After three seasons in the junior ranks, Milltown will have intermediate football to look forward to once again in the coming year. Here, we look back on a season which yielded Junior Championship and Junior Cup honours for the Rathconrath side. It may have taken longer than expected, but Milltown are back in the intermediate ranks for 2004 after a magnificent year which saw junior football championship and Junior Cup honours come their way. When the Rathconrath outfit lost their intermediate status at end of 2000, it was predicted that they would bounce straight back. But, after two fruitless years, Milltown rediscovered their winning touch last season to capture their first junior championship since 1996 and their sixth in all. One of the advantages of Milltown having spent the last three years in the junior ranks is that it enabled them to rebuild their team. Several new faces were blooded in that time, many of whom clearly blossomed under the management of Martin Lynn and his co-selectors Eddie and Gerry Somers last season. While Milltown suffered defeats to St. Paul's and St. Joseph's during the course of the championship, they won the games that mattered and no one can say that they weren't worthy champions. Their subsequent capture of the Junior Cup left no one in any doubt as to who the best junior team in the county was during 2003. While they were once again backboned by stalwarts such as Tom Dillon, Damien Gunning and Michael Dillon, there was a youthful flavour to the team with no fewer than seven teenagers - Patrick Gavigan, Michael Ward, Fergal Reilly, Francis McLoughlin, Danny Scally and Stephen Somers - starting the county final against Mullingar Shamrocks. With so many promising youngsters in their ranks, it would seem that Milltown have the potential to mount a serious challenge for intermediate honours in the coming years. Milltown got off to the worst possible start in the championship, losing to St. Paul's by 0-2 to 0-7 in their opening game at St. Loman's on April 27. But they put that disappointment behind them a fortnight later when they powered to a 2-13 to 1-4 victory over St. Loman's at Ballynacargy. Martin Lynn's charges chalked up their second win on May 18 when they trounced Delvin by 1-18 to 0-2. The game was over as a contest at half-time with a Danny Scally goal helping to propel the green and whites into a 1-9 to 0-0 advantage. In what was to prove a dress rehearsal for the final, Milltown edged out Mullingar Shamrocks by 0-12 to 1-8 in their fourth outing. Shamrocks led by two points at the interval, but a superb scoring display by Stephen Somers - who accounted for all but two points of his side's tally - saw Milltown through by the narrowest of margins. Milltown made it four wins from five on June 22 when they defeated local rivals Loughnavalley by 2-6 to 1-6. They followed that up with their biggest win of the season - a 2-21 to 1-1 drubbing of St. Fintan's/Multyfarnham at Bunbrosna. Milltown made sure of their place in the knock-out stages when they recorded a crucial win over Ballycomoyle on July 13. The green and whites laid the foundations for their success in the opening half when they outscored their north county opponents by 2-7 to 1-1. On the restart, the winners extended their lead to 11 points, but Ballycomoyle then staged a strong rally which reduced the deficit to three points. However, two late goals sealed a 4-10 to 3-3 win for Milltown. Milltown's final outing in the league stages against St. Joseph's was only of academic importance as both teams had already qualified for the semi-finals. As it transpired, St. Joseph's ran out 1-9 to 0-5 winners, thus preserving their 100 per cent record in the championship up to that point. After a two-month lapse, Milltown squared up to St. Paul's in the semi-final at St. Loman's. Having recorded a comfortable win when the teams met earlier in the year, the Clonmellon men were fancied to reach the final. But Milltown had other ideas with Willie Keegan's late goal ensuring them of a 1-9 to 0-10 victory. In what was a very open game, Milltown held the upperhand throughout, never once trailing the pre-match favourites. All of their scores came from play and their forwards possessed a greater cutting edge than St. Paul's, with Stephen Somers particularly impressive at full forward in notching four points. Milltown opened brightly and, thanks to points from Somers (two), Michael Dillon and Fergal Reilly, established a 0-4 to 0-1 lead inside the opening 20 minutes. Graham Dillon replied with a pointed free for St. Paul's, but another point from Michael Dillon assured Milltown of a 0-5 to 0-2 advantage at the break. Favoured by the wind in the second half, St. Paul's battled back to within a point before substitute Paul Mahon scored in the 49th minute to provide Milltown with some much needed breathing space. The outcome remained in doubt until the 56th minute when Willie Keegan fired a loose ball to the net to give Milltown a 1-9 to 0-7 cushion. St. Paul's scored three unanswered points in the time remaining, but Milltown deservedly held on for the win. A youthful Mullingar Shamrocks provided the opposition for Milltown in the final on a dreadful October's day at Cusack Park. The game proved to be a hard slog for Martin Lynn's charges and for a period during the second half, it seemed as if the town side would prevail. But Milltown refused to give up the fight and a 55th minute goal from Fergal Reilly put them on the road to a dramatic 1-8 to 1-6 victory. Shamrocks had the strong wind to their backs in the first half and duly raced into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead after 14 minutes. The margin was still three points at the interval, 0-6 to 0-3, although Milltown would have been closer but for a plethora of missed chances. Three minutes after the restart, a Michael Dillon point cut the leeway, but Milltown then proceeded to kick seven wides and had to wait 13 minutes until their next score arrived - a super point from midfielder Damien Gunning. But then, totally against the run of play, Cian O'Leary fisted a Shamrocks goal to put four points between the sides. A disastrous defeat now looked to be on cards for Milltown, but they never panicked and following a point from Stephen Somers, substitute Paul Mahon centred for Fergal Reilly to fist home the equalizing goal. With the momentum firmly behind them, Milltown pushed for home and points from Willie Keegan and Michael Dillon gave them the coveted prize. "This win is not just for the players and the Milltown club, but for the whole parish," declared veteran captain Tom Dillon after he accepted the junior championship cup from football board chairman Denis Coyne. Not contented with the championship success, Milltown went on to add the Junior Cup a month later. As was the case in the championship semi-final, their victims were St. Paul's, who they defeated on a 0-9 to 0-6 scoreline. Playing on their home patch, Milltown stamped their authority on proceedings by opening up a 0-4 to 0-1 lead after 15 minutes. Willie Keegan extended the home side's advantage before a brace of points from Graham Dillon left St. Paul's two adrift, 0-5 to 0-3, at the break. Points from Dillon and John McGuinness brought St. Paul's onto level terms midway through the second half, but Milltown finished the stronger with unanswered scores from Michael Dillon and Willie Keegan ensuring that they ended the year on a high. The Milltown team which captured the junior football championship was: Damien Byrne; Tom Dillon, Patrick Reilly, Patrick Gavigan; Aidan Scally, Conor Reilly, Michael Ward; Damien Gunning, Paul Mulvaney; Fergal Reilly, Willie Keegan, Francis McLoughlin; Danny Scally, Stephen Somers, Michael Dillon. Subs used: Michael Connell, Ollie Rodgers and Paul Mahon. Tweet

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