Carrickmacross' progress this year, when they reached the county football final and captured the senior league title for the first time, delighted former player and manager Pat Cassidy, who is better known nowadays as managing director of successful local company Platinum Tanks Ltd. After watching his beloved Carrickmacross reach this year's county final and lift the Owen Ward Cup for the first time, Pat Cassidy is convinced the club's long wait for senior championship honours is just around the corner. The south county club have gone 89 years without a senior championship success, but former player and manager Cassidy is quietly confident that they will bridge that long gap in 2009. "It would be tremendous if Carrick' could celebrate the 90th anniversary of their last senior championship victory by winning the county title next year," he says. "They will take a lot of encouragement from this year's achievements and try to build on them next year. They will have gained great experience and confidence from playing in the county final and winning the senior league for the first time. The next step for them is to win the senior championship and they won't feel satisfied until they have achieved that." The former Monaghan under 21 selector is full of praise for the Carrickmacross players and their manager Stefan White. "What they achieved this year was magnificent and everyone in Carrick' is very proud of them. Apart from Andy Callan, who was the only survivor from the last Carrick' team to reach a county final in 1999, it's a very young side which is backboned by players from the Declan Smith-managed minor team that reached the Ulster club final in 2003. "They are both committed and ambitious, and have a good manager in Stefan White who has done it before as a star player with both Louth and Monaghan. I'd be very surprised if they don't win a championship in the next year or two," he adds. The Emmets were a revelation this year, producing arguably the result of the championship against three-in-a-row chasing Clontibret in the semi-final. But heartbreak followed when they lost the county final to Latton by 0-11 to 0-15 at Clones. Overall, the winners were more economical in front of goal and made better use of their possession. Two early points from Sean Downey gave Carrick a dream start, but Latton were level by the 10th minute thanks to a brace of Hugh McElroy frees. The winners hit the front for the first time after 19 minutes, but Carrick fought back to go into the break on level terms, 0-7 each. Andy Callan edged Stefan White's charges back in front within 30 seconds of the restart, only for Latton to take control with three points in as many minutes. Carrickmacross were a point in arrears and down to 14 men following the dismissal of Declan Finnegan going into the last five minutes, and Latton made the most of their numerical advantage by scoring the last three points per sub James Connolly, Eoin Lennon and Bernard O'Brien to win by four. To their credit, Carrick quickly put that disappointment behind them by defeating Castleblayney after a replay to claim an historic league victory. Having let 'Blayney off the hook in the drawn encounter, Carrick' confounded the doubters by winning the replay 0-12 to 0-10 and, in the process, ending a 89-year wait for senior success. In the drawn encounter, the Emmets had spurned a couple of late chances and the fear was that perhaps they had missed the boat. But when the game was there to be won the second time around, they showed the greater desire and composure to prevail. The teams had been level seven times before Carrick went for the jugular and were rewarded with the match-winning scores from Sean Downey and Andy Callan. "It was a great way to win a final and proved to everyone that Carrick' have the bottle for the big occasion," the former full back says. "It gives them great confidence going forward." Pat has been a lifelong member of Carrickmacross Emmets, having played for the club at adult level from 1981 to 2002. He played in five successive under 21 finals between 1982 to '86, losing all five of them. "It's amazing to think we lost them all," he ruefully reflects. "But I suppose the experience we gained from playing in those finals stood us in good stead in later years. Those under 21 teams were trained by Sligo man Denis Connolly, who was a garda based in Monaghan and died last year at the age of 58. He was a great influence on the young players and brought innovative training methods to the club." The first piece of silverware to come Cassidy's way was a Brady Cup medal in 1988. Four years later, he helped Carrick' overcome neighbours Corduff to win the junior championship and was honoured with the Monaghan junior footballer of the year award. The Emmets also won the Paddy Kierans Cup (junior reserve league) in 1992, and reached both the junior league and reserve championship deciders. Carrick' continued to make progress in 1993 when they won the Hackett Cup (intermediate football league) to earn promotion to the senior ranks. When they contested their first senior championship final in 80 years against Castleblayney in 1989, Pat was player/selector. Pat doubled up as player and secretary from 1990 to '95, and was player/manager of the reserve team that won the O'Duffy and Hugh Brady Cups. He hung up his boots in 2002 after another reserve double in 2002. In 2003, Cassidy joined his brother Peter and Eugene Gannon in a management team which guided Carrick' to a county semi-final appearance. In the summer of 2004, Cassidy, along with Declan Smith, Seanie Murray and Peter Cassidy returned to the helm and guided Carrick' to safety in the senior ranks as well as giving many of the current side their first taste of senior football. In 2006, Cassidy and Smith managed top Louth club St. Patrick's, Lordship. In 2005 and '06, Pat was a selector with Eamonn O'Hara in the Monaghan under 21 management set-up. In both years, the Farney County's interests in the Ulster championship were ended early by Cavan and Derry, but those setbacks didn't stop the likes of Dessie Mone, Darren Hughes, Ciaran Hanratty, Stephen Gollogly and Benny McKenna from graduating to the senior squad. Due to mounting business commitments, Pat has been forced to take more of a spectator's role in the past couple of years. His two boys, Oisin and Jack, are members of the Carrick' under 8 team, while his five-year-old daughter Amy has also been showing plenty of football promise. Pat runs his own successful company, Platinum Tanks Ltd, along with his wife Michelle, who is a native of Ardara, Co. Donegal. Established in May 2006 and based in Lough Egish, Platinum Tanks specialises in the manufacture of plastic products such as oil tanks, domestic water tanks, coal bunkers, agri-products and road barriers for the Irish and UK markets. Pat and Michelle plan to expand operations in 2009, currently having a staff of 28 on their books. An avid Monaghan supporter, Cassidy believes 2009 could be a defining year for Seamus McEnaney and his players. "Seamus has done a marvellous job with the team, but they really need to put silverware on the table next year," he says. "Seamus has brought Monaghan from 27th or 28th in the country to the top five, and if I was him, I would be setting my sights on winning the McKenna Cup early in the New Year and taking it from there. Monaghan probably lack the strength in depth that's needed to win the All-Ireland, but they're not that far off the mark and I'm expecting the players to give it one huge final push under Seamus' management next year." Tweet

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