When Gaeil Colmcille went on a successful revenge mission to nearby Ballinlough in the fourth round of the 2007 Intermediate Football Championship they must have started to believe that this might just be their year and that a first outright triumph in the grade since 1986 was within reach. The Kells men, who were relegated from the Senior Championship in the autumn of 2004 when they lost the relegation final to Summerhill, went under by eight points to Oldcastle in a quarter-final at Ballinlough last year, but retribution was the name of the game at the same venue approximately 11 months later when the sides met in the group stages of the IFC. This time Gaeil Colmcille, coached by Benny Reddy and with Mick Finnegan and Timmy Reddy acting as selectors, won by 1-10 to 0-8 and if ever a victory was going to give a team renewed belief and optimism, that should surely have been it. A victory followed in the last round of group matches against Na Fianna and after that they got the better of Carnaross with some degree of comfort in the quarter-finals. Regretably, that was as good as it got and a poor performance in their semi-final against Castletown put paid to their chances of winning the title. After securing an under-21 title in the latter stages of 2006, hope must have been quite high in the club that they would have a good crack at the IFC this year, but when the draw was made earlier in the year it was clear that it would take a big effort to emerge from group A which also included Nobber, Oldcastle, Castletown, Na Fianna and Ballivor. Ballivor had a real struggle for survival at intermediate level and they provided the first round opposition at Bohermeen where Gaeil Colmcille won by 3-11 to 0-7. They led by 1-6 to 0-5 at the interval and added a further 2-5 in the second period to be well clear at the end. The task was always going to be considerably more difficult when they made the short trip to Carlanstown for a second round meeting with Nobber and, after a poor game, the Kells men came away with a share of the spoils as the only goal of the match from Brian Hanlon helped them to a draw (1-5 to 0-8). Scores were few and far between in the first half, but three points from play by Martin Barrett enabled Gaeil Colmcille to lead by 0-3 to 0-1 at the interval. They were denied twice by the woodwork in the second period and were a point behind when Hanlon scored his goal to edge them two ahead. However, Nobber notched the final two points to force a draw. A second successive draw of the group campaign followed when they returned to Carlanstown for a low-scoring third round game against Castletown. Heavy rain and tricky underfoot conditions militated against good football and the sides were level (0-3 each) at the change of ends. A goal from a penalty early in the second half edged Gaeil Colmcille to the front, but Castletown battled back and a brilliant late point from Michael Hickey secured stalemate (0-7 to 1-4). Memories of the previous year's heavy defeat must have been going through the minds of the players as they travelled to Ballinlough for that fourth round meeting with struggling Oldcastle and the result was an impressive performance, particularly in the first half, which produced a 1-10 to 0-8 victory. Gaeil Colmcille dominated most of the first period and a goal from Stevie McManus helped them to lead by all of nine points (1-8 to 0-2) at the interval. They eased off the gas somewhat subsequently and added only two points in the second period, but they never looked in any danger of being overhauled. A lengthy trip to Ballivor followed for their final group assignment against Na Fianna and the anticipated victory followed - if only just. The Baconstown/Enfield combination, coached by former Cortown player Kit Henry, led by 0-5 to 0-4 at half-time, but the Kells men made a great start to the second half when Keith Reilly scored their goal and Martin Barrett and Barry Hanlon slotted over points to give them a significant boost. However, Na Fianna were in no mood to throw in the towel and it took strong defending from Mickey Foley and Robbie Flanagan to keep Gaeil Colmcille together at the back. They were only a point ahead and looking vulnerable in the closing stages, but the vastly experienced Tom Shine gave them breathing space with a late score and they won by 1-8 to 0-9 to book their place in the knockout stages. Nobber went through to the last eight as group winners on nine points, followed by another unbeaten team, Gaeil Colmcille, on eight, with Castletown squeezing through on five. Carnaross had finished second in group C and they provided the opposition for the Kells side in a quarter-final that drew a big crowd to Carlanstown. An eighth minute goal from Martin Barrett proved to be the key score as Gaeil Colmcille won by 1-9 to 0-7 on a day when Carnaross suffered a massive blow in the opening quarter when Ollie Murphy was forced out of the game through injury. Carnaross led by 0-2 to 0-0 in the early stages, but boosted by Barrett's goal Gaeil Colmcille worked their way into a 1-4 to 0-5 lead at the interval. Carnaross battled back to level terms early in the second period, but they didn't manage to add another score as Reddy's side pushed clear to win by five points. That clearcut victory left them one win away from a place in the final, but when expectation began to mount they turned in a below par performance against Castletown who deservedly won the semi-final by 0-10 to 0-6 at Pairc Tailteann on the first Saturday of October. Lack of a killer touch in attack was a major problem for Gaeil Colmcille who tallied a very damaging 13 wides and the fact that they managed only a single point in the opening