Tyrrellspass became the first team since Garrycastle in 2002 to retain their senior football championship crown last October when they defeated a youthful Mullingar Shamrocks with a late scoring burst in the county final. Here, we relive their successful campaign. Tyrrellspass' hold on the Flanagan Cup continued in 2007 when they saw off the gutsy challenge of underdogs Mullingar Shamrocks at Cusack Park on October 21 to become senior football champions for a third time. The victory was sweet revenge for Tyrrellspass' county final losses to Shamrocks in 1994 and 2000, and confirmed their status as the leading football power in Westmeath at present. The confidence and belief gained from their 2006 title win was very much in evidence in last year's decider when they recovered from the concession of two goals in the third quarter to triumph by 1-10 to 2-4. The game's decisive score didn't arrive until three minutes from the end when super-sub Keith Scally fired home a stunning goal to clinch back-to-back titles for the 'Pass, who were first crowned champions in 1999. "Words can't describe the feeling of elation when the goal went in," the young goalscoring hero said moments after the final. "I'm not certain who sent in the pass to Denis Glennon, but the ball broke kindly for me and as soon as I got possession, I pinned my ears back and soloed nearer on goals before finally picking my spot. "I thought we were well on top before their two goals, but it just goes to show the kind of spirit and character we have in the team." Clara native Pat Flanagan, who can now claim to be the most successful manager in the club's history after guiding them to successive championship wins, admitted that he was most relieved to see Scally's shot hit the back of the net. "Everybody during the week had rated us as very strong favourites. We had to delve into every aspect of our experience to grind out that win. The players Mullingar produce are a credit to the club and not surprisingly they pushed us all the way," he said. "We found it very difficult in the first half but we have strength in depth as Keith Scally proved when he came on and never dropped his head when things were going against us. He stuck away the goal very, very well. "Overall, I cannot say enough about all the Tyrrellspass players who all dug in and rescued the situation when it appeared to be going away from us." The Tidy Town lost just one game in last year's championship to Killucan, but they bounced back impressively to reach the knock-out stages where they recorded wins over Castledaly and Garrycastle before retaining the Flanagan Cup at the expense of a youthful Shamrocks side in the final. Pat Flanagan's charges opened their championship campaign with a double-scores victory over St. Loman's at Cusack Park on May 27. Sounding an early warning to their rivals, Tyrrellspass were dominant throughout and with their county stars Denis Glennon and Martin Flanagan in top form, they were full value for their 0-12 to 0-6 win. The Mullingar side trailed by just two points at the interval, but were completely outplayed by the champions in the second half. A fortnight later, Tyrrellspass met Shamrocks in what proved to be a dress rehearsal for the county final. The sides were level on 0-5 each at half-time, but five minutes into the second half Tyrrellspass scored a controversial goal when Cathal Daly's fisted attempt for a point was adjudged to have crossed the line after touching off goalkeeper Robbie Wallace. Shamrocks responded with two Ciaran Curley points before Ray Sheeran found the target for Tyrrellspass. The game remained in the melting pot until the 55th minute when Denis Glennon set off on one of his trademark solo runs and used his strength and pace to hold off his marker before blasting home the second goal to seal a 2-7 to 0-10 victory for the navy and sky blues. In 2006, one of Tyrrellspass' toughest championship games was the semi-final against Killucan. On that occasion, Killucan were denied a late equalizing goal when Tyrrellspass goalkeeper Paul McGivney saved a penalty from Paul Greville, but when the sides renewed their rivalry on August 12 at Cusack Park, the Saffrons exacted sweet revenge with a 1-12 to 0-10 win. Tyrrellspass were looking good for their third straight victory when leading by 0-9 to 0-7 with a quarter of an hour remaining. However, James Nugent's 48th minute goal was just the tonic Killucan needed and they added a further five points without reply in a blistering finale