'The Keegan Cup is likely to find a home in the shadow of King John's Castle in the not too distant future' it was suggested in an article about Trim in the 2002 Meath GAA Yearbook. They were beaten SFC finalists that year and despite some very promising form since then, the Reds are not any closer to making the big breakthrough. This year was the first in five campaigns that they did not make it through to the last four with a meek exit to Navan O'Mahonys in a quarter-final tussle suggesting that the group of players who threatened to capture the most coveted trophy in Royal County sport may have let the big fish slip. Trim are the equivalent of Mayo as they have built up their supporters on a few occasions in the last few years only to fail to deliver on big days. After very strong runs through the group stages in the previous three campaigns, the form was not as impressive in 2006 with two defeats and one draw in the first seven SFC outings. With Eamonn McEnaney moving on to have an eventful year with Louth, Trim acquired the services of Davy Nelson, who was the Navan O'Mahonys manager when they defeated Trim in the 1997 SFC final. Although winning by 0-11 to 0-10 over Seneschalstown at Pairc Tailteann, Trim did not impress in the opening game with a point from Paul Gilsenan in added time at the end bringing their unbeaten run in the group stages to 21 games. Nelson opted to play number 15 Kevin Walsh as an extra defender but that worked more to the advantage of Seneschalstown than Trim who went 0-1 to 0-5 in arrears before trailing by 0-4 to 0-6 at the break. The board read 0-9 to 0-4 before Trim, who had reorganised their team with Seanie Murphy and Derek Donohoe coming on, finished the stronger and put over the last four points. Ronan Fitzsimons' third score was followed by a converted free from Gilsenan before substitute Murphy had them on level terms for the first time. Then came Gilsenan's sixth point to steal the spoils. After that tight opening encounter, Trim had a stroll in the sun in Athboy eight days later as Cortown were trounced to the tune of 2-14 to 0-4. It was 1-8 to 0-1 at the break with the first goal being finished to the net by Ronan Fitzsimons who set up Eoin McGrath for the second. Round three saw Trim's long run in the group stages without a defeat come to an end as Walterstown clipped their wings on a 3-8 to 0-13 scoreline at Pairc Tailteann. Although Trim got more scores than their opponents, the concession of three goals signalled the beginning of the slide. Trim got back on the winning trail when having another easy outing in Athboy, outpointing Ballinlough by 0-19 to 0-5. It was 0-12 to 0-1 at the break with Ronan Fitzsimons the top scorer with four points and Paul Gilsenan, Derek Donohoe, Seanie McGrath and Eoin McGrath putting over three each. There were fifth and sixth round games in the same week and Trim picked up three points from those games. After a 2-6 each draw at Bohermeen, a 0-11 to 0-6 victory over Skryne at Pairc Tailteann put them through to the last eight once again. In the Bohermeen outing a goal from Frankie Murphy helped Trim go into a 1-4 to 0-1 advantage before Wolfe Tones recovered to lead by 1-5 to 1-3 at the break. Trim conceded another goal early in the second half but they battled back with a goal from Eoin McGrath giving them a point. Then in the game against Skryne the men in red and white raced into a 0-5 to 0-0 in the early stages and were 0-7 to 0-3 to the good at the break. Derek Donohoe was most impressive for the winners, kicking five points from play. Donohoe hit four points against Dunboyne who won the seventh round clash at Dunsany by 0-11 to 0-8. That was a game which Trim did not need to win but they continued to deploy a seventh defender with Michael Lowther filling the role this time. Davy Nelson would probably have preferred to avoid Navan O'Mahonys at the three-quarter stage but Trim had slipped from first to third place at the end of the group phase. Despite a bright beginning which yielded points from Darren Fay and Paul Gilsenan, Trim were unable to sustain the promise and they lost by 0-10 to 1-13. It was a tame exit after they trailed by 0-4 to 0-7 at the break before falling six points in arrears soon after the restart. They did manage to get the deficit down to a goal on two occasions in the second half and although Eoin McGrath threatened, it was a disappointing end to a campaign. In the 2005 SFC Trim defeated O'Mahonys by 1-9 to 0-3 but the sparkle of the previous few years was absent during the latest Keegan Cup campaign. Darren Fay was the team captain for 2006 but, like a good few outstanding county footballers in Meath before him, he may end his career without an SFC medal. But with other talented players like Brendan Murphy, Joe Tighe, Paul Gilsenan Ronan Fitzsimons, Frankie Murphy, Michael Lowther, Eoin McGrath and Derek Donoghue still having more than a few kicks left in them, their supporters will be hoping than Trim can return with recharged batteries. Donohoe was one of the younger footballers to make an impact over the last few months while Paul Flanagan, Neil Heffernan, Ciaran Joyce and Diarmuid Dempsey are among other young players who have made their way on to the senior panel. Trim's second football team got to the semi-final stage of the Junior B FC where they lost out to Clonard in a replay. The team managed by C. J. Murtagh played 11 championships, winning four, drawing three and losing four. Like some teams in the SFC, they lost