half demonstrated how off the mark they were. That score came from a Brian Hanlon free after 25 minutes and things didn't look promising when they trailed by 0-1 to 0-6 at the break. That left them with an awful lot to do in the second period and the task proved too great, though they did outscore Castletown marginally in that half. Their hopes of a return to senior football were over for another year. However, this is a generally young Gaeil Colmcille side which is developing and the reality is that little can be achieved overnight. Given a bit more time, that return to the top flight should be very attainable. There was plenty of young talent on display when they defeated a strong Seneschalstown team in that under-21 final at Pairc Tailteann last winter and these are among the players who represent the future of the Gaeil Colmcille intermediate side. When the club's second string won their opening JFC game against Kilbride by 2-12 to 1-7 and then drew with neighbours Kilmainham (0-10 each) they must have been hopeful of a progressive run in the competition, but three successive group defeats followed against Dunboyne (1-8 to 3-9), Meath Hill (0-6 to 3-16) and Simonstown Gaels (1-5 to 1-12) and that left them bottom of group D on three points. A relegation play-off followed against Boardsmill, who had finished bottom of group A, and that match turned out to be a thriller which went to extra-time at Athboy where they finished level (Gaeil Colmcille 0-15, Boardsmill 1-12). Boardsmill won the replay by 2-10 to 1-4 at Simonstown and that left the Kells men with one last chance to secure their survival. Simonstown was also the venue for the relegation final against St. Vincent's and Gaeil Colmcille won by 1-11 to 1-7 to stay in the JFC for 2008. The Gaeil Colmcille third string enjoyed a very good run in the Junior D Championship, emerging from their group for a quarter-final meeting with Walterstown which they won by the narrowest of margins (1-8 to 1-7) at Athboy. That win set up a semi-final meeting with Ratoath at Seneschalstown, but their hopes of getting to the final were dashed as they lost narrowly (0-7 to 1-6) and missed out on the opportunity to meet neighbours Drumbaragh in the decider. UNDERAGE SUCCESS There was a rewarding day for a dedicated group of young Gaeil Colmcille footballers during the summer when they won the U-12 Reserve FL Div. 1 title with a 5-5 to 2-3 victory over St. Peter and Paul's in the final at Kells. Fionn Reilly was one of the stars of the show for the winners as he accounted for 3-2 of their tally and Conor Heary and Dylan Roche also found the net, but this success was all about a very impressive team effort. The Gaeil Colmcille team in the final was - D. Smith-O'Driscoll; C. Arkins, A. Dowd, C. McManus; C. Lynch, M. Farrell, D. Sheridan; J. Reilly, R. Fox; L. Shine, E. Sheridan (0-1), K. Ronan; C. Heary (1-2), S. McGillick, F. Reilly (3-2). Sub - D. Roche (1-0) for Heary. Hurlers getting closer Gaeil Colmcille's bid for a first Intermediate Hurling Championship title since 1996 continues after they lost to Clann na nGael in this year's final which was played on a miserable wet and windy day at Pairc Tailteann in late October. The Kells club possesses a strong desire to play both hurling and football in the senior ranks again, but they suffered disappointment in both codes in 2007 when the footballers lost an IFC semi-final to Castletown and the hurlers experienced that horrible feeling that goes with losing out on the biggest day of all. It was the second time in four years that they lost to Clann na nGael in the final. The 2004 defeat at Kilskyre also came on a difficult day for playing hurling because of the strong wind and it was a similar scenario in Navan three years later as the Athboy/An Gaeltacht combination won a low scoring contest by 0-6 to 0-4. Tom Shine was again the Gaeil Colmcille player/manager for the 2007 campaign, with Conor Ferguson and Ian Callaghan acting as fellow selectors, and the obvious aim at the start of the year was to push on from last term when they lost to Dunderry at the semi-final stage. They made the ideal start to the championship when getting the better of local rivals Kilskyre by 2-11 to 1-13 and with two points safely in the bag towards their drive for a place in the knockout stages they must have travelled to Dunsany for a second round engagement against Donaghmore/Ashbourne with a fair degree of confidence. Gaeil Colmcille had earlier beaten the same opposition by 16 points in the league, but when it came to the championship Donaghmore/Ashbourne got their revenge by recording a 2-8 to 2-6 victory. The Kells men led by 1-5 to 0-5 at the interval, but the Dublin-border outfit were back to level terms early in the second half after they had found the net. Their second goal helped Gaeil Colmcille to push to the front and though Donaghmore/Ashbourne cut the deficit the Kells side looked set for victory. However, they were stunned by a late goal and didn't have sufficient time to recover. They didn't know it at the time, but the third round meeting of Gaeil Colmcille and Clann na nGael at Kilskyre was a dress rehearsal for the final later in the year. And it was the amalgamated side which sent out a clear message of intent when they won by 3-10 to 2-7 to mark themselves down as title favourites. They were well on their way to the two points when they led by 1-7 to 0-4 at the break and when they struck with two more goals early in the second period it was all over bar the shouting. Gaeil Colmcille battled away despite the hopelessness of the situation and scored a couple of goals of their own near the end, courtesy of substitute Colin Duignan and Barry