Coralstown/Kinnegad's failure to reach the knock-out stages of last year's senior football championship was a source of great disappointment to midfielder Fergal Dardis who, nevertheless, is looking forward to 2005 with renewed optimism following the appointment of Larry Giles as manager. By Coralstown /Kinnegad's high standards, 2004 was a disappointing year. Defeats to Athlone, Castledaly and St. Loman's meant that for the first time since 2001, they failed to qualify for the knock-out stages of the senior football championship. In contrast to 2003 when the club captured titles in four different grades and also reached the semi-final of the senior championship, last season provided few highlights, with the exception of St. Finian's victory in the minor 'premier' championship. "Our performances weren't up to scratch last year," midfielder Fergal Dardis ruefully reflects. "We were going well in the early part of the year but then came the long break caused by the county team's extended championship run and somewhere along the way we lost our momentum. I know it was the same for all clubs but we found it very difficult to keep things going. When you don't a have championship game in over three months, lads lose interest and that was clearly the case with us." Under the guidance of Longford man Tom Rehill and his selectors Eamonn Mooney and Mick Fox, Coralstown/Kinnegad opened their championship campaign with a 0-9 to 1-9 defeat to Athlone in what was a repeat of the 2003 semi-final. The Reds made a promising start with Jack Cooney and Andrew Cannon notching early points, but Athlone fought back and aided by a 25th minute goal from Joe Fallon, took a 1-4 to 0-2 lead into the break. Two quick points on the restart from county minor Ronan Foley brought Coralstown/Kinnegad back into contention but again Athlone responded to lead by six points with a quarter of an hour remaining. The Meath-border outfit then enjoyed their best spell of the game which yielded points from Eamon Fleming (three), John Fleming and David Kilmartin but Athlone replied with two points of their own to make sure of victory. A late point from substitute Michael Gavin denied Coralstown/Kinnegad a draw with beaten finalists Castledaly in their second championship outing at Castletown-Geoghegan on August 22. After trailing by 0-2 to 0-6 at the interval, Coralstown/Kinnegad showed a big improvement in the second half and when Eamon Fleming sent a penalty to the net after Jack Cooney had been fouled, it appeared to be anyone's game. Castledaly regained a three-point advantage before two points from Mark Gorman and another from Cooney looked to have earned a share of the spoils for Coralstown/Kinnegad. But Gavin's injury-time effort gave the southerners victory on a 0-9 to 1-5 scoreline. At the third time of asking, Coralstown/Kinnegad secured their first championship win when they edged out arch-rivals The Downs by 1-8 to 0-10 at St. Loman's. A brilliantly taken point by corner forward Danny Mooney in injury-time saw the Reds prevail by the narrowest of margins. Coralstown/Kinnegad started sluggishly and trailed by 0-1 to 0-5 before a 28th minute goal from Mark Gorman reduced the deficit to the minimum. There was still the minimum between the sides at half-time after Eamon Fleming and Keith Shanley traded points. Shortly after the resumption, Niall Kilmartin levelled for Coralstown/Kinnegad and while The Downs enjoyed the lion's share of possession for the rest of the contest, they were extremely wasteful and were punished when Mooney sent over his dramatic winner in the second minute of stoppage time. Coralstown/Kinnegad's hopes of reaching the knock-out stages received a further boost when they hammered Ballymore by 1-11 to 1-2 in mid-September. Mark Gorman gave Tom Rehill's charges a dream start when he blasted to the net after just two minutes and they went on to dominate the remainder of the first half with points from Eamon Fleming, Niall Kilmartin and Danny Mooney helping them to a commanding 1-6 to 0-1 lead at the break. Two more points from Mooney increased Coralstown/Kinnegad's advantage to 10 points early in the second half and despite conceding a late goal, they ran out easy winners. Everything now hinged on the final group match which pitted Coralstown/Kinnegad against St. Loman's at Cusack Park. The Mullingar side led by 0-4 to 0-1 after 20 minutes but two pointed frees by Fleming left the Reds just a point in arrears at the interval. Another Fleming free brought Coralstown/Kinnegad onto level terms shortly after the resumption but they were rocked back on their heels 12 minutes into the half when Colin Whyte scored the only goal of the game to put Loman's back in the driving seat. The margin was reduced to the minimum once again following points from substitute Darren Fox and Eamon Fleming, but Loman's were not to be denied and sealed a 1-7 to 0-8 victory when Whyte registered a late point. "It was disappointing to go out of the championship at the group stage - we usually reach the quarter-final at the very least," points out Dardis, who was a member of the Westmeath senior panel in the early part of 2004 and started the opening National League match against Cork in Pairc Ui