After years of heartbreak and frustration, Magheracloone finally got their hands on the Mick Duffy Cup when they accounted for Scotstown in September. Peter Doran of Doran Motors Ltd was thrilled with the breakthrough. The day all Magheracloone supporters had been dreaming about finally arrived on September 19 last when the south county outfit won their first Monaghan senior football title with an emphatic victory over traditional giants Scotstown at Clones. Joy was unconfined at the final whistle as Magheracloone became the 15th club in the county to win the senior championship. Ironically, they were the first team to make the breakthrough since Scotstown achieved a similar feat in 1960. The GAA has always been strong in Magheracloone, but for some unknown reason, ultimate honours eluded them until now. They were heartbroken after losing to Clontibret after a replay in what was their first senior final two years ago. Further disappointment followed last year when they succumbed to Latton at the penultimate stage. But those setbacks were forgotten about when they swept to Mick Duffy Cup glory on an unforgettable day for the club. "Winning the county title means everything to Magheracloone," says Peter Doran of Doran Motors Ltd, who were the main sponsors to the black and whites between 1999 and 2002. "They had been knocking on the door for the past number of years and it was great to see their perseverance finally paying off this year. It's a huge weight off their shoulders and I can see Magheracloone only getting better now that they've made the breakthrough." Apart from being valued sponsors of the club, Doran Motors have provided employment for many club members down the years. These include long-serving midfielder Francie Jones, who announced his retirement after the final, and full forward Damien Freeman. "A lot of the lads would have worked here at different times. Francie is the only one of the starting team that currently works for us. I was thrilled for him because he had soldiered for many years without success and now he can retire with a county medal in his pocket. Damien Freeman also served his time as a mechanic with us," Peter explains. A native of the parish, Peter established Doran Motors 24 years ago and has remained a director in the company along with his wife Angela. Doran Motors are main Hyundai and Mazda dealers and employ a staff of 33 at their impressive premises on the Kingscourt Road, Carrickmacross. They have been Mazda dealers for 10 years and Hyundai dealers for the past three years. They previously held the Subaru dealership for 10 years. The Kingscourt Road premises comprises two showrooms, body shop, service workshop, spare parts department and a valeting base. Peter recalls how the company's sponsorship of Magheracloone came about: "Thomas McDermott and Ann Kindlon asked me one day if I would like to sponsor the club and I was only too delighted to oblige. The support they have given us back in return has been greatly appreciated." Magheracloone played just three games en route to the county final. They set out on the road to championship glory with a 0-15 to 1-7 first round victory over Sean McDermotts in Clontibret. While the scoreline suggests that this was a relatively close encounter, the team in black and white were vastly superior and but for the concession of 1-1 in the closing stages, would have won by a greater margin. After holding a narrow 0-6 to 0-5 lead at the break, Magheracloone cut loose in the second period with Tom and Damien Freeman leading the McDermotts defence a merry dance. By the end of the third quarter, the winners had extended their lead to six points and whatever hopes McDermotts had of staging a recovery evaporated when full back Emelyn Clerkin was given his marching orders. Against Latton in the quarter-final at Carrickmacross, a Keith Gilsenan goal proved decisive as Magheracloone avenged last year's semi-final defeat with a 1-14 to 0-14 victory. Magheracloone looked to be in trouble when trailing by 0-1 to 0-5 at the end of the first quarter, but Gilsenan's goal after 17 minutes brought them back into contention and with James Ward and Francie Doogan showing up well at centre back and midfield respectively, they went on to lead by 1-6 to 0-8 at the break. Within minutes of the restart, Latton restored parity with a point from John O'Brien and the sides were level on five occasions during a frenetic third quarter as they traded points almost by the minute. Entering the final quarter, the black and whites increased the tempo even further with scores from Tom Freeman, Fintan Kindlon and goalkeeper Shane Duffy - from a 45 - propelling them to a hard-earned win. A 1-16 to 1-8 victory over Inniskeen at Carrickmacross on August 28 saw Magheracloone qualify for the final in fine style. Magheracloone laid the foundations for their success in the opening half, building up a 1-9 to 0-4 lead by half-time. Inniskeen led by 0-3 to 0-2 early on, but the remainder of the first half was dominated by Magheracloone who never looked back after Tom Freeman found the net in the 20th minute. Michael Lennon reduced the deficit to seven points on the restart, but by the 40th minute, Inniskeen found themselves 10 in arrears with Magheracloone registering three unanswered points per Damien Freeman (two) and Paul Jones. Inniskeen replied with two points through Lennon and Paul Meegan before Magheracloone wrapped up victory with three more points on the spin between the 17th and 25th minutes. The county final against Scotstown proved to be a marvellous occasion for Magheracloone. With the Freemans, Damien and Tom, in fine form and Fintan Kindlon and Paudie Finnegan also making major contributions, the south county outfit always held the edge in a game not for the faint-hearted. Finnegan scored the only goal after 17 minutes to help Magheracloone to a 1-6 to 0-4 lead at the interval. On the restart, points from Finnegan and Damien Freeman stretched the winners' lead and the game was all over when Tom Freeman fired over points in the 16th and 20th minutes. Scotstown, who were managed by former GAA president Sean McCague, rallied in the closing stages but never looked capable of making up the deficit against a determined Magheracloone team who emerged as convincing 1-10 to 0-5 winners. Magheracloone have not only made history for themselves, but they have opened up a whole new chapter in the Monaghan senior football championship. They have also given an example to other clubs that with hard work and dedication, the rewards can be reaped. The Magheracloone team which created history by winning the club's first Monaghan SFC title was: S Duffy; D Kindlon, P Kelly, M Jones; J McMahon, J Ward, B Freeman; F Doogan, F Jones; K Gilsenan (0-1), P Jones, T Freeman (0-5); P Finnegan (1-2), D Freeman, F Kindlon (0-1). Subs used: G Finnegan, G McCaul, K McCaul and M Gilsenan. Tweet

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