Smith. However, it was a case of too little too late. After suffering two successive group defeats, a victory was essential when Gaeil Colmcille made the first of three successive championship visits to Athboy for a meeting with Dunderry, the team that had eliminated them from the title race in 2006. This time they got their revenge when recording a 0-9 to 0-7 victory and, of more importance, revived their hopes of making it through to the knockout stages. Shine's side led by a point at the change of ends and defended very well in the second period when county player Mickey Foley proved particularly influential. That looked like a very significant, morale boosting win for Gaeil Colmcille, but they slipped up again in the fifth round when Longwood beat them by 2-16 to 2-6 at Athboy. At that stage they had won two and lost three of their matches for a points total of only four and it meant their last group assignment against Wolfe Tones, again at Athboy, was very important. And how they responded. Anybody who expected this to be a tight contest got it very wrong as Gaeil Colmcille found the net almost as many times as they had done in their previous five games combined to win by all of 22 points on a 7-10 to 1-6 score line. It was a victory that secured a place in the last four - mission one accomplished. Two first-half goals from Cormac Ferguson helped the Kells side to lead by 2-6 to 0-1 at the break and there was clearly no way back for Wolfe Tones. But just to make sure five more goals followed in the second period, with Robbie Flanagan inflicting most damage as he hit the net three times. Veteran Conor Ferguson and Niall Flanagan also contributed to the seven-goal show and Gaeil Colmcille could start preparing for a semi-final against Donaghmore/Ashbourne who had beaten them by two points in the group stages. That semi-final was an historic occasion because it was the first hurling game to be played under the floodlights at Pairc Tailteann. It was Donaghmore/Ashbourne who made the very early running when they fired over a couple of points, but Gaeil Colmcille settled and got back to level terms with superb points from Charlie Usher and Mickey Foley. Usher added two more and Barry Ferguson also hit the target as they moved into a 0-5 to 0-3 interval advantage. Goalkeeper Joe Lee had already made a very good save from a penalty close to the break. The Kells lead stood at only a point approaching the end of the third quarter, but they went on to outscore Donaghmore/Ashbourne by 1-3 to 0-1 in the final 11 minutes. Those scores included a goal from the impressive Usher who accounted for 1-6 of their tally. Player/manager Shine, who had missed that semi-final, was back for the decider against Clann na nGael which provided the curtain-raiser to the senior final between Kiltale and Kilmessan. What a pity the weather proved to be such a spoil sport and that clearly accounted for the poor level of scoring, with the teams managing only 10 points between them. Seven first half wides and 11 overall proved damaging to Gaeil Colmcille who led by 0-4 to 0-2 at the interval after Shine had scored three points, two of them from frees, and Usher also found the target. They defended well in the dreadful conditions in that period, with Foley a towering presence at full-back, and holding Clann na nGael to only two pointed frees represented a fine achievement. They went close to netting in the third quarter when Niall Flanagan had his effort well saved by 'man of the match' Vinny Doyle and Clann na nGael scored three third quarter points to edge ahead. Usher also might have found the net, but the only other score was a Barry Higgins point near the end. The reality for Gaeil Colmcille was that they hadn't scored in the second half and had just fallen short. They had scored seven goals in their last group game against Wolfe Tones and 16 overall on the way to the final. What they would have given for just one more. Gaeil Colmcille do included some highly experienced campaigners, like Shine, goalkeeper Joe Lee, midfielder Liam Newman and Barry Ferguson, but the team also contains several youngsters who will carry the future hopes as they continue that search for a return to the senior ranks. A look through their team list for the final against Clann na nGael serves to demonstrate just how much youth Gaeil Colmcille have in their ranks and that must give them encouragement for the future. Take their defence as an example. Corner-back Paul Tormay is only 17, Keith Reilly is 21, Barry Smith is 20 and Stephen Reddy is 21. And the remainder of the rearguard are on the young side too, with Mickey Foley 26 and Robbie Flanagan 25. On the subject of Foley, the experience he is gaining as a member of the Meath senior panel is sure to benefit his own game and his club colleagues in the future. In attack for the final Gaeil Colmcille included 17 year-old Cormac Ferguson, Colin Tormay who is 20 and Charlie Usher who is 23, so there was plenty of youth there as well. And it was also encouraging to see a number of young players among the substitutes. The disappointment of losing another final will ease with time for the Gaeil Colmcille players and when winter turns to spring there will be renewed enthusiasm for the 2008 championship. It will be a big surprise if they fail to get into the shake-up again next year. The Gaeil Colmcille team in the final was - J. Lee; P. Tormay, M. Foley, K. Reilly; R. Flanagan, B. Smith, S. Reddy; D. O'Neill, L. Newman; T. Shine (0-3), N. Flanagan, C. Tormay; B. Ferguson, C. Usher (0-1), Cormac Ferguson. Subs - R. Kelly for Cormac Ferguson, R. Bradley for B. Ferguson. Tweet

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