three games in the group phase and qualified in fourth place, edging out St Paul's on score difference. They were defeated by Walterstown, Seneschalstown and St Brigid's, enjoyed wins over St Patrick's, St Paul's and Syddan as well as sharing the points with Clonard. Blackhall Gaels, who topped the other group without dropping a point, provided the quarter-final opposition and Neil Heffernan scored 2-2 in the 3-6 to 1-12 draw. Rising star Heffernan was to the fore again in the replay with his late goal giving them a 1-9 to 0-9 victory in a game in which Mark McCormack sent over four points. Trim's junior B side which included former seniors like Kevin Meehan, David McGuinness and Alan Smith showed more consistent form in the knockout games and their attempt to capture a title last won in 1998 ended in Summerhill in a game which Clonard won by 3-6 to 2-7. Paul Campbell scored 2-1 for the Reds, one of the goals being netted from a penalty. The drawn tie ended 1-9 for Trim to 0-12. While 2006 was again a lean year for Trim on the football fields, it was an exciting one for club stalwart down the years Frank McCann, who was chairman of Salthill-Knocknacarra who lifted the All-Ireland club title in Croke Park on St Patrick's Day. It was the first year for McCann, who has been living in Salthill since 1985, to hold the position after being vice-chairman for two terms. He has been involved with the Galway club since the early '90s while also retaining close links with Trim. Frank, who is a lecturer in mathematics in Bolton Street College in Dublin and goes home to Salthill on Thursday evenings before going back to the capital city on Monday mornings, won Meath SHC medals with Trim as well as coaching them to one Jubilee Cup triumph. In football he helped Trim to a Feis Cup success in the '70s but he was a very proud man last March when Salthill-Knocknacarra scored a narrow victory over Belfast side St Gall's Notables like Michael Donnellan, Alan Kerins, Maurice Sheridan, Finian Hanley and Sean Armstrong were on the winning team and to make the success even more special, Frank McCann had a son, Fergal, on the squad. Frank McCann and Seamus Brennan, who has been a selector with the Trim senior football team over the last couple of campaigns, have been busy over the last few months researching and writing up the long history of the GAA in Trim. While the Trim have enjoyed more title triumphs in hurling than in football over the years, they have the proud distinction of being the second longest serving senior football club in Meath. After taking intermediate honours in 1949, they have been ever presents in the top grade since then and only Skryne have been there longer. The only SFC title was annexed in 1962 and with the golden jubilee of that triumph coming into sight, Peter Darby would hardly mind losing the tag of being the only Trim captain to lift the Keegan Cup But can it happen in the near future? Pipped at the post With Kilmessan gradually loosening their grip on the Jubilee Cup in recent years, it was widely expected that Trim would be the side to take over their mantle at the helm of Meath hurling but 2006 proved a frustrating year for John Andrews' charges as their bid for honours in the SHC came up short of the mark. With last years two finalists, Killyon and Kildalkey along with Kilmessan all being drawn in the same group, Trim looked to have been handed a relatively straightforward path to the last four but draws with Dunboyne and Boardsmill accompanied by a loss to Rathmolyon meant that they were always playing catch up and a defeat in a semi-final play-off to Boardsmill brought an abrupt end to their campaign at Kildalkey. Trim and Boardsmill could not be separated in their encounter in the group stages of the competition and once again there was little to choose between them but after being on level terms at the end of normal time, Boardsmill pulled out that little bit extra in the additional periods to advance to a meeting with Dunboyne. Like in the majority of their previous SHC campaigns in the last decade it was Joey Toole who spearheaded Trim's assault for honours but the ace marksman who registered 3-47 in six games in the championship believes the way his side made their exit was bitterly disappointing for all concerned. 'To lose out to Boardsmill was a cruel blow for us and especially with the way the game went as a good few referring decisions went against us at crucial times, like when we were in a scoreable position when the full time whistle was blown," an aggravated Toole remarked. Boardsmill were quickest out of the blocks and with Thomas Reilly finding his range from an early stage, established a 0-4 to 0-1 lead in the opening minutes but points from Joey Toole and Ciaran Joyce kept Trim within touching distance of their opponents at the break, trailing 0-6 to 0-7. The 'mill were dealt a cruel blow entering the second half when their main talisman Thomas Reilly had to retire with a hand injury and Trim looked like they were going to take advantage of his withdrawal with Toole and Joyce posting scores shortly after the resumption to inch the town side into the lead. But Boardsmill kept battling and the sides were level on five separate occasions during the second half with Vinny Guy, who had taken over the free taking duties from Reilly, firing over important scores from placed balls to leave the board reading, 0-12 apiece, at the end of normal time. The first of the additional periods followed the same trend