St. Loman's victory over town rivals Mullingar Shamrocks in the minor football championship final could provide the spark for that long-awaited senior championship success, according to minor team mentor Pat Rushe. In a year when St. Loman's once again failed to live up to expectations at senior level, it was left to the club's underage teams to bring home the championship bacon. While titles were secured at under 14 and under 16 level, far greater significance was attached to the minor championship success. Despite the club's proud record at underage level, it was only the second time that St. Loman's had managed to get their hands on the Paddy Walsh Memorial Cup. "This was a very important win for us. It was 10 years since we last won the minor championship and that was far too long of a wait for a club that has had a lot of success in the other grades," says Pat Rushe, who was joint manager of the victorious St. Loman's minor team along with former inter-county referee Paul McGann. "Paul and I have been with this group of players since they were under eights and they have been very successful all the way up, winning championships at under 12 and under 16 level. But this was their biggest win to date and hopefully it will be the start of good things for St. Loman's." Rushe, who wore the green and white of Mullingar Shamrocks during his playing days, attributes St. Loman's surprisingly poor record in the minor grade to the attraction of other sports for players of that age, and the strength of the amalgamation sides. "One of the main reasons why we haven't been as successful as we should be at minor level is down to the fact that we lose a lot of players at 17 or 18. Soccer and rugby are both very strong in Mullingar and a lot of players decide to concentrate on one sport at that age. "Another reason why we have struggled is due to the strength of the amalgamation teams. I have no problem with two clubs merging, but when you see four or five clubs joining forces, it becomes ridiculous and makes it very difficult for one club to compete against them." Pat, whose son David featured at full back on this year's minor team, was confident of success after the players had given a commitment to put in a big effort at the start of the season. "We had a meeting at the beginning of the year at which the lads assured us that they would give it 100 per cent. Our preparations began in earnest when we had a bonding weekend away in Mayo. We had two very good challenge matches against Crossmolina and Ballina Stephenites and they helped to get us ready for the start of the championship." St. Loman's opened their campaign with a hard-earned victory over Castledaly/Caulry in Castledaly. A second victory over St. Patrick's set the scene for a semi-final showdown with the reigning champions St. Finian's at Rochfortbridge. There was little to separate the sides in the first half, at the end of which St. Loman's led by 0-7 to 0-6. But the Mullingar side took complete control in the third quarter with points from Conor Cochrane, Conor Lynam and Owen Price being followed by a 49th minute goal by substitute Shane Flynn. The Downs/Coralstown/Kinnegad combination finally registered a second half score when Ger Colgan converted a free and with two minutes remaining, Martin Hickey gave them a glimmer of hope when he pulled back a goal. But Ciaran Lynam immediately replied with his seventh point which sealed a 1-14 to 1-8 victory for the team in blue and white. Shamrocks' victory over Athlone in the other semi-final meant that the final at Cusack Park on October 9 would be an all-Mullingar affair. In what proved to be wonderful advertisement for minor football in Westmeath, St. Loman's staged a fine second half recovery to overcome their town rivals by 1-9 to 2-4. Shamrocks looked to be cruising to victory when Ciaran Curley gave them a six-point lead early in the second half. But St. Loman's refused to panic and hit back with an unanswered 1-5 to take the title. The crucial score came in the 53rd minute when, after seeing his penalty tipped onto the crossbar by Shamrocks 'keeper Philip Shaw, Conor Cochrane was on hand to finish the rebound to the net. This left the sides level and with the momentum firmly behind them, St. Loman's finished the stronger with points from substitute Timmy Murphy and Owen Price securing the win. Shamrocks had a late chance to score a goal, but Conor Hughes' close-in free was blocked and Loman's could celebrate a famous victory. Loman's had suffered an early setback when towering midfielder John Aherne was stretchered off and their task was made all the more difficult after a slick Shamrocks move involving Gary Lambden, Brian Melody and Conor Moore culminated in Ciaran Curley slipping the ball under the advancing Paul McGann to give the Springfield-based outfit a 1-1 to 0-2 lead after 11 minutes. A second goal helped Shamrocks to a five-point lead at the break, but St. Loman's showed incredible character in battling back to take the spoils following the restart. "I was very pleased with our never-say-die attitude, something that unfortunately isn't always associated with St. Loman's teams," Pat says. "We lost John Aherne in the first minute and Ciaran Lynam went off injured at the start of the second half. They were two major blows, but the lads on the pitch redoubled their efforts and got their just reward in the end. It was a great game and a great win for St. Loman's." The St. Loman's under 16 team, which was managed by Christy Martin, Sean Quinn and John Cochrane, also had a memorable year, winning the league, championship and club competitions. The highlight of a 17-match unbeaten run was their 0-12 to 0-4 victory over Shannon Gaels in the championship decider at Milltown. The Mullingar side laid the foundations for their victory in the first half when they managed to get to the interval leading by a point, 0-4 to 0-3, after playing against a strong wind and driving rain. Following the change of ends, Loman's really turned on the style with a flurry of scores from team captain Conor Cochrane, Conor Lynam, Daryl Quinn and Mark Flanagan propelling them to a comfortable win. The victory atoned for St. Loman's defeat to the same opposition in the 2003 under 14 championship final. The under 14 team, which was trained by Declan Cox and Eamon Clinton, brought further glory to the Delvin Road club when they overwhelmed Ballynacargy by 6-12 to 1-8 to take the Division 1 'B' championship crown. Rushe believes the club as a whole has taken tremendous encouragement from the minor win and that it could provide the spark for senior success in the near future. "We have to harness this potential and turn it into a senior championship win in the next three years. We have let too many promising players slip through the net in the past and we can't allow that to happen again. If six or seven of these lads can make the step-up to the senior ranks, we'll be very happy," he concludes. The St. Loman's team which captured the MFC title was: Paul McGann; Conan Reilly, David Rushe, Antoine Savage; Philip Coughlan, Neil Foran, Paul Leonard; Mark Flanagan, John Aherne; Owen Price, Conrad Reilly, Conor Cochrane; Robbie Lynch, Ciaran Lynam, Conor Lynam. Subs used: Bob Madden, Shane Flynn and Timmy Murphy. The under 16 championship winning team was: Shane Weir; Emmett Cahill, Darryl O'Toole, Bob Madden; Sean Murphy, Donal McGovern, Joe Doherty; Darryl Quinn, Mark Flanagan; Conor Cochrane, Conor Beglan, Shane Flynn; Conor Lynam, Paul Sharry, Darren Creighton. Subs used: James Whyte and Stephen Martin. Tweet

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