to consign the champions to their first defeat. The result meant that Tyrrellspass needed to beat The Downs in their final group match to be sure of making the quarter-finals. And without playing anywhere close to their potential, they kept their two-in-a-row hopes alive with a fortuitous 2-7 to 0-10 victory. The Downs enjoyed the lion's share of possession in the first half, but were rocked when the championship's outstanding forward, Denis Glennon, nipped in behind their defence to score a goal against the run of play in the 28th minute. That score reduced The Downs' lead to two points, 0-7 to 1-2, at half-time, and further points from Philip Sheridan and Glennon had Tyrrellspass on level terms shortly after the restart. It remained close until the 47th minute when Kevin Connell grabbed Tyrrellspass' second goal to put them three points clear. The Downs cut the gap to the minimum, only for substitute Keith Scally and Connell to hit back with the insurance points. The Tidy Town showed a vast improvement for the quarter-final to overwhelm Castledaly by 0-17 to 0-10 in a repeat of the 2006 county final. Once again, Denis Glennon was in sparkling form, scoring 0-8 (0-6 from play) and setting up numerous other scores from his team-mates. The county star struck three points in the opening 10 minutes to help ease Tyrrellspass into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead. But Castledaly then suddenly sprung to life, scoring five quick points without reply to take a 0-6 to 0-4 lead after 17 minutes. However, they wouldn't score again until the 10th minute of the second half, by which time Tyrrellspass had opened up a six-point advantage. The Tidy Town fought back to lead by 0-8 to 0-6 at the interval and points from Sheridan, Glennon and Martin Flanagan inside the opening three minutes of the second half put them firmly in the driving seat. Scores from JP Casey and Derek Heavin gave Castledaly hope, but they were never able to come to terms with the speed and scoring ability of the magnificent Glennon who continued to run riot until the final whistle. Tyrrellspass were now just 60 minutes away from another county final, but they faced arguably their biggest test against former kingpins Garrycastle in the semi-final. A close contest was expected, but it never materialised with Tyrrellspass effectively putting the result beyond doubt inside the opening 20 minutes. Pat Flanagan's charges looked unstoppable in the early stages with a Martin Flanagan goal giving them a dream start. Points from Denis Glennon and Kevin Connell extended Tyrrellspass' advantage before Flanagan set up Glennon for a second goal in the 19th minute. When Flanagan added a point one minute later, the reigning champions led by all of 11 points, 2-6 to 0-1. Garrycastle reduced the deficit to 2-6 to 0-4 at half-time, and they continued to make inroads into Tyrrellspass' lead in the second half. When Dessie Dolan blasted home a goal in the 54th minute, the margin was down to four points and Tyrrellspass suddenly looked vulnerable. But despite coming under fierce pressure from the Athlone side in the final minutes, Tyrrrellspass held on for a 2-9 to 1-8 victory. An official attendance of 5,117 watched the county final at Cusack Park, but they had precious little to get excited about until the second half when Ned Moore's Shamrocks team threatened to cause an upset. The first half was a scrappy affair, at the end of which Tyrrellspass led by 0-5 to 0-2. But with Donal O'Donoghue driving them on from midfield, Mullingar resumed with two almost identical fisted goals from Cian O'Leary in the ninth and 15th minutes to move into a 2-3 to 0-5 lead. Trailing by three points with three minutes of normal time remaining, Tyrrellspass looked to be in serious trouble, but then Keith Scally found the net to level proceedings. The champions were not to be denied after that, with three late points from Denis Glennon (two) and Martin Flanagan completing the comeback and sparking joyous scenes among the Tyrrellspass faithful who, after years of disappointment and frustration, are becoming accustomed to county championship success. The Tyrrellspass team that retained the Flanagan Cup was: Darren Quinn; Tommy Newman, Barry Murphy, Terence O'Brien; Shane Arthur, Trevor John Gonoud, Philip Sheridan; Adrian Corcoran, David Murphy; Kevin Connell, Gavin Hoey, Ray Sheeran; David Glennon, Martin Flanagan, Denis Glennon. Sub used: Keith Scally. Tweet

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