All good things must come to an end - one of life's great truisms. Sean McDermotts certainly know this to be the case - they know after a campaign where they recorded just one win in the league and lost both Championship ties. So brought an end to their involvement in Intermediate football, with demotion to the bottom tier ending a commendable 15-year run. The last time Seans competed at Junior level was way back in 1992; since then they have enjoyed one of Monaghan football's more lengthily spells in the top two divisions. The pinnacle of that era was undoubtedly the Intermediate Championship success of 2002, as well as the three years of Senior football that resulted from that triumph. Since that plateau was reached in the early to mid part of the decade, Seans have suffered the ravages of time. The players that brought the club to the Senior ranks have since moved on; maintaining the success of the previous ten years was always going to be a tough proposition. And so it proved; having made the step down from Senior level, Seans were embroiled in relegation dogfights in both the '06 and '07 seasons. Those struggles were eventually overcome, and the club maintained its Intermediate status. This year proved a step too far, and now the rebuilding work must begin. Seans are back to year zero, which could in turn be called year '92 - the beginning of their last great ascent. Club PRO Cormac Connolly has been an ever-present figure at Pairc Sean Mc Diarmuida over the years, and as such, has seen both the good and the bad. Truth be told, there was far more of the latter this year, but nevertheless he remains confident Seans can return to former glories. He reflects over some of the reasons for this year's poor form, as well as the possibilities for the future. "The last few years have been a downward slide for the club; we have struggled to replace the Intermediate Championship winning team of 2002. Since winning promotion to Intermediate level in '92 we haven't dropped lower until now - it has been the most consistent period of our history. We spent three years at Senior from '03 to '05, but since our relegation we have struggled. About nine or ten of that 2002 team have since retired, the likes of Eddie Masterson, and they have proven hard to replace." Keeping your team at the top is much more difficult than reaching that level in the first place. Seans are not the first side to realise that fact, needless to say they won't be the last either. This year their concerns were concentrated somewhere far removed from the top of the Intermediate league, but that wasn't to say they couldn't stand their ground when facing teams that did. Cormac Connolly gives his thoughts. "Our best performance of the year was against Ballybay in the opening league match - and they ended up topping the table. We had them on the rack for 40 minutes of that game, and were 1-8 to 1-4 up at half-time. In the second-half we couldn't keep that up, and Paul Finlay's quality shone through. They ended up winning 2-10 to 1-10." So why did the club endure such a tough season, collecting just three points in the league - given the fact they could match the division's best on occasion? "We suffered from some bad luck this year with referee decisions and things like that. Another big factor was the injuries to Derek McMahon and Damien Larkin. Damien was out with a cruciate-ligament and Derek had an ankle injury - both sustained the previous season, and we didn't have them until the last couple of games of the year. An even bigger absence for us was Gary Larkin, who retired last year and was a talisman for the club. That was most of our scoring threat removed for the season, and as everyone knows - scores win matches." Will the lack of firepower be a problem that follows the Seans into 2009, however? "I don't think it will factor as much next year. We have some good younger players coming through - David McEntee, who was one of our better forwards this year and will only improve with experience. Then we have the likes of James Treanor, who is a serious talent, but struggled this year with injury and that led to a loss of form," said the club PRO. Bearing in mind the injury problems that hindered the club this year, does Cormac Connolly believe Junior football is a true reflection on Seans position in Monaghan football? "It is tough to say, but the league table doesn't lie - it is a true measure of your status. It levels itself out over the course of the year; so even with some of our injuries and bad luck, we are where we are. That being said, we have a good panel of young players that are capable of developing and moving back into Intermediate football, and possibly Senior." So, considering some of the talent the club have at its disposal, is a Seans return to Intermediate football next year inevitable? Such pre-conceived opinions won't be welcome round McDermott Park according to Cormac Connolly. "There are some good teams down there who have struggled to get promotion, so we're taking nothing for granted. McDermotts haven't played Junior football since 1992, so none of the present crop of players have experience of this level - it is going to be a big culture shock for them. In the past we have had good teams that struggled to get out of Junior, and I'm sure it will be similarly difficult next year. It is going to take a lot of hard work and dedication from the players to go straight back up next season." Leading those players as the new manager will be renowned clubman Benny Kieran - himself a former player of 25 years. Cormac Connolly's esteem for the man is not hard to detect, and is one of the reasons he believes Seans have every chance of putting the disappointment of 2008 behind them. "Benny was an exceptional player for the club, and was a key part of the side in the 70's and 80's. He is one of those players that would receive automatic choice if a Seans all-time selection was ever named. Our most successful period would have been between '74 and '81, and Benny was involved in all those games. We won the Ward Cup in '76, Junior double in 77, Hackett Cup in '78, the Junior Championship again in '81. He is a former chairman and treasurer of the club, and has coached with the under-age sides also." Having a talented team devoid of injuries, and a devoted manager calling the shots could bring promotion next season. But even with those elements for success in place, Seans will need another factor in their favour - something that was sadly missing this year: luck. Every team needs it, but lady luck was conspicuous by her absence at McDermott Park this year. All the team's loses can't be put down to that one intangible of course, but it is true to say Sean McDermotts were an unlucky side this year. Drawing Ballybay and Truagh in the Championship wasn't exactly four-leaf clover type fortune for example. As was the league game against rivals Eire-Og back in May. "That game was a good example of where we needed the rub of the green, but didn't get it. Eire-Og were awarded a soft penalty in the last minute; they then scored the penalty to win the game by a point. Sometimes you get those decisions and sometimes you don't. The second game was another close game at McDermott Park, but had nowhere near the same level of acrimony that marred the first game. There's a close rivalry there, as there is with all the teams from that area - Killeevan, Monaghan Harps, McDermotts, Athabog, Rockcorry," What fixtures will be the ones to watch for McDermotts next year then? "I would be expecting our strongest rivalry to be with Emyvale next year. We would like to think of ourselves as potential promotion teams alongside them. You can't forget teams like Currin and Clones though, Toome who have done great things under Jim McConville, Oram as well. No doubt about it - it is going to be tough. To get promotion you are going to need luck and a lot of dedication." Is the club PRO confident the team will show that dedication however? "There were numerous occasions where Seans showed they are a side more than capable of competing at Intermediate. The league and Championship games with Ballybay stand out. Unfortunately our guys couldn't replicate that performance throughout the season. There were a few reasons for that - injuries, lack of depth in the panel, and some refereeing decisions that didn't go in our favour. There is a young team coming through now, and they have some good support from experienced lads like Christopher Connolly, Martin Kieran and Emmet McElvaney." So, while 2008 brought an end to a brilliant era for Sean McDermotts, that realisation is tempered with the belief that a new journey could just be beginning. "You have to be confident heading into the year. I don't think the bad run this year will have an affect; knowing Benny I'm sure he will install plenty of belief in the players ahead of next year. It is just a case of getting our mix of youth and experience right; gelling them as a team and hopefully picking up the results from there." Tweet

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