The All-Ireland Intermediate club title sits proudly in Emyvale but it was a year that had its sad moment too. By Alan Gunn On November 30, Emyvale were crowned ladies All-Ireland Intermediate club champions in Banagher, Co Offaly. As Sinead Mohan raised the cup high above her head, tears of joy and sadness flowed down the faces of players and supporters alike. Looking down from above was Kevin Donnelly who had passed away just weeks after the side had claimed the county title. At the time of his sudden and untimely death Kevin was their side's manager and a proud one at that. When the girls began training at the beginning of the year, Kevin's dream and ambition was to win the All-Ireland. That dream came through but unfortunately Kevin had passed away while refereeing a game in September. So it was a year of mixed emotions for the people of Emyvale. County Championship They began their quest for county success against Inniskeen at Grattan Park. It turned out to be a very comfortable start to the campaign with a whopping 7-17 to 2-4 victory. The Emyvale attack took control from the start and with a succession of goals from Ciara McAnespie, Therese McNally, Caroline McAree and Melanie Colleran (2) it was all over at the break. Emyvale went on to add a further 2-6 to their tally with substitute Brenda McAnespie's goal raising a particularly loud cheer from the visiting support. Her daughter Aoife netted a seventh for the winners as they marched into the decider. In the final at the beginning of September they came face to face with Magheracloone, the side that had defeated them at the semi-final stage in 2007. However, they were to get their revenge this time around and yet again without major problems. At the final whistle 13 points separated the sides on a score line of 2-17 to 1-7. Inspired by a top drawer performance from goalkeeper Sinead Mohan, the McNally sisters Grainne, Therese and Una along with the McAnespie twins of Ciara and Aoife, who hit 0-12 from play between them, they overwhelmed Magheracloone. Two majors from the lively Therese McNally helped Emyvale lead 2-6 to 1-3 at the break. Three quick fire points from Ciara McAnespie (2) and Aisling McKenna at the start of the second period ended any hopes the Mitchell's may have had of getting back into the contest. Magheracloone had a glorious chance eight minutes into the half when they were awarded a penalty but Edel Byrne's effort was excellently saved by Emyvale captain Sinead Mohan. Grainne McNally collected the player of the match award and Emyvale were on their way into the Ulster championship in early October. Ulster Championship Armagh champions Derrynoose visited St Oliver Plunkett Park but like Inniskeen and Magheracloone they too were outplayed by Emyvale. Despite the dreadful conditions, the home side still hit 7-8 over the hour. By the end of the opening quarter Ciara McAnespie, Therese McNally, Hannah Hughes and Caroline McAree had all found the net. Melanie Colleran added a further major before the break while Aisling McKenna and Aoife McAnespie hit a major a piece in the second half. It was a game that saw the Emyvale rearguard shine brightly once again and both midfielders Nicola Fahy and Lisa Sherry excel. Therese McNally and Aisling McKenna went goal crazy in the semi-final clash against Cavan side Templeport. The two on fire forwards hit three goals a piece and along with Ciara McAnespie the trio's combined total was 6-10. However, this was a tougher assignment then the 6-15 to 0-10 score line suggests. The Monaghan girls played out of their skin with Grainne McNally really catching the eye at wing half back yet again. But this was a wonderful performance from goalkeeper Sinead Mohan to the other end of the field. Three majors from Therese McNally had Emyvale leading 3-6 to 0-7 at the midway point. Defensively the eventual winners were again superb along with 'keeper Sinead Mohan. Emyvale raised the green flag for the fourth time through Aisling McKenna eight minutes from time. Before the end McKenna had hit the netting a further two times to round off a stunning performance from the Monaghan champions. The corner forward's final major was a thumping shot off the inside of the post from about 21 metres out. In the final they continued their goal scoring touch hitting eight past Antrim champions St Paul's. They turned in yet another performance from the top drawer despite the atrocious conditions. Again the full forward line was on song and the trio of Aisling McKenna, Therese McNally and Ciara McAnespie contributed 7-10 between them. However, this was a fantastic all round performance with the side showing their wonderful array of skills and the excellent ball handling despite the continuous heavy rain and strong wind. Like in the county final Sinead Mohan saved a penalty, this one in the opening minute of the game. From that moment it was all Emyvale as they stormed clear of their opponents. Player of the match Therese McNally set them on their way with the opening point before Aisling McKenna slotted home a penalty after a foul on Therese. Further majors from Ciara McAnespie, Therese McNally (penalty) and Caroline McAree give them an unassailable 4-6 to 1-1 lead at the break. Just three minutes of the second period had elapsed and Emyvale had raised the green flag on another further two occasions. Both Aisling McKenna and Ciara McAnespie were the two players on target. Therese McNally netted her second of the afternoon and with two minutes remaining Aisling McKenna completed her hat-trick and the Ulster title was on its way to Emyvale on a final score of 8-12 to 2-5. All-Ireland Championship The Monaghan and Ulster champions began their All-Ireland quest with a semi-final clash against Mayo side The Neale at St Oliver Plunkett Park. The north Monaghan side coasted to victory as they led from start