Glyde more than hold their own
November 27, 2011Over the past decade, the Tallanstown side have enjoyed many highs, including two Senior Championship semi-finals, but the expectations at the start of this year were tempered by the loss of a number of key players.
In those circumstances it proved to be a relatively successful year according to long-serving goalkeeper, Anthony Nulty, as the side managed by Gerry Sheridan managed to retain their place in both the Senior Championship and the Division 1 league.
"To be honest, the expectation level in the club was fairly low from early on in the season. We were missing eight players who were regular starters last year and in a club of our size it is impossible to replace them.
"A lot of them had represented Louth at various levels such as Minor, U-21 and Junior so they were very important players to us," explained Anthony.
"When the draw for the championship was made at the start of the year we got a lot of encouragement as we felt it gave us a chance to make progress. However, it was afterwards that we began to lose players to Australia and America, as well as other reasons so our ambitions were altered slightly.
"It then became a case of battling to ensure we stayed up in both league and championship and thankfully we managed to achieve that.
"Although we were down near the bottom of the league for much of the season and didn't get past the quarter-final of the Senior Championship, I wouldn't consider this year a failure.
"I think it is important to focus on the positives and this year we had a lot of young players who were given a chance to play in the senior league who might not have been given such an opportunity in previous years.
"We lost heavily to St Patricks but otherwise we competed well and in most games there was only a point or two in it. That is a tribute to the young lads who came through, so overall I would look on it as a successful year," explained Anthony.
Few can argue that the players did respond to the challenges facing them and in the end they achieved their goal of staying up in the division.
"The Division 1 League can be tough when especially when you don't get off to a good start, but we always had confidence in our ability to avoid the drop.
"What was important for us was that we were always looking to the last few games of the campaign where we knew we had the opportunity to pick up points. We were due to face St Brides, Kilkerley Emmets and Oliver Plunketts and we felt we were all on the same level so we could look to those games with the confidence that we could get something from them.
"As a result there was no sense of despair and all the lads gave everything in training throughout the year. As is turned out, we did pick up the points we needed in those matches and were able to stay clear of the relegation places which was a relief to us all", added the experienced goalkeeper.
"I think that was a deserved reward for everyone as we stuck together throughout the year and the manager, Gerry Sheridan, really kept us going over the season", he said.
While it wasn't always plain sailing throughout the campaign, Glyde did show their undoubted ability at the crucial part of the summer when they recorded important wins to secure their status in both league and championship.
"We gave ourselves a great lift by beating the Brides in the league and that more or less kept us in the top division for another year and that was very important for us heading into the championship.
"As a result we were really buzzing going into the game against Kilkerley in the championship. Training went really well for those couple of weeks and that could be seen in the game when we were really on fire."
Despite a nervous end to the game, Glyde were good value for their win which all but guaranteed them their place in the senior ranks for another season and with the pressure off, Anthony recalls the team giving another good account of themselves against Newtown Blues.
"Unfortunately that result didn't work out for us in the end but I think overall that we gave a good account of ourselves. We had a great goal chance early on that we were unlucky not to take and they went straight down the field and hit the net themselves. If we had scored that it might have been different but the way the results went, we were happy to get through to the quarter-final," explained Anthony.
The reward for getting through couldn't have been more daunting as the Tallanstown side were handed a meeting with reigning champions, Mattock Rangers. Although the Collon side were convincing winners in the end, Anthony believes his side had a chance to ask serious questions of Mattock.
"The game saw Mattock start well and in the first 20 minutes we were under a lot of pressure, but for the remainder of the half we got on top and at half time were only a point down.
"I think they were happy to hear the half time whistle and I felt we were in a good position going into the second half. However, we weren't able to build on that as they goal an early goal and a couple of points that effectively killed off the game.
"Although it was disappointing to lose the game, I think it was a great experience for the younger lads and hopefully they will learn from it ahead of next season.
"There is no doubt that we are looking forward to next year and with a bit of luck we will be able to build on the progress we have made. The young players will have the benefit of this year under their belts while we will have some of the lads coming back to that will give us a great boost.
"We have a lot to be positive about because there are players coming through the underage ranks and for a small club it is a great achievement to be playing senior football for 11 years," added Anthony.
The Glyde goalkeeper revealed that 2011 saw one of their most dedicated members, Tommy Burns, celebrate a remarkable four decades as club secretary, an achievement he felt should be recognised.
"Tommy is just one of those people who does everything for the club. He is at the field every night of the week and if there is anything to be done, he will be there. From underage football right up to seniors and committee work, Tommy makes sure everything is done right and he is one of those people that every club needs," revealed Anthony.
Glyde Rangers Ladies GFC
Founded in 2008 Glyde Rangers Ladies began with only a small squad of players for an U12 team and could never have predicted the success they would come to experience in such a short time. In the three years since it began the club now has a fantastic squad of ladies playing U10, U12 and U14.
This season saw the U10 team heading off to various other clubs throughout the county to take part in all county blitzes and on many an occasion returning to Tallanstown victorious.
The U12 team had a brilliant season under the guidance of Fiona Whelan and Carol McDonnell they earned a place in both the league and championship finals narrowly missing out on both titles.
The U14 team coached by Audrey Kelly, Jackie Tinley and Joanne Mooney marked their place in Glyde Rangers history by becoming the first ever team from the club to win the Co Louth Feile and go on to represent Louth at the All-Ireland Feile which was held in Cork in July. The U14 team also made it to the semi- final of the league and the final of the championship.
Glyde Rangers Ladies GFC hopes that 2012 will see continued success with the introduction of an U16 ladies team. They are also ready to welcome any young Ladies that have an interest in playing Gaelic football. Tweet