Rinn. "There is a very thin line between success and failure and we found that out to our cost last year. In the three games that we lost, we were only narrowly beaten. If the luck had been on our side, things could have turned out differently." The one bright spot in Coralstown/Kinnegad's year was the achievement of St. Finian's in winning the minor 'premier' championship. After 140 action-packed minutes, the Coralstown/Kinnegad-The Downs combination finally wore the challenge of Clann Braonain to take the title at Cusack Park on November 21. The sides, who originally met on November 7, were level on no fewer than five occasions and while it took two late points from Clann Braonain to draw level, they were deserving of a second chance. St. Finian's made an great start when Luke Folan goaled in the first minute. But a similar score from David Glennon left the Tyrrellspass/St. Mary's/Milltownpass amalgamation just a point in arrears, 1-3 to 1-2, at the break. St. Finian's looked set for victory when they opened up a two-point lead with 12 minutes remaining, but a brace of late scores from John McNamara saved the day for Clann Braonain, the final score being 1-8 apiece. As in the drawn encounter, there was nothing between the sides in the replay and it took 20 minutes of extra-time to finally separate them. St. Finian's were the better side in the opening half but two splendid goals from David Glennon and Gavin Hoey meant that Clann Braonain were on level terms, 2-3 to 0-9, at the interval. Clann Braonain gained the upperhand after the changeover and looked the most likely winners until three unanswered points from St. Finian's forced the game into extra-time. The additional period was dominated by St. Finian's with a goal from substitute Stephen Cole three minutes before the break proving decisive. And while Clann did manage to close the gap in the second period, they were always playing catch-up and couldn't quite make amends for Cole's goal which helped St. Finian's to a 1-18 to 2-13 victory. "The minor success was a great boost to the club. We had eight or nine lads on the starting team and they all looking capable of making the step-up to senior team in the near future. "When you take into account our victory in the under 21 'B' championship in 2003 and our other recent successes at under 16 and under 14 level, the future looks very bright for Coralstown/Kinnegad," Dardis says. Dardis, who forms a powerful midfield partnership with another former county panellist Niall Kilmartin, is eagerly looking forward to the new season and the prospect of Coralstown/Kinnegad atoning for last year's disappointment under the new management team of Larry Giles, Billy Cole and John Fleming. "Larry has been appointed manager and will be assisted by Billy and John," he explains. "All three are hugely respected figures in Kinnegad and were key men when we won our last championship in 1996. Larry has had spells in charge of Longwood and Ballivor over the past few years and is coming back to us with plenty of experience under his belt. "Our target for the year is to win every championship game and to hopefully end up in the county final. The talent is there and with the three lads in charge, I expect to see a dramatic improvement in our fortunes. "The official opening of our new pitch and clubhouse is also expected to take place this year and it would be something else if we could win the championship to coincide with that." The Coralstown/Kinnegad team which lost their final SFC group match to St. Loman's was: Damien Molloy; Jason Lynch, David Cole, Martin Fox; Ronan Foley, David Kilmartin, Derek Griffin; Fergal Dardis, Niall Kilmartin; Gordon McDonnell, Jack Cooney, Emmet McDonnell; Danny Mooney, Mark Gorman, Eamon Fleming. Subs used: Darragh Fleming and Darren Fox. The St. Finian's team which captured the minor 'premier' championship crown was: Brendan Cleary; Mark Dalton, Jason Lynch, Ronan Doyle; Stephen Bracken, Ronan Foley, Niall Nolan; Greg Crowley; AJ Murray; Darren Price, Chris Cole, Stephen Devine; Danny Mooney, Keith Mooney, Luke Folan. Subs used: Jonathan Hickey, Alan Giles, Stephen Cole, Jack Hogan, Ger Culligan and Brendan Kelly. Larry back as senior manager Having spent the last few years managing club sides in Meath, Larry Giles has returned to take charge of his beloved Coralstown/Kinnegad this year. And while the club is going through a transitional phase at the moment, he admits that he will be disappointed if they don't feature at the business end of the championship. Four years after he hung up his boots, Larry Giles is back in the thick of things with Coralstown/Kinnegad, this time in the role of senior manager. Since bringing the curtain down on his playing career, Giles has gained valuable managerial experience in neighbouring Meath and hopes to put it to good use with his native club this season. "I had two years with Longwood and another year with Ballivor," the former Westmeath sharpshooter explains. "Things went well for me with both clubs - they both got promoted in the time I was with them. I've learned a few things from my time in Meath and please God, it will make a difference for Coralstown/Kinnegad in this year's championship." Larry's reign as