Clear signs of a strong Coralstown/Kinnegad revival were evident in 2007 when the club reached the semi-final of the senior football championship for the first time in a number of years. But even that achievement was surpassed by the success of the under 16 side who savoured championship glory for the second year-in-a-row. After a few lean years for the club, Coralstown/Kinnegad are beginning to make waves again and last year saw the Meath-border outfit contest their first senior football championship semi-final since 2003 and claim the under 16 Division 1 championship crown in what was their first year to compete at that level. It followed on from the success Coralstown/Kinnegad had enjoyed in 2006 when they captured the under 16 Division 2 championship and the under 14 Feile na nOg Shield. And it was a fusion of players from both of those sides who made last year's under 16 Division 1 triumph possible. "Winning the Division 1 championship in what was our first year to play at that level was a great achievement for us," enthuses under 16 team mentor John Tighe. "Playing in Division 1 last year, against the best teams in the county, was a big step-up for us and we weren't sure if we could make an impact. But we showed how much we have progressed from last year by winning it out and I cannot praise the lads enough for their dedication throughout the year. They are a smashing bunch of lads to work with and no matter what you asked them to do, they did it." Mayo native John, who lives in Kinnegad and is teaching in Dunboyne, attributes Coralstown/Kinnegad' success to their willingness to work hard and to learn from their mistakes. "In terms of ability and fitness, there was hardly any difference between our lads and the teams they played against. But what gave them that extra edge was their ability to take advice on board and their determination to win," he says. " In the lead-up to the final against Maryland/Tang, we worked hard on the scoring side of our game. And it paid off when we had only one wide to Maryland/Tang's nine. The lads also showed fierce determination and this was especially evident in the final when nothing was going to stop them from avenging the hammering they got from the same opponents in the league a few months earlier. "They gave us everything and I was thrilled to see them ending the year as county champions." Under the tutelage of Tighe and his co-selectors Greg Cully and Eamonn Mooney, who is also the club chairman, the under 16s took time to adjust to the pace of Division 1 football and this was reflected in some of their league performances which were poor to say the least. But a third round win over Athlone gave them the boost they needed to make their mark in the championship. Coralstown/Kinnegad opened their championship campaign with a narrow win over Bunbrosna. They then overcame a strong St. Malachy's/Ballinagore side to set up a semi-final meeting with Caulry in Mount Temple. The sides were level on 0-4 apiece at half-time, though it took some superb defending by Wayne Fox, Cathal O'Reilly, Sean Kenny, Aaron Brennan, Daniel Coyne and Barry Murtagh to keep the visitors in the game. Caulry's pressure finally paid off when they scored a goal shortly after half-time, but Coralstown/Kinnegad never gave up and they salvaged a dramatic 1-8 each draw when Wayne Fox blasted a 13-metre free to the net with the last kick of the game. "Our backs were to the wall for most of that game, which was something we had expected owing to the absence of our joint captain Adam Browne through injury and a few of our other key players. But I must say that the young lads who came in from our under 14 team performed heroically and showed the never-say-die attitude that was needed to keep us in the championship," John remembers. Restored to full strength for the replay in Kinnegad, the red and whites won comfortably to qualify for the final against Maryland/Tang at Springfield in mid-September. The south county amalgamation made a dream start when Trevor English goaled in the fifth minute. But Coralstown/Kinnegad responded with points from Cliver Kiernan (two) and Daniel Coyne before Gary Caffrey set up corner forward Conor Kenny for a superbly taken goal that seemed to lift the whole team. Further points from Caffrey and John Ponsonelli extended Kinnegad's advantage before Caffrey was on hand to raise another green flag after Daniel Coyne's effort had rebounded off the upright. A Jason Cully point left the red and whites perched on a 2-6 to 1-2 lead at the interval, but Maryland/Tang resumed with points from Callum McCormack and Darren Malynn to keep the pressure on. However, a more clinical Coralstown/Kinnegad took a giant step towards victory when Coyne swooped for their third goal. Callum McCormack kept Maryland/Tang in it with his own three-pointer, but Coralstown/Kinnegad were not to be denied and a further major from Clive Kiernan sealed a 4-11 to 2-7 win. "It was a good quality final, but in the end it was our greater accuracy that won it for us. The lads gave a great display and that bodes well for the future," adds Tighe, who has moved on to manage this year's minor team along with Eamonn Mooney and Sean Hynes. Coralstown/Kinnegad have spent the last few seasons rebuilding their senior team and last year's performances would suggest that they are very close to challenging for championship honours once again. Their new manager Joe Giles, who famously combined the roles of captain, trainer and club secretary when Coralstown/Kinnegad last lifted the Flanagan Cup in 1996, didn't get the start he wanted when they lost their championship opener to Tubberclair by 2-8 to 3-7. The red and whites had looked set for victory until David Holmes had the misfortunate of deflecting the ball into his own net for what proved the match winning goal with two minutes of normal time remaining. Coralstown/Kinnegad secured their first point of the campaign when a late Alan Giles goal earned them a 1-6 each draw with Garrycastle in Rochfortbridge. That was followed by their first win which came at the expense of Bunbrosna. Joe Giles' charges held a 0-8 to 0-5 lead at half-time, and they extended their advantage 10 minutes into the second half thanks to a Jamie Wilson goal. Bunbrosna responded with three unanswered points before their full back Noel Kiernan came forward to score a goal which left the minimum in it. When Peter Tormey levelled for the 2006 intermediate winners, the signs looked ominous for Coralstown/Kinnegad but the introduction of veteran Jack Cooney helped steady the ship and a late goal from Niall Kilmartin gave them a 2-10 to 1-11 win. Two late Jamie Wilson points saw the Meath-border club force a 0-12 to 1-9 draw with Athlone in their fourth outing before they registered a 1-12 to 0-9 victory over Castledaly in their final group match, despite kicking 13 wides. The sides were level on 0-5 apiece at half-time, but Coralstown/Kinnegad upped their performance considerably in the second half to run out comfortable winners, with Eamonn Fleming scoring the only goal. That victory set up an intriguing quarter-final showdown with near-neighbours The Downs. After drawing 0-9 apiece, Coralstown/Kinnegad won the replay by 2-16 to 2-12 after extra-time. There was a dramatic end to normal time when Tommy Cleary somehow fired a close-in free over the heads of the Coralstown/Kinnegad defenders and into the roof of the net to tie up the scoring at 1-10 apiece. Although rocked by that score, the men in red and white refused to panic and a Stephen Bracken goal in the first period of extra-time put them on the road to a four-point victory. Coralstown/Kinnegad were now just 60 minutes away from their first county final appearance since 1998, but that prospect seemed to unnerve them as they crashed to a 0-6 to 1-11 defeat to Mullingar Shamrocks. Ned Moore's men were the better side throughout and they never looked in any danger after Ciaran Curley scored the only goal after 13 minutes. Other highlights from an eventful year for Coralstown/Kinnegad was the success of the under 12 team in winning their section of the league (they defeated The Downs in the final), and the installation of the new floodlit and Astroturf facilities at the club's impressive new grounds on the Mullingar Road. The Coralstown/Kinnegad team that captured the under 16 Division 1 championship crown was: Ken Haughton; Paul Maxwell, Adam Browne, Cathal Reilly; Sean McKenna, David Raleigh, Barry Murtagh; Wayne Fox, Clive Kiernan; John Ponsonelli, Daniel Coyne, Mark Giles; Conor Kenny, Gary Caffrey, Jason Cully. Sub used: Ger Leech. Tweet

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