as the sixty minutes that had preceded it and after trading scores on two occasions, with Toole adding to his tally for Trim, at half-time in extra-time, the side's were deadlocked at 0-14 each. Boardsmill were reduced to 14 men early in the second period but in keeping with the defection of Reilly, they seemed to be spurred on by the setback and outscored Trim in the second period of extra-time by 0-4 to 0-2 to scupper Trim' Jubilee Cup aspirations. "The defeat against Boardsmill definitely does not signal the end of the road for Trim hurling. There is still a lot more to give from the group of players we have and hopefully we can produce what we are capable of and with a bit of luck on our side get back to winning ways next year." "There is an awful lot of young players coming through in Trim and this year we produced a few more with Alan Douglas in particular showing promise in a number of championship games and if we can get a few more youngsters to progress we will definitely be able to compete with the best sides in years to come," Toole added. The campaign began in promising fashion for Trim as they played out an entertaining draw with Dunboyne but in truth Andrews' troops were fortunate to escape from that battle only slightly wounded as Joey Toole blasted a 30 yard free to the roof of the net to leave the scoreline reading 3-10 to 2-13 on the stroke of full-time. At one stage late in the first half it looked as if Trim would be on the receiving end of a heavy defeat as Dunboyne led 2-7 to 0-3 but, almost a carbon copy of Toole's match saving puck, which also rattled the back of the net and a Diarmuid Dempsey goal reduced the deficit to 2-3 to 2-8 at the interval. The second period was a less eventful half hour and Trim gradually began to get to grips with their opponents with Ronan Fitzsimons in particular coming to the fore at midfield and he kept his side within touching distance by adding a brace of points but those efforts looked to be in vain until Toole stepped up to strike a dramatic equaliser. "We didn't start too badly in the championship and we fought hard to get a draw against Dunboyne and I knew we would improve from the outing as seen as it was out first game so it gave us something to start with," Toole stated. After getting off the mark at the first attempt against Dunboyne, Trim could not repeat the dose in the second round and found an improving Rathmolyon side to have too much firepower and lost out 0-13 to 1-14 at Boardsmill. Andrews' outfit were quickest to leave the traps and points from Ronan Fitzsimons, Ciaran Joyce and Toole eased them into an early lead and although Rathmolyon began to find their feet as the half worn on, Trim still held a slender half-time advantage, 0-10 to 1-6. But Trim could not contain Rathmoylon's rejuvenated surge after the resumption as Mike Cole demonstrated his class by posting some fine scores to keep Trim at arms length and despite Alan Douglas firing over a fine score from a tight angle, his side could only manage to add three further points to their half-time tally. With only one point from a possible four, Trim clash with Boardsmill was one that Andrews' charges could not afford to lose and although they didn't, another draw with their neighbours at Kildalkey, 0-11 apiece, left them with an uphill task to reach the last four. There was little to choose between the sides in the opening exchanges but points from Diarmuid Dempsey and Toole edged Trim into a 0-6 to 0-4 lead. The second half continued in the same light with neither side managing to put daylight between the sides and it was Toole who ensured the men in red and white didn't crumble when the 'mill came at them as he continued to find his range, eventually finishing with eight points to his name. The penultimate round of group fixtures in the SHC pitted Trim with last years IHC winners Blackhall Gaels who had found the transition to the top grade to be very demanding and Trim compounded their woes with a comprehensive 4-14 to 0-7 win at Kilmessan. First half goals from Toole and Neil Heffernan put Trim in the driving seat as they led, 2-8 to 0-5, at the break and they continued their dominance after the restart with Toole and Heffernan scoring at their leisure and the pair combined to notch 4-12 of the winning total in an extremely one-sided encounter. Despite only recording a solitary win in their previous four outings, the assistance of other results enabled Trim to be in with a realistic chance of reaching the knockout stages if victory over Drumree in the final group game could be achieved. Like in the previous outing it was Toole and Heffernan who were to the fore in the scoring stakes and the pair sent over first half points to help Trim establish a 0-6 to 0-4 interval lead. But Drumree didn't relent and Trim were made to pull out all the stops with a Heffernan goal midway through the second half proving the decisive score. Declan Murray, Gay Kennedy and Ronan Fitzsimons were also in fine form for the town side that went on the met Boardsmill in a semi-final play-off following this hard earned success. The Trim side that lost to Boardsmill in the SHC semi-final play-off - M. McCormack; K. Higgins, K. Walsh, S. Minogue; D. McGuinness, G. Kennedy, C. Doyle; R. Fitzsimons, S. Ashe (0-1); A. Smith (0-1), N. Murray, A. Douglas; C. Joyce (0-3), J. Toole (0-11), N. Heffernan. Subs - T. Farrell for Murray, D. Dempsey for Douglas, P. Burke for Doyle. Tweet

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