Coralstown/Kinnegad manager has got off to a positive start. After three rounds of the league, they boasted a 100 per record courtesy of wins over The Downs, St. Mary's, Rochfortbridge and county champions Garrycastle. "We've made an encouraging start and hopefully we can keep it going for the rest of the year. We haven't been able to get everyone down to training because a good few of the lads are away in college and have important exams coming up. But when the exams are over, we should have everyone back and firing on all cylinders," says Giles, whose selectors are former team-mates John Fleming and Billy Cole. The Coralstown/Kinnegad club has undergone many changes both on and off the field in recent years. The great side which contested three successive county finals in 1996, '97 and '98 - winning the first - has broken up and has been replaced by a new group of players. Coralstown/Kinnegad's old ground on the Mullingar Road is now the site of a major housing development with the club's headquarters having relocated to a new site just up the road. "The changes have been unbelievable," Larry acknowledges. "A whole new generation of players have come on the scene since I finished playing. I would say that nine or 10 of the current senior team are still under 21. Apart from Jack Cooney, all the older lads have gone. It's a completely new team and I'm still trying to get to know everyone. There are a lot of good footballers there who have big futures ahead of them providing they keep at it. "Our first game on the new pitch was against The Downs in this year's league and everybody seems to be delighted with it. It's a big, wide pitch which allows for good, open football to be played. The final touches are being put to the four new dressing rooms and they should be ready for opening shortly. "After that, work will start on the new pavilion and car-park. There are also plans in the pipeline to develop all-weather pitches. In time, it will be one of the best club grounds in the country." By Coralstown/Kinnegad's high standards, 2004 was a disappointing year. Defeats to Athlone, Castledaly and St. Loman's meant that for the first time since 2001, they failed to qualify for the knock-out stages of the senior football championship. In contrast to 2003 when the club captured titles in four different grades and also reached the semi-final of the senior championship, last season provided few highlights, with the exception of St. Finian's victory in the minor 'premier' championship. "We'll be aiming to improve this year, that's for sure," says Larry, whose son Alan was a member of last year's county under 16 team. "I know that the lads were disappointed with last year's effort and that they are anxious to make amends this year. Even though we're building a new team at the moment, I'll be disappointed if we don't qualify for the knock-out stages - that's the minimum requirement. But we'll have to get our tactics and fitness right before then." Giles takes tremendous encouragement from the amount of coaching that is being carried out at all levels in the club. "There's great work being done. Every Saturday morning, there are over 100 kids between the ages of eight and 12 down at the pitch playing football. The population of Kinnegad has exploded over the last few years and it's up to us to pick up the new players. The coaching that's being done is obviously paying off when you see St. Finian's winning the minor championship last year." As someone who played with Westmeath through the bleak years, Larry was overjoyed when the Delaney Cup finally crossed the bridge in Kinnegad last July. He feels the foundations for last year's Leinster championship breakthrough were laid during Mattie Kerrigan's time as manager in the 1990s. Arguably Westmeath's most noteworthy victory during that period was against reigning All-Ireland champions Derry in the 1994 National League quarter-final, a game which is remembered by many for Larry's haul of 2-2. "I played football for the county for 10 or 12 years and hurling for two years and I suppose things were only starting to improve when I was coming towards the end. "The football scene was at all-time low when Mattie Kerrigan took over. But he brought a level of professionalism that hadn't been seen in this county before. He got the interest going and that's where it all started. I can remember before Mattie's time when a training session was organised for Athlone and only four of us showed up. That's how bad things were back then." Since last year's historic success, Westmeath have struggled to live up to expectations and, following a dismal National League campaign which culminated in relegation from Division 1, many people have been quick to write off their chances in this year's championship. However, Larry believes they can still turn things around. "Last year was great, but unfortunately Westmeath haven't been able to build on it so far. It's hard to see them retaining the Leinster title at the moment, but if they can get over Kildare in the first round of the championship, it would open up all sorts of possibilities. The whole thing could snowball after that," he concludes. Tweet

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