Looking back at a Championship winning year, it is often easy to look back at the season just past and identify the reasons for your success. For St. Nicholas GFC, this Championship victory started long before that. The victory and the claiming of the Christy Bellew cup for the second time in the club's history was the product of over four years of work. The present management team of Hugh Downey, John Heeney, Jim McQuillan and Brian Pentony, ably assisted by Eugene Smith and Eamon Gilmartin, built on the efforts of the previous banisteoir John Walsh. The decisive moment in winning the replay before a huge and vocal crowd in the Gaelic Grounds in October was the end product of a number of years of hard work. The clubs has taken its knocks, namely falling down two divisions in the recent restructuring of the leagues, but when you win the Championship - it all seems worth the wait! If there was one factor that contributed to the progress of this team it was timing. The present panel of players have come through the ranks of the club in three batches that combined to make a winning panel. Players, such as Brian Pentony, Aidan and John Carter, Adrian Gates, Paul Hackett, Declan Heeney and Shane Downey brought experience to the table and ensured that level heads were maintained throughout the year. Add to that the maturing talents of Keith Arnold, Darren Thornton, Paddy O'Boyle and Andrew Tinley and the introduction of new blood such as Richard Kelly, Brian Carter, Pat McHugh, Paddy Murtagh and Colin Cooney. The combination of these groups of players, and the many other that made up the adult panel, formed the foundation of the ascent to the Junior Championship title. Like any Championship campaign it was a long road. The journey started in early June with a victory over John Mitchels by 0-15 to 1-09. It was a hard-won result, with the Nicks only coming out on top in the last 10 minutes with some excellent free-taking from Keith Arnold. Injuries and other commitments meant that it was a very different team that took the field in the first round to that which finished the job in October. Indeed, it is a point of great pride to the management team that 32 players took the field in the Junior Championship this year - truly a team effort! The next round brought us up against St. Kevin's, champions from 2006. Like most championship games it was a tight affair, with St. Nicholas prevailing 1-08 to 0-09. The next round brought up the perennial challengers, Dowdallshill. We had met early in the year in the league and St. Nicholas had come out on top by a solitary point. However, it was the Dundalk men who were to take the spoils on this occasion, winning 1-7 to 1-12. In hindsight, this match was to prove a turning point in their season. Having gone into half-time with a lead after John Breen's goal, their effort dropped off and Dowdallshill took advantage. The break in the Championship allowed the team and management to take stock and to up the intensity of training. A couple of victories for the Junior 2 team kept the momentum going in the club so that when St. Nicholas reached the last round of the Championship group against Annaghminnon Rovers, they knew the task that lay ahead - nothing less than a victory was needed to ensure progress to the knockout stages. On a night in Darver when everything clicked for the team, St. Nicholas ran out victors 5-7 to 2-4, with Jason O'Boyle on top of his game with four goals! The knockout stages and Stabannon awaited. It was probably the toughest draw. Earlier in the year Stabannon had overcome Nick's in the league with 10 points to spare. In the Gaelic grounds a tit-for-tat encounter ensued. St. Nicholas led early on but a couple of goals in the second half seemed to put Stabannon in the driving seat , until Declan Heeney stepped up in the closing stages to knock over a point to send the match to a replay. The replay was played in Monasterboice and it was another tight game with no quarter asked or given. The defining score of the game was a superb solo goal from Paddy O'Boyle which allowed St. Nicholas progress to the semi-finals,1-08 to 0-09. That hard-fought victory set up a semi-final contest with St. Mochta's. The Mochta's were considered favourites in the Junior Championship after an early season playing Division 2 league football. It was a fantastic game played by two teams committed to attacking football. The game looked like it was heading for stalemate at half-time with both teams on five points, until the intervention of Paddy Murtagh who blasted a rebound from the Mochta's keeper to the net. The second half continued in much the same bent as the first. In the last ten minutes, the men from Louth village put on the pressure but the St. Nicholas defensive unit stood strong to see out the game with a two point victory, 1-09 to 0-10. So after a 14-year gap, the Nicks would take the field in the Junior Championship final. The final took place in Haggardstown on September 27th against Lannleire. It was a cagey affair early on as both teams settled into the occasion. Early frees