If Castletown thought it was painful last year, it must have hurt a great deal more in 2007 when they came up short in a highly entertaining Intermediate Football Championship final at Pairc Tailteann on the third Sunday of October. Donaghmore/Ashbourne had all the appearances of a young team that could make a big impression at senior level when they won by 1-15 to 1-11 in a match that proved far more enjoyable than the drawn senior final between Navan O'Mahonys and Seneschalstown that followed it. Getting to the final represented a great achievement for Castletown, but that feat and the fact that they played a major role in a thoroughly enjoyable curtain-raiser to the Keegan Cup decider was hardly of much consolation to their players, officials and supporters as they watched the winners' captain Ian Dowd receive the Mattie McDonnell Cup and then headed away from Navan empty handed. Castletown, under the guidance of Sean Kelly, who had coached St. Ultan's to the junior title the previous year, and Sean Barry, who along with Kelly was a selector when Meath won the Leinster Minor Championship in 2006, certainly endured a roller-coaster campaign in their attempt to get out of their group. But they warmed to the challenge of knockout football once they did achieve that first goal and as things progressed they surely started to entertain very realistic hopes of making up for last year's semi-final loss to Rathkenny and winning a first intermediate title since back in 1976. They have endured a fair few disappointments over the last decade and a half in their pursuit of a return to Senior Championship football, including a final defeat to Simonstown Gaels in 1995, and as was the situation in that decider 12 years earlier, their performance against Donaghmore/Ashbourne on this occasion was full of honest endeavour. But unfortunately it just wasn't good enough. When the championship draws were made earlier in the year, few could possibly have predicted a final between these two clubs, even though the competition appeared to contain several teams with the potential to go all the way. Castletown came out in group A and that section also included Gaeil Colmcille, Ballivor, Nobber, Oldcastle and Na Fianna. They had been highly consistent in the divisional stages of the 2006 championship, winning six and losing only one of their games for an impressive points tally of 12 which left them on top of the group, but the same certainly couldn't be said for their form this year. They opened their campaign with a game against Na Fianna at Dunsany where Barry Smith with five points and Shane Farrelly with four shared the scoring honours in a 0-9 to 1-4 victory. Castletown led by 0-4 to 0-2 at the end of a low-scoring first half, but the Baconstown/Enfield combination appeared to be taking a stranglehold on the match as they pushed ahead in the second period. However, four scores in the closing stages gave Castletown a winning start. The second round game against Oldcastle at a wet Kells will be best remembered for a melee that broke out after the final whistle, but it also brought a 0-9 to 1-7 defeat for Castletown. The side from the north-west of the county led by 0-4 to 0-2 at the break, before Castletown levelled within eight minutes of the restart. Oldcastle pushed four points clear and were still that margin in front as the match ticked into injury time. But there was plenty of that - seven minutes in total - and Castletown found their scoring touch to notch three unanswered points and be the minimum adrift at the final whistle. Conditions were dreadful for a third round meeting with Gaeil Colmcille at Carlanstown where it took a brilliant late point from substitute Michael Hickey to earn a draw for Castletown (0-7 to 1-4). The teams were level on 0-3 apiece at the break, but a goal from a penalty enabled the Kells men to push ahead. Castletown never let them open up a decent-sized lead and Hickey had the final say with the equalising point, which meant they had a very mixed bag of results after three rounds - a win, a draw and a defeat. A victory was the desired result in the fourth round assignment against struggling Ballivor at Cortown and it duly arrived as Castletown won with ease by 2-13 to 1-3. However, it was Ballivor who made the better start as they scored 1-1 in the early stages, but Castletown settled and a goal from Damien Ginnity helped them to lead by 1-7 to 1-2 at the change of ends. They added 1-6 in the second half, including a goal from substitute Alan Smyth, and with five points from a possible eight their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals had been given a significant shot in the arm. Castletown had beaten Nobber at the last eight stage in 2006, but