Competing against the odds has been tough for junior teams in Loughnavalley for years now. With no underage structure or proper facilities, Loughnavalley have been battling with more illustrious clubs but, as Maroon and White found out from club PRO, Ian Kinsella, there's a strong resolve to alter the trend. They've dreamed of success at junior level for an age in the small village of Loughnavalley, but it has now reached a stage when people involved with the club are starting to see the bigger picture. Development work at their club grounds and a refocusing on their underage players are primary objectives, but they did enjoy some positive moments on the playing fields too. The Junior Football Championship gets more competitive with every passing year, it seems, but while victories over Delvin and St. Fintan's/Multyfarnham provided some consolation, Loughnavalley were hoping to test some of the bigger guns. However, their promising performances in challenge games failed to carry through to the championship and, under new trainer, Enda Maher of Ballynacargy, Loughnavalley finished well down the pecking order. "Training went reasonably well under Enda Maher, but a lack of self belief was evident. In some very worthwhile challenge games against the likes of Doon in Offaly, Ballinagore and Milltownpass, we played good football, but when it came to the championship we never reproduced it," observed Ian Kinsella. "We beat Delvin and only lost by three points against St. Paul's, although admittedly that was a poor game. We got the better of St. Fintan's Multyfarnham also, but the performance against Milltown, when we lost by just four points, was probably the most encouraging of the year. "Granted, playing against Milltown will always bring out the best in Loughnavalley teams, because of the local rivalry. But there was a big effort put in," remarked the PRO. Like all other junior clubs, Loughnavalley operated out of section 'A' of the championship, with second-string senior clubs competing in section 'B'. They began their campaign against St. Paul's on a wet May Sunday in St. Loman's, Mullingar. It was a dogged match and Loughnavalley were in contention for long spells, but the concession of two goals proved costly and they lost by three points in the end (2-2 to 0-5). Round two was a bitterly disappointing day for Maher's charges, though. They made the short journey to Ballymore to tackle eventual champions, Caulry, who simply possessed too much class and firepower, winning in the end by 12 points, 2-12 to 1-3. Loughnavalley's third round tie saw them take on Delvin in Cusack Park. Again they were not found wanting in terms of battling qualities and emerged with a morale boosting three-point victory, 0-7 to 0-4. That was ideal preparation for Loughnavalley's next outing in the championship, as they encountered St. Fintan's/Multyfarnham. Accumulating a nice score, Loughnavalley ran out one-point victors, 1-9 to 2-5, putting them back into contention for a qualification spot. However, despite competing well for long spells in round five, Loughnavalley had to give way to a strong Milltown side. The performance was really encouraging, though, as they finished just four points adrift of the eventual junior finalists, 0-5 to 1-6. With qualification up for grabs in their final group game against Ballycomoyle, Loughnavalley chose the wrong occasion to produce poorest display of the championship. Scoring just two points, they suffered a 16-point defeat (2-12 to 0-2), meaning their season ended in the most abrupt fashion imaginable. "That was a bitterly disappointing display and everyone knows it, but we have to keep things in perspective. Every junior club sets out to win the championship, but it has become increasingly difficult because both the standard and the profile of the championship has increased," said Ian Kinsella. "There was no silverware at the end of the year, but we did get the opportunity to play some younger players, which is very encouraging," he added. It was Enda Maher's first year involved with the Loughnavalley club, but he brought plenty of experience with him, having won junior and intermediate titles with Ballynacargy over the years. Former Loughnavalley footballers, Johnny Quinn and John Longworth, joined Maher on the management team, bringing with them a wealth of knowledge too, particularly since Longworth won a senior championship with Malachy's in the early 80's. In the junior cup, meanwhile, Loughnavalley had a fine won over St. Paul's (3-4 to 0-8), but their dreams of silverware were dashed in the semi-final as Caulry proved too strong, the southerners winning by 2-17 to 1-10. But apart from their championship and cup campaigns, Loughnavalley have been extremely busy on the development front in the last year. Work continued on their grounds and the construction of their dressing rooms, which are now ready for completion, is a great addition. Flood lighting will also be installed, further enhancing their facilities. Part of an overall plan, Loughnavalley are hopeful it will coincide with the development of a stronger club. Retaining underage players is also vital and, to this end, Loughnavalley organised a skills school which ran every Saturday from July until September and proved a resounding success. "We had 32 players on a weekly basis all learning the skills of Gaelic football and they were then presented with awards by Westmeath's All-star nominee, Gary Connaughton. There were 32 kids wearing Loughnavalley jackets in the hall that evening which was a marvelous sight," recalls Ian Kinsella. "The focus is on setting up an underage structure. We are still a long way off, but having 15 players to compete at U12 and U14 is our goal. We have six or seven in those age groups at the moment and there is an agreement with St. Malachy's/Ballinagore, but we want to reenergise their commitment to Loughnavalley and developing our facilities will help that," he adds. "Retaining players seems to be a problem for a lot of players and we certainly can't afford to lose anyone. We had five or six players at minor and U16 level, which is great, and we want to encourage them through to the next level. Achieving success is an important part of that plan." At the time of writing, Loughnavalley have no definite plans in place as regards a trainer for the coming year, but Kinsella admits it's a competitive area too. Finding the person that will help take them to the next level is the aim, but there's a realisation that bigger clubs, with a history of success, are able to attract the top trainers. Aside from that, Loughnavalley have the same industrious committee operating for 2007, with Billy Elliffe, Chairman, Ann Elliffe, Secretary, Tony O'Sullivan and Frank Lennon, Treasurers, and Kinsella doubling up as Vice-Chairman and PRO. Two players have also joined the committee - Darren Rigney being the new Players' Representative, and Colm Ruanne the club's Registrar. "It's time consuming being involved and obviously there's a need to freshen up all the time. Also, we have had a hectic year of fund-raising, but there's a great understanding with other organisations in the area. We have got Lotto funding also. But fund-rasing is not just demanding on the committee, it's a constant drain on the same people in the community and their co-operation is fantastic," remarked Ian Kinsella. Loughnavalley are clearly a club committed to laying the foundations for success in the years ahead. They're looking forward to the challenge of playing Division 3 League football, where the standard is certain to be higher and will provide more meaningful preparation for championship football. Tweet

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