After a lucky escape in 2001, relegation became a reality for St. Mary's, Rochfortbridge last year when they lost to neighbours Tyrrellspass. But full back Kenneth Berry is convinced they have what it takes to bounce back. St. Mary's eight-year stay in the senior ranks of Westmeath football came to an abrupt end last September when they were decisively beaten by neighbours Tyrrrellspass in a relegation play-off at Cusack Park. The Rochfortbridge outfit had no answer to Tyrrellspass' all-round power and their fate was sealed long before the final whistle. It was the second time in three years that St. Mary's had been involved in a relegation play-off, but this time there was no escape route. "We had been living dangerously for a few years and I suppose our luck had to run out at some stage," says full back and 1995 All-Ireland minor medalist Kenneth Berry. "We beat Kilbeggan to stay up in 2001, but we didn't heed that warning and found ourselves in the same situation again last year. As it transpired, we were well beaten by a Tyrrellspass team who, in the eyes of most people, were good enough to win a county championship." By and large, the past eight years have been disappointing for St. Mary's and Berry expresses frustration at their failure to build on the intermediate championship success of '95. "It's annoying to think that the expected success at senior level never materialized. When we won the intermediate championship, we looked set to have a bright future, but in truth, we never came close to winning a senior championship. We had one good year under Luke Dempsey, but that was about the height of it. "Back in '95, the average age of the team was 20 or 21, but now it's closer to 30. It's going to be difficult to pick things up, but I'm certainly not without hope." Under the management of Tom Mitchell, Colm Gavin and JJ O'Connor, St. Mary's had the ignominy of being the only team not to win a game in last year's championship. However, they came tantalizingly close to opening their campaign with a win over Castledaly, who had contested the 2002 county final. Despite conceding an early goal, St. Mary's hit back with a flurry of scores from Ian Cunningham, Damien Gavin and Alan Gavin to lead by 1-6 to 1-2 at the interval. Castledaly drew level midway through the second half before points from Kenneth Gunning and Eamonn Gallagher gave St. Mary's a 1-10 to 1-8 lead. But in the final eight minutes, Castledaly reeled off five points without reply to secure a 1-13 to 1-10 victory. St. Mary's also had the beating of Tubberclair in their second outing, but paid a costly price for failing to take their chances. Tubberclair held a 0-7 to 0-4 lead at the break, but within two minutes of the restart, Ian Cunningham set up Austin Bradley for an equalizing goal. The sides were still level with 12 minutes remaining when St. Mary's were awarded a penalty for a foul on Larry Poynton. But Bradley's spot-kick was well saved by Gary Connaughton and Tubberclair finished strongly with a late Fergal Wilson goal helping them to a flattering 1-14 to 1-7 win. Things got worse for St. Mary's on June 29 when they suffered a 0-8 to 1-16 defeat at the hands of The Downs. The 'Bridge were in contention at half-time when they trailed by 0-5 to 1-6, but they were completely over-run in the second half by a team who would finish the season as county champions. Relegation loomed large for St. Mary's after they suffered a 0-7 to 2-14 drubbing at the hands of Mullingar Shamrocks. Only five points separated the teams at half-time, but just as they had done against The Downs, St. Mary's faded completely in the second half with another heavy defeat being the inevitable outcome. St. Mary's place in the relegation play-off was confirmed after their fifth straight defeat to St. Malachy's. The 'Bridge led by 0-8 to 1-4 at the break and they looked set for victory when Damien Gavin goaled just after the restart. But Tom Mitchell's charges failed to kill off the game and in the final quarter, St. Malachy's swooped for two goals to snatch a 3-8 to 1-11 victory. St. Mary's were rank outsiders when they squared up to Tyrrellspass at Cusack Park on September 21 in what was a curtain-raiser to the county final between The Downs and Athlone. And although they opened brightly with a point from David Cleary, the 'Bridge were soon giving second best to their neighbours in most positions and eventually succumbed to a 1-5 to 1-16 defeat. Tyrrellspass' superior quality was clear for all to see and their victory was achieved with such style and panache that they would not have looked out of place in the main event of the day. Helped by a goal from John Corcoran, they led by 1-10 to 1-1 at the break. St. Mary's were more competitive in the second half, but with the Glennon brothers - Denis and David - in sparkling form, anything but a comfortable Tyrrellspass win looked unlikely. "We were never at the races against Tyrrellspass," Berry admits. "We needed to be at full strength to have any chance and even though Damien Healy and David Mitchell lined out, they were clearly hampered by the injuries they picked up while playing for the county team. They had been huge losses to us in the earlier games, as were Declan Gavin and Adam Nolan. Declan missed the whole championship with a shoulder injury, while Adam spent the year in Australia. "Overall, the championship was a major disappointment, although I still think we were unlucky not to beat Castledaly, Tubberclair and St. Malachy's. We seemed to lose games in the last five minutes and I suppose that's why we're where we are now." St. Mary's also struggled in the league and were in danger of losing their Division 1 status until they beat Coralstown/Kinnegad in their final game. Their Feis Cup hopes were ended by Tyrrellspass on a 2-4 to 2-9 scoreline. At underage level, St. Mary's joined forces with Milltownpass to reach the minor Division 2 final. However, the concession of a late goal resulted in a 1-7 to 2-7 defeat to Castledaly. St. Mary's/Milltownpass got off to a dream start when Andy Devine finished an early attack to the net. Paul Larkin and Michael Gavin replied with points for Castledaly before Robbie Kenny put the losers two clear. However, Castledaly then reeled off three points without reply to hold a slender 0-5 to 1-1 lead at the interval. On the restart, Dermot Faulkner restored parity for St. Mary's/Milltownpass, but Paul Kelly then took centre stage by scoring 1-1 for Castledaly. With 14 minutes remaining, Castledaly led by 1-7 to 1-3, but the combination side refused to throw in the towel and four points without reply from Kenny had the sides on level terms as the final ticked into injury-time. A replay looked to be on the cards until the final attack of the game culminated in Paul Kelly scoring the winning goal for Castledaly three minutes into injury-time. Needless to say, St. Mary's/Milltownpass were devastated at the final whistle. While accepting that it won't be easy for St. Mary's to put last year's disappointment behind them, Berry feels they are well capable of making an instant return to the top flight. In the coming season, the 'Bridge will be managed by former Meath star John McEnroe, who will be assisted by Pat Eighan and Christy Quirke. "It's going to be difficult to get back up, especially with the likes of Rosemount, Ballynacargy and Kilbeggan around. I think the hardest thing of all will be trying to motivate ourselves. If we are any way complacent, there is no way we'll come straight back up. "But I'm convinced that we have a squad which is strong enough to win an intermediate championship. The last time the 'Bridge were relegated, it took us 16 years to get back up. But hopefully, we won't have to endure a wait like that again," he concludes. The St. Mary's/Milltownpass team which contested the minor Division 2 final was: John Peppard; Tom Gavin, Shane Gammell, Hughie Burke; Darren O'Connor, Kevin Reid, Vincent Reilly; Morgan Hanrahan, Drew Morgan; Dermot Faulkner, Robbie Kenny, David Rice; Andrew Devine, Ally Healy, John McNamara. Sub used: Aaron Gavin and Paddy Reilly. Tweet

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