Monaghan's under 21s failed to reach the same heights in 2002 as they had done in recent seasons - but they did take the scalp of a fancied Antrim side in the Ulster championship before bowing out to Tyrone. Gerry Robinson looks back on the campaign through the eyes of Paddy Martin, who trained the team. Monaghan defeated Antrim by 1-10 to 0-10 in the first round of the 2002 Ulster U21 football championship at Castleblayney on Saturday March 23rd. Even though it was the Saffrons who started more cohesively, the home side eventually got into their stride and Eoin Lennon struck the game's only goal six minutes into the second half . . . a decisive score as it was the difference between the teams at the final whistle. Monaghan's backs were to the wall in the final quarter as the visitors threw everything at them following the dismissal of Thomas Freeman, who was sent off after picking up a second yellow card. But Seamus McEneaney's charges gamely held on to book a place in the next round against the might of Tyrone. Antrim hit three points before Freeman opened Monaghan's account in the 14th minute. Stirred from their slumber, the home side took control of the remainder of the half and hit four more unanswered points (through Eoin Lennon, Rory Woods, Paul Finlay and Freeman) to take a 0-5 to 0-3 half-time lead. A quick point from Finlay on the resumption was followed by another from Woods. Even though Antrim pulled one back, Lennon then goaled to make it 1-7 to 0-4 by the 36th minute. Following further points from Freeman (2) and Kieran McManus, the Oriel County looked to be home and dry, leading by nine points, 1-10 to 0-4. The sending-off of Freeman turned the game on its head and from there on there was only one team in it. But Monaghan held on stubbornly and were full value for their win. The next game against competition specialists and almost perennial All-Ireland champions Tyrone was played in Omagh a couple of weeks later and the Oriel lads went into the match buzzing with confidence. They had played the Red Hand County the previous year and had pushed them all the way in an evenly-contested semi-final at Ballybay. Indeed, Monaghan had been level with Tyrone with ten minutes to play in the 2001 tie and the general consensus was that they were very unlucky to lose. Here was their chance for revenge - but it didn't work out as Monaghan failed to perform on the day. Paddy Martin - a Donaghmoyne clubman originally - trained the team and doubled up as physio. Paddy was also with the county U21s in 2001, when he was physio. A secondary school teacher at the Patrician High School in Carrickmacross and also a qualified physiotherapist, Paddy has garnered a glowing reputation for his physical fitness acumen and prowess when it comes to conditioning. He has trained an endless number of school teams down through the years and was over the Patrician High School side (alongside Eddie Walsh) that captured the Ulster U16 A title (Ranafast Cup) in 2000. He is also over the school's McRory Cup team this year and has been trainer of the Latton seniors for the past two seasons. Looking back on how the county U21s fared in '02, he scratches his head and says: "It was a funny enough campaign. It started with the Hastings Cup, which is the under 21 league, and there was a lot of confusion surrounding that. The competition was in danger of being disbanded and it was cancelled at one stage. "Then they changed their mind and it was played hurriedly just before Christmas [2001]. We played Cavan, Tyrone and Leitrim but failed to get out of our group." Seamus McEneaney took charge of team affairs for a second successive term. His selectors were Monaghan Harps stalwart Adrian Trappe and Scotstown great Eugene Sherry. Paddy Martin was charged with getting the players in shape, although conditions were far from ideal and challenge matches accounted for a substantial proportion of the team's training regime. Says Paddy: "Seamus [McEneaney] worked very hard with the team. He burst a gut. He organised a lot of worthwhile challenges against the likes of Queens, DCU, Sligo IT, Meath etc. There was a great deal of preparation invested, including up to 15 challenges in total. There was a fair bit of training before Christmas, but after that it was all challenge matches and just a few sessions here and there." The team approached the championship in a confident frame of mind: "The first match was a potentially tricky one against an Antrim team that had caused some more established teams a lot of trouble in the Hackett Cup. We weren't taking them lightly and were pleased to beat them in the first round of the championship proper. "For the Tyrone game in Omagh two weeks later, hopes were high going into it, but it just didn't materialise. We were well enough beaten and they went on to win the Ulster championship again, beating Cavan in the final." There are a number of theories as to why Monaghan's under 21s never got into top gear, but the most logical explanation is that the players were simply overstretched and worn out from burning the candle at both ends. A lot of them were also involved with the county seniors as well as various Sigerson teams - not to mention club commitments - all of which placed a massive strain upon them. These are huge demands to be placing on amateur sportsmen and the reality was that in the end something had to give. In this particular instance, that 'something' may well have been the county under 21 team, a side which never got to play anything other than second fiddle. The likes of Thomas Freeman, Eoin Lennon, Rory Woods and Dick Clerkin were all involved with the Monaghan seniors as well. Looking at those names, one would almost have expected Monaghan to wipe the boards with all comers at U21 level, but the team trainer admits: "To be honest, I think it was ultimately an average enough Monaghan team. Even though we had a few high-profile individuals, they were a tired bunch by the time the championship started. But this same crop had been beaten by Fermanagh in the first round of the minor three years ago, so I suppose you could still say they made some progress." Nonetheless, the defeat to Tyrone left Paddy and his fellow mentors frustrated: "We had pushed a much better Tyrone team close in the semi-final in 2001, so we were expecting to do better. Tyrone weren't as strong this time around, but unfortunately the display on the day was poor. There were a few positives, of course. For example, the performance of Frankie Doogan from Magheracloone (who was Man of the Match in the drawn county final against Clontibret) earned him a lot of plaudits and further enhanced his growing reputation. Paddy notes: "If Seamus McEneaney has any legacy from his two years in charge of the under 21s, it is that about ten of the Monaghan senior team that started against Fermanagh this year went through his hands. Fellas who might not otherwise have been seen in the county have been given their opportunity and have come through." The first time the 2002 crop of under 21s got together was for a challenge against Crossmaglen way back in September 2001. Paddy Martin began to train the team in October - training went well; commitment was reasonable. It was a disappointing campaign all in all, particularly in light of what Monaghan have achieved at underage level in recent years, but the encouraging thing is that the bulk of the '01 and '02 U21s have since played for the county seniors. The team trainer continues: "Unfortunately, we had a lot of tired players due to their multiple commitments. But at the same time, a lot of the lads were really happy to get to play for Monaghan and they played with a lot of pride. It was a terrific experience for them and it was great to be involved." Elsewhere, Paddy is pleased with the appointment of Colin Coyle as senior county team boss. Having seen at first hand the Magheras, St Michaels and Omagh CBSs of this world through his work with Patrician High School, he feels that Monaghan had fallen behind in such critical areas as speed, motivation, games analysis and coaching in general. He is in favour of the County Board bringing in as much outside help as possible as Monaghan endeavour to regain their rightful place in the pecking order. Monaghan, victors over Antrim in the 2002 Ulster U21 football championship: Shane Duffy; Rory Treanor, Steven Fitzpatrick, Ciaran McManus; Damien McRory, Dick Clerkin, Shea McAleer; Francis Doogan, Eoin Lennon (1-1); Paul Finlay (0-2), Vincent Corey, Fintan Kindlon; Pauric Kerr, Rory Woods (0-2), Thomas Freeman (0-4). Subs used: David McCague, Francis Markey. Tweet

Most Read Stories