the result was reversed when the teams met this year as the Nobber men won by 1-10 to 1-9 at Meath Hill in the last round of group matches to secure top position in the section. Luckily for Castletown, other results went their way and they secured third place in the division on five points, one ahead of Na Fianna who also had an inferior points difference at the end of the group campaign. A goal from Francis Hoey helped Castletown to lead by 1-5 to 0-5 at the interval, but Nobber got back to level terms by the three-quarter stage. Nobber scored a goal of their own to edge to the front in the closing stages and held on for the minimum margin win as Castletown hit the woodwork just before the end. It hadn't been the most convincing group campaign of all time, but the important thing was that Castletown were through to the quarter-finals where they opposed Sean Kelly's former club, Dunderry, at Pairc Tailteann. A goal from Tommy Smith helped Castletown to lead by 1-5 to 0-5 at half-time, by which stage goalkeeper Jonathan Ginnity had pulled off a great save to deny Colm Harte. Dunderry recovered well in the second period to go ahead and it necessitated a goal from substitute Alan Smyth to regain the lead for Castletown at 2-6 to 0-11. Veteran Aidan Young stretched the advantage to two points, but they were glad to hold out after that as Dunderry reduced the deficit to the minimum and TJ Garry was then off target from a free as he went for an equaliser. It finished 2-7 to 0-12 and Castletown were back where they had been 12 months earlier - in the semi-finals. There to meet them at Pairc Tailteann were Gaeil Colmcille, who they had earlier drawn with in the group stages, but this time Castletown did the business when the stakes were significantly higher. A tally of 13 wides proved very damaging for the Kells men and it took them 25 minutes to open their account as Castletown pushed into a 0-6 to 0-1 lead at the break. Gaeil Colmcille improved somewhat in the second half and shaded the scoring, but Castletown had done enough in the opening period and were comfortable winners at the end on a 0-10 to 0-6 score line. They were back in the intermediate final for the first time in a dozen years, but disappointment followed when a highly spirited and committed display and a wonderful start just weren't enough to get the better of a clearly very talented Donaghmore/Ashbourne team which looks to have the potential to make a serious impact in the top flight. Castletown, who included that amazing veteran 39 year-old Aidan Young at midfield, made the sort of start every team dreams of in a final when Damien Ginnity found the net after only two minutes and when the lead stretched out to six points (1-4 to 0-1) by the end of the opening quarter Donaghmore/Ashbourne looked shell-shocked and in danger of being swamped. But they weren't shell-shocked for too long and gradually recovered to get right back into the game. They began to score points with decent regularity and then struck with a goal at the perfect psychological moment just before half-time when David Morgan netted. So, from being in trouble they had clearly moved into a very advantageous position with a 1-7 to 1-4 interval lead. A 22-minute spell without a score after they had made that blistering start was damaging for Castletown, but they battled away in a clear belief that all was not lost. The gap was down to a couple of points by the three-quarter stage, but Donaghmore/Ashbourne always looked capable of responding to any serious challenge and finished confidently to be four clear (1-15 to 1-11) when referee Seamus McCormack sounded the final whistle. Ginnity contributed 1-2 for Castletown and Barry Smith rowed in with three points in a thoroughly committed performance that won many admirers. But as was the case back in 1995 after Simonstown Gaels had beaten them on the big day, they were forced to watch the opposing captain lift the silverware. As a result, the search for another Intermediate Championship and the coveted Mattie McDonnell Cup now heads into 2008. Castletown deserve their moment of glory and surely nobody would begrudge them that eagerly-awaited title. The Castletown team in the IFC final was - J. Ginnity; S. Duffy, K. Barry, J. Carry; K. Smith, D. Clarke (0-1), W. Donegan; A. Young, G. Farrelly; B. Smith (0-3), L. Clarke, S. Farrelly (0-2); T. Smith (0-2), J. Finnerty (0-1), D. Ginnity (1-2). Subs - A. Smyth for K. Smith, F. Hoey for Young, M. Hickey for L. Clarke. The Castletown club has also been busy off the field of play and is carrying out renovations to its clubhouse and grounds. So they definitely have their sights set firmly on the future. Tweet

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