For the second consecutive year, St Paul's were defeated in the Westmeath junior football championship final and although it was a bitter pill to swallow for the club, a major emphasis has been placed on their underage structure and future success. It is now six years since the club last won an adult title, when they majority of the current squad were making the breakthrough in 1999. There were great expectations for the side, despite lasting only one year in the intermediate ranks. However, they have failed to return to that grade, despite contesting the last two consecutive junior finals. In the last few years the club have put in place an efficient underage structure, which has resulted in the north Westmeath outfit competing in the top grade at all underage levels, something that they had never achieved before. Furthermore, with dressingrooms now in place, along with lights being erected and the pitch being realigned, the club can be proud of their efforts on and off the field. 2005 was a special year for St Paul's as it marked the 30th anniversary of their first success when they captured the junior title in 1975 following a win over old rivals Ballynacargy. A function was held in November to commemorate the occasion and each player from that victorious squad was presented with a statuette to mark the Pearl Anniversary. The fact that the club can field two under-12 teams in the league proves that they are in a healthy state with regards to numbers. St Paul's cater for all ages from under-8 upwards and their annual tournament among their own players has proven highly successful and beneficial. It is not just boys that the club cater for as they also have underage girls teams and for the first time in the history of the club a ladies junior team was entered in the championship and they acquitted themselves very well in their fledgling campaign. For such a small community, St Paul's have certainly stood the test of time, but it is only in recent years that the Meath-border side have established such a comprehensive underage system. The work done with the kids is due to a select few who have given great service. Some have been involved with the club a lifetime, while others, who have moved into the area in recent years have gelled into the community with great ease. On any given Saturday morning, the pitch in Clonmellon is awash with children between the ages of 6 to 14. Amazingly the total number in attendance has often reached over the 100 mark and it is still left to the same few to look after the children. Vice-chairman Eugene Dolan could be described as the heart beat of the club, as he has been involved with the majority of underage teams as well as overseeing the fortunes of the junior team. People like Sonny Evans, Eugene Sheridan, Clare Connor, Ger Dillon, Kevin Reddington, John Daly, Frank Reid, Larry Cuneen and Tommy Daly have also contributed trojan work. Despite no silverware adorning the trophy cabinet in 2005, the majority of teams made it to the knockout stages of their respective championships. But it was the adult team's failure to capture the title that was the main talking point throughout the county. As always, St Paul's went into the campaign as one of the favourites for the junior championship. In a group along with Delvin, Ballycomoyle, Loughnavalley, Ballinagore and St Fintain's/Multyfarnham, expectations were high of a place in the semi-finals. The Clonmellon outfit opened their campaign with a hard fought win over Loughnavalley and it was evident from this performance that St Paul's had a lot of work to do, if they were to make an impact on the championship. A rare outing in Cusack Park against neighbours Ballycomoyle was the next match. There is never too much between these sides and it was a case of the same old story as the teams played out a draw with St Paul's fortunate to come away with a point. The lack of preparation in the squad was never more evident before the Ballycomoyle match as the management team were forced to call on someone from the crowd to play in the goals. Ironically, Padraig Skelly donned the number one jersey and duly saved a penalty to help earn his side a draw. Trainer Eugene Dolan and his selectors Tossy Higgins, Michael Travers and Ger Dillon had an arduous task of motivating players throughout the year, while their patience was tested on plenty of occasions and it is a credit to them that they stuck to their task. A second victory was recorded against Multy and once again the performance was less than impressive as Paul's laboured in the second half when a lack of fitness began to show, but they still managed a seven-point win. Although the previous year's meeting between the clubs ended in a 25-point win for the Clonmellon blues. Local rivals Delvin also put up a brave performance before eventually losing by ten points and with a place in the semi-final secured, their last match against Ballinagore would decide who finished top of the group. This match turned out to be the turning point in St Paul's season as they undoubtedly produced their best recent display of football to record a two-point win and finish the group unbeaten. Attendances at training improved dramatically as the semi-final approached and following a three-week wait, Loughnavalley finally emerged as the opposition with St Paul's entering the match as favourites. The blue and whites lived up the billing as they ran riot on the day, scoring an impressive 1-14 to 1-1 win. Confidence was now high in the camp and the determination was there to eliminate the pain of the previous year's defeat. As expected Ballinagore advanced to the decider with Sunday, October 2nd pencilled in for the final. At the start of the year, the St Paul's squad consisted of 18-20 players, by the time the final arrived there was 30 togged out, such was the interest in the area. The final itself never really lived up to expectations as both sides struggled to stamp any authority on the match. However, Ballinagore's physical strength saw them win many key battles in the match. St Paul's introduced Pat Clancy midway through the first half and his experience helped the Paul's settle. The match could have been over by half time were it not for an excellent save by goalkeeper John Fitzpatrick, who expertly dived to his right to get a hand to the ball when one-on-one with a Ballinagore forward. Ultimately, it was Ballinagore who made a quick return to the intermediate ranks as their experience told in the second half, although a questionable square ball given against Clancy could have changed the course of the game. Unfortunately for St Paul's, it was a second consecutive final defeat, but the performances and attitude throughout the year of men like Padraig Skelly, Ray Flynn, Jimmy McQuaid, Seamus Reilly, Kenny Higgins, David Dolan and captain Johnny McGuinness showed that with a bit of dedication alot can be achieved Throw in younger players like John Fitzpatrick, Gareth Nolan (who was outstanding all year), Darren Noone, Richard Sheridan, Michael Travers, Andrew Perry and Paddy Collins and St Paul's will most definitely be back battling for honours this year. Tweet

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