeguard St Michael's intermediate status and outright Division Four success meant first-team silverware for a second successive season. Thus, the Carlanstown men can go into the new year with plenty of optimism. Key defender Daithi Reilly, who was outstanding as the '05 JFC was culled, is certainly keeping the faith: "I would like to see us keep the current crop of players together. If we do that, then we can improve on the form we showed in 2006. If we have our full squad available, with no injuries, then we are a match for any team in the intermediate championship." St Michael's were hampered by injury throughout '06. They opened their IFC campaign with successive defeats to St Colmcille's and Oldcastle but bounced back with a victory over Slane. They led would-be champions Rathkenny by four points at half time in their next outing but ended up losing by the minimum. A vital win over Ratoath preceded defeats against Syddan and Nobber. Though they had failed to progress to the knockout stage, the Mickeys had done enough to stay up. Meanwhile, in Division Four, they duly sealed the title with eight wins and one draw from their first ten outings, thereby regaining their place in Division Three. Daithi notes: "At the start of the year our target was to qualify for the knockout stage of the intermediate championship and to get out of Division Four. We hadn't placed enough emphasis on the league the previous year and that cost us our place in Division Three, so we had to put that right first of all. "We were caught putting too much focus on the championship and I suppose the celebrations didn't help either. It was a big setback getting relegated because Division Four football isn't much help when you're playing in the intermediate championship. "We carried a couple of injuries to key players into the year and we weren't really firing on all cylinders. We'd also had a long year in 2005 and that didn't help either. Our season stretched into the middle of November when we played Grange in a Leinster club semi-final and maybe we weren't as fresh as we might have been going into the new season." How did the players adapt to the new surroundings? Though Daithi himself had played both intermediate and senior football before, this was a whole new experience for some of the younger lads on the team… "We had been down junior for five years and we definitely felt the pace of intermediate football when we went back up. Personally, I think intermediate football got faster while we were down and it is also probably slightly more physical. "But we weren't out of our depth in any way. Apart from the Nobber match, any game we lost was only by a couple of points, so we're not too far off the mark at all. If we get the injuries cleared up and approach it right, we can make an impression. Rathkenny only beat us by a point and we played badly on the night, so that shows that we were still there or thereabouts…" Though the most important objective of intermediate survival was achieved, was it a big disappointment not to reach the business end of the IFC? "There's a lot expected of us, both from within the club and from our supporters. We were expected to qualify and I'm sure we could have done it if we'd made a bigger effort. It's a steep learning curve for the younger players, the bulk of whom had only ever played junior football, so the year up will do them no harm. We should also have a few more new players on the team next year as our minors have reached the championship final and some of those lads will be coming through as well." Daithi isn't a huge fan of some of the football being played in the county at present and would prefer to see a return to the catch-and-kick style that was more popular - and more exciting to watch - when the Royal County were at their peak. "I think clubs are trying to keep up with county teams and that's not practical," he says. "Club teams are trying to use the same tactics that county teams use and it just doesn't work. You need intercounty levels of fitness to play that running/possession game and club players simply can't adapt to it. "It's not pretty to look at either. I'd much prefer to see catch and kick - the kind of football that was played in Meath in the early '90s. That was more effective and it was better to look at as well. Club football in the county is poor at the moment and I think we all need to look at ways of trying to improve it." The last time St Michael's won the junior championship it took them seven years to complete the transition to senior. Daithi is adamant that the process won't take as long this time around: "We're intending to keep all our players and to show a marked improvement in 2007. We'll go out to try and win the Division Three league and we'll also be aiming to make bigger strides in the intermediate championship. It took us seven years after winning the junior in 1982 to win the IFC in 1989 and we certainly won't be leaving it as long this time! There's no better time than the present to start pushing for senior." Daithi Reilly has been on the St Michaels first team since 1994 (when he was 17). During that time he has collected two 'A' league medals, two 'B' leagues, a minor and a junior championship. He concludes: "It's nice to win the leagues but when you win a championship you'd like to go out and win another one. That's what we're aspiring towards now." Tweet

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