Followers of football in the Breffni County will freely admit that the talent at the disposal of Castlerahan Gaelic football club should be capable of wrestling the senior football title from their old rivals and nemesis, Cavan Gaels. Having won two consecutive U21 championship titles, there is little doubt that the club possess the talent to become a serious force in Cavan football. Boasting some of the county's best young talent with county senior players in Cian Mackey, Ronan Flanagan and Sean Brady, aligned to a rich vein of talented club players, it is little wonder that true followers of the game in Cavan are perplexed at the lack of success on the senior club stage. According to club secretary, Ronan Coleman: "While the 2008 season proved to be a disappointing year for Castlerahan GFC we have the belief and commitment to rally and adjust in our quest to fulfil our true footballing potential. Our championship run got off to a very poor start but our subsequent games against Ballinagh and Ramor United provided glimpses of the potential and belief that exists in the panel. It was a clear indicator that on our day we are capable of competing with the best in the county and winning. We exited the championship this year at the final game of the relegation play-off against Ramor United. For all those involved and according to neutrals this was one of the best championship games seen in Cavan for many a long year. Just as the football season was getting into full bloom, we suffered the loss of five key senior players. While all clubs lose out with players travelling abroad, the loss of Fiachra Cork, Daniel Lynch, Sean Fitzpatrick, Shane Boylan and Pauric Cunningham was to us a major setback. Taken in context, this was one third of your senior team and with four of them eligible to play U21, you can see how the club was depleted with their departure to spend the summer in Chicago. "Having won two back to back U21 titles, the loss of the players was indeed a severe blow to our chances of making it three-in-a-row. A long term injury to Paul Brady, who was sidelined with a cruciate injury was another setback. Paul was a member of the Cavan U21s for two years and is a very promising player. We also suffered the loss of the influential Padraig Smith also out with a cruciate injury and the talented Ronan Brady who was plagued with a recurring injury that kept him sidelined throughout the entire season," stated the club's secretary. "When we look back over the year and assess our footballing season we will see that our league campaign got off to a poor start. Under the guidance of new man, Sean Fitzpatrick we set out on our league campaign with a very difficult game in a local derby against Crosserlough. This game at the best of times would prove to be a difficult affair but with the absence of players of the calibre of Sean Brady, and Ronan Flanagan, the team was bereft of an inspirational soul on the day. Both players provide a tremendous impact to the team and their loss on this particular occasion was to prove to be too much," stated Ronan. "While we regained our composure in beating Lacken away at Crowe Park we stumbled somewhat over the next three league games losing out Mullahoran, Gowna and Denn. With the return of Sean Brady from injury, in time for a tilt with county kingpins, Cavan Gaels, the side showed promise and looked to be getting back on track even though they lost out by two points on the day 1-13 to 0-14. The team began to produce the kind of form it has promised over the past few seasons and with the introduction of emerging young star in county minor, Fergal Flanagan, and with Cian Mackey in brilliant form, Castlerahan ran out impressive winners over Belturbet by 1-17 to 1-08. We began to find a rhythm and put impressive back to back victories over Ballyhaise and Drumalee together. During this good spell in the league we saw the emergence of another young hopeful in Enda O'Connell. Enda played against Drumalee and produced a five star performance on the day," stated the Castlerahan secretary. "I suppose when you look at our championship debut this season we fielded what would have been a very young side against Kingscourt. While the Stars were struggling in Division 2 they were nonetheless a formidable challenge when it comes to senior championship football. While Castlerahan ended up on the wrong side of a four point defeat 1-10 to 1-14 the young hopefuls gave a good account of themselves. It was now into the pressure pot of relegation championship football and at stake was the right to stay and play in the senior championship. The importance of the relegation play-off against Ballinagh, who had performed so well during the 2007 season was going to be a severe test of ability and nerve. We had some of our more experienced players back in contention after injury so this was an added incentive for us to perform well. The game which was played in Breffni Park saw a rejuvenated Castlerahan team produce the kind of form that they are capable of. Winning by double scores 0-12 to 0-6 was a true reflection of the game as Castlerahan were on that given day worthy of their six point victory. The inspirational performance of Enda Mulvey who registered four points was a key factor in this win. This victory set us up for a tilt at the final of the relegation pool and a possible entry back into the championship proper. Played before a large crowd, it is widely accepted that this game was one of the best championship games seen in Cavan for many years. "A late Ramor goal was enough to edge us out of this exciting and closely fought contest played in a great sporting fashion. Unfortunately this defeat ended our participation in the Cavan SFC for another year. While the team lost out in this final encounter, they did however produce some of their best football of the season. While we can reflect on our quality performance, it was nonetheless, a disappointment that we exited from the championship and failed to make it to the knockout stages proper. All at the club felt that this was a chance missed as we had showed so much promise over the previous two seasons in winning U21 titles. I feel that this could be an inspiration for all of us at the club to take our game to another level, a level where we feel that we have the players and structure to give the championship title a real go. Most of our more experienced players are still in their early twenties, so we do have time on side along with a great deal of talent. We had long term injuries to Pauric Smith and Fergal Flanagan and the loss of the 'Chicago Five' was also a factor that militated against us. With all players back on stream for next season, and with the right dedication and approach, we could be a serious force to reckon with," stated Ronan. U21 Championship Having claimed the U21 Championship for two consecutive years the club were hoping to make it three in a row but this dream came to an end following a defeat to a determined Ballinagh side in Fay Park. Having led the game 1-8 to 0-3 at half time Castlerahan put in a very poor second half performance to see them eventually being defeated on a score line of 1-10 to 0-15. The absence of missing players was all too evident on the day. "Many at the club felt that if we had been able to field our strongest side, we could possibly have made it three in a row," stated Ronan. Minor Team The minor team were a ray of sunshine on an otherwise poor season. This group of players progressed to both the Division 1 League and Championship semi finals. This is a team with many talented players and it is hoped that in the not too distant future, some of them will be pushing hard for a place on the senior team. Clinical U14s exude quality The work being put in at underage level has been something that Castlerahan as a club have been successful at. Two U21 titles and the minor team contesting the final stages of the Cavan Division 1 league and championship was superseded by an empathic and deserving victory by the U14s in the Roinn A championship final. Clinical forward power saw the U14s canter home by a nine point margin, 3-13 to 2-7 over a talented and determined Kingscourt Stars. A firebrand start saw them jettisoned into a three point lead in as many minutes. A goal from Joshua Fox put Castlerahan five in front but a spirited response from the Stars had the half time score down to 1-6 to 0-3. With Fergal O'Reilly in outstanding form the same player put the marker down for the Stars when he slotted over the first point of the second half just seconds after the restart. The talented Enda Flanagan registered another for Castlerahan to leave Kingscourt trailing by eight points 1-8 to 0-3. With the sides now exchanging points, it took a moment of genius from Flanagan to put the game out of reach of Kingscourt when he waltzed through their defence to slot home a superb goal. Castlerahan had the upper hand on the scoreboard but a spirited and never-say-die attitude from Kingscourt kept this game alive as a spectacle. With time ebbing away, the Stars got some consolation for their efforts with two late goals from Robbie Rowntree. This was a tremendous team performance from the Castlerahan side. A personal tally of 2-7 by Enda Flanagan was in itself a match winning score. Castlerahan - Cathal Flanagan, Cormac Daly, Ciaran Farrelly, Ryan Egan, Killian Cullen, Killian McEnroe, Wellington Dossily, Fergal O'Reilly (0-3), Daniel Harte (0-1), Jamie McGrath, Joshua Fox (1-2), Gary Fitzsimons, David Dunne, Enda Flanagan (2-7), Keith Nolan. Subs: Luke Dolan and Daire McEvoy. Recognition "As a club we have been blessed with the great work which is being done behind the scenes, the 'unglamorous' side of running a club, the maintenance and upkeep of the grounds and playing area," admitted Ronan. "To this end we owe a great debt of gratitude to the local FAS workers who seem to go that 'extra mile' in their pursuit of the upkeep of our facilities. This was particularly evident during the recent very successful Feile competition. This well motivated team is spearheaded by an enthusiastic and magnificent driving force of Rosie Brady. We all feel a great debt of gratitude to Rosie and her workers for their diligent efforts over the years. It must also be mentioned that the local community are now in the process of providing a new player area to facilitate all the community. This new playing area is now being seeded and should be ready for use for next year. Their work and dedication is greatly admired and appreciated by all those at the Castlerahan club," stated Ronan. Tweet

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