from Paddy O'Boyle were countered by Dunleer's Carlos Lambe before Paul Hackett scored a well-worked goal. The second half remained tight and St. Nicholas took a two-point lead into the late stages of the game after a long-range point from Paul Hackett. Lannleire piled on the pressure and after a goal mouth scramble deep in injury-time they won a free which Alan Murphy scored to send the final to a replay. The replay was another tight and fiercely-contested match. Scores were exchanged between both teams in a bruising encounter. St. Nicholas were keeping their noses in front with good displays from Paddy O'Boyle and John Carter in midfield and the scoring threat of Keith Arnold and Paul Hackett. The defence remained resolute and limited the scoring chances of the opposition. Brian Carter put in a performance beyond her years in marking Dunleer's target man Carlos Lambe while Andrew Tinley and Declan Heeney carried a threat from half-back. As the second-half progressed, the Nicks gained the upper hand. Substitute Jason O'Boyle came on and hammered in a rebound to the net. Then Ian Hackett added the insurance point after in the closing stages. Even with the late pressure, keeper Alan Sweeney made a vital double save to ensure that the title would not be denied to the Drogheda side. The final whistle was greeted with wild celebrations and the team were joined on the field by the supporters to see captain Shane Downey left the cup! It was only the second time that it had been done in the club's history and after a 14-year gap, the Championship victory was celebrated by all the members and supporters of the club. The team that brought the Christy Bellew Cup to the club were as follows. St. Nicholas GFC panel 2008. Bainisteoir: Hugh Downey; Maor Foirne, John Heeney, Diarmaid McCarthy; Roighnoirí: Jim McQuillan, Brian Pentony; Medical: Eugene Smith, Team Assistant; Eamon Gilmartin. Playing Panel: Adrian Gates, Aidan Carter, Alan Gregory, Alan Kelly, Alan Neary, Alan Sweeney, Andrew Tinley, Barry Byrne, Brian Carter, Brian Pentony, Ciaran Branigan, Ciaran O'Brien, Colin Cooney, Damien Fagan, Darren Thornton, Declan Heeney, Derek Kierans, Des McDonnell, Jason O'Boyle, John Breen, John Carter, Ian Hackett, Keith Arnold, Kevin Haigney, Kieran Smith, Mark Smith, Martin Murphy, Niall Brannigan, Paddy O'Boyle, Pat McHugh, Patrick Murtagh, Paul Hackett, Richard Gibney, Richard Kelly, Shane Downey. Credit for the Junior Championship performances must also be given to the management and players of our Junior 2 team. The team has been on a successful run from the start of their campaign, losing only one game in the league to date. The Junior 2 team ensured that performances in the Junior team remained high throughout the year and kept the largest panel St. Nicholas GFC have ever fielded in regular competition. They are now qualified to the knockout stages of division 4C and are looking forward to progressing in this grade. Thanks must be given to Alan Gregory, Brian Pentony, Ollie Henry and Alan Kelly for their work with the team. In the underage section, things continue on the up. The groundwork which has been put in place over the last five years continues to bear fruit. Brothers Hugh & Shane Downey and Brian Pentony have made a huge effort at the U8, 9 & 10 levels. All of their hard work paid off with the U10s finishing runners up in the shield final and the U9s reaching the semi-finals. The numbers of young players joining the club continues to rise and they are experiencing the enjoyment and fun of Gaelic games. The U14s, under the guidance of Fintan McCarthy and Lee Connolly, went through the league campaign unbeaten. After a semi-final replay victory against Cuchulainn Gaels they claimed their league title in an exciting final against local club Glen Emmetts in Darver. The season for our U16s and U18s was a drawn-out affair and credit must go to the coaches of the respective teams or keeping their teams on track. Thanks especially to John Breen and Keith Arnold who, at the time of writing, have brought the U16 to the league quarter final, and equally to Ollie Henry, Des McDonnell and Martin Murphy who had lead the U18s to the knockout stages of their league competition. With a solid base of players and some experienced coaches, the club is looking to develop its underage structure further in the years ahead in the hope of producing Championship winners of the future. Off the field, the committee continue to push the club forward. After excellent recent work on the club changing rooms and meeting facilities, plans are afoot to push the development at Jimmy Pentony Park to the next stage. Recent investment in floodlighting have improved training facilities for all players and the committee remained steadfast in providing the best facilities for all players in the club. St. Nicholas GFC Committee 2008: Caitoirleach: Paul Sheils, Leas-Caitoirleach: Philip Kirwain, Rúnaí: John Heeney, Treasurer: Victor Hackett, P.R.O.: Barry Byrne, County Board Delegate: Alan Gregory, Minor Board Delegate: Ollie Henry. Tweet

Most Read Stories