Drumbaragh are finding the quarter-final hurdle very difficult to clear as they continue their pursuit of the Junior Football Championship title. For the third successive year they were eliminated at the last eight stage and how it hurt as St. Brigid's edged them out by a point after extra-time. It was a similar story in 2005 when Kilmainham ended their championship dreams in a quarter-final that also went to extra-time, while last year champions to be St. Ultan's scored a comfortable victory to leave Drumbaragh disappointed again. The hope is that if they keep knocking, the door to further progress in the championship will open soon. Former Meath player Jody Devine took over the coaching of the team for the 2007 campaign, while the selectors were Joe Smith and Tommy Morris, both of whom are former goalkeepers with the club. Drumbaragh were drawn in group C of the Junior Championship and it had the appearances of a section from which they had a very realistic chance of emerging. The obvious other big guns in the division were Slane, who had been relegated from the intermediate grade last autumn, and the second string team from Navan O'Mahonys which looked strong. Also in the mix were Ballinabrackey, new boys Kildalkey and Skryne's second outfit. When the championship got under way in mid-April Drumbaragh's first round opponents were Ballinabrackey and despite being without a number of key players, Devine's side got off to the desired winning start with a two point (1-10 to 0-11) victory at Boardsmill. A goal from former Meath minor player Seanie Bennett helped Drumbaragh to lead by three points (1-4 to 0-4) at the interval and when substitute John Smith tagged on a couple of points early in the second period they pushed into a good sized advantage. Ballinabrackey gradually reduced the deficit, but time ran out on their recovery. Willie Arkins, Brian Forde, Noel Corcoran, Colm Carry and Enda Nulty played particularly well in that narrow success which set the desired tone for the remainder of the divisional campaign. Kildalkey affiliated a football team for the first time in many years in 2007 and survived in the junior grade. They were Drumbaragh's second round opponents at Athboy and this turned out to be a very one-sided affair as Drumbaragh hit the target with regularity to earn a massive 5-20 to 1-4 victory which doubled their group points tally and did a power of good to their score difference - if nothing else. The result was beyond doubt at the change of ends when they led by all of 18 points (3-13 to 1-1). Simonstown was the venue for a third round meeting with Skryne's second team and Drumbaragh made it three wins on the bounce and ended the Tara men's hopes of reaching the knockout stages when winning by 2-10 to 0-9. Two goals in the opening 10 minutes did the trick and Drumbaragh never looked in any real danger after that. Navan O'Mahonys were always likely to provide stern opposition when they met Drumbaragh in a fourth round game at Bohermeen and that's exactly how it turned out in a thrilling contest that provided tremendous entertainment. It wasn't exactly looking good for Drumbaragh when the town side - coached by 1997 Senior Championship-winning captain Alan Reilly - pushed into a substantial 1-8 to 0-3 lead by the 20th minute. The advantage stood at five points (1-9 to 0-7) by the interval and it was clear that Drumbaragh needed a positive response if they were to maintain their 100 per cent winning record in the group stages. That response was forthcoming in the second half when they added 1-8 to their tally, with John Madden getting the crucial goal that helped them to a 1-15 to 1-14 victory. John Smith contributed seven points to the Drumbaragh cause and others to show up to good effect in the narrow win were Brian Forde, Noel Corcoran and Martin Kavanagh. Drumbaragh's final group assignment was against Slane who were the fancies of many people to go all the way in their first year back down in the junior ranks since the early 1950s. Carlanstown was the venue for the meeting of the top two teams in the section and it was Slane who came out on top in a very even contest, winning by a point on a 1-11 to 2-7 score line. The winners also led by the minimum (0-6 to 1-2) at the break, but Drumbaragh looked to be heading for a fifth successive victory of the title race and top spot in the group when they edged ahead in the closing stages. However, it was Slane who found most as the final whistle approached and that ace marksman Declan Kearns proved to be their hero when he fired over a '45' in injury time to secure a victory that assured his team of top position in the section on nine points, one ahead of Drumbaragh. Drumbaragh had played some very competitive matches in the group stages of the championship, particularly against Navan O'Mahonys and Slane in the last two rounds, and the hope as they prepared for a quarter-final meeting with St. Brigid's must have been that those tests would stand to them when the knockout element of the competition got under way. They were involved in another highly competitive game against the Ballinacree men who had won the Junior B Championship the previous year and made a very encouraging showing in their first year back in the junior ranks. Drumbaragh didn't have far to travel for this match, as it took place down the road in Ballinlough, but the outcome was shattering as they lost a quarter-final after extra-time for the second time in three years. This was a thrilling encounter, but that was hardly any consolation for Drumbaragh as their championship dream ended for another season. St. Brigid's looked set for a last four place as they held a decent lead in normal time, but Drumbaragh conjured up a recovery when Seanie Bennett found the net from a penalty and John Smith slotted over a point from a free in injury time to force the match to extra-time. When Drumbaragh pushed three points clear (1-16 to 1-13) at the interval in extra-time they must have started to believe that they were on their way to the semi-finals. But the loss of Smith with a hip injury robbed them of a key player for the second 10 minutes and that clearly didn't help their cause as they failed to add any further scores. Like Smith for Drumbaragh, Fergal Hennessy is a vital scoring player for St. Brigid's and it was his inspirational play that proved of vital importance as they scored four points in the second period of extra-time to shade the verdict by 1-17 to 1-16 and earn a semi-final meeting with Clann na nGael which they lost. It was a very disappointing exit for Drumbaragh, particularly as it came after extra-time, but it's now a matter of focusing on next year and the ongoing pursuit of the Matthew Ginnity Cup. John Smith was as disappointed as any Drumbaragh player, official or supporter coming away from Ballinlough that September evening. "After getting to two quarter-finals in succession I hoped we would move on another step or two this year," Smith said. "It was very disappointing the way we lost after extra-time against St. Brigid's. I though we had been going well all year and was hopeful. "We lost James Connolly for the St. Brigid's match after he pulled a hamstring in a league game. He is one of our best forwards and was a really big loss. I injured my hip before half-time in extra-time and had to go off. Losing the way we did was very disappointing." But Smith is eagerly looking forward to the 2008 Junior Championship and is hopeful about Drumbaragh's prospects. "We would hope to win it next year, but it will be very tough," he added. "But we must be hopeful. We played nearly all the teams in the Junior Championship this year in either the league or the championship and we are up there with most of them. "Our panel is a lot stronger now that it was a couple of years ago and that is important. Hopefully, we will have Eoin O'Sullivan back playing with us next year. He missed all of this year's championship campaign with a knee injury. He is our regular centre half-back and was a big loss to us." For starters, Drumbaragh would obviously like to break that trend of quarter-final losses in the championship - in 2005, 2006 and 2007 and two of them after extra-time - and if they can clear that hurdle it will open up all sorts of possibilities. They have been one of the most consistent teams in the Junior Championship in recent years and if they continue to demonstrate the necessary commitment and hunger, that title might not be too far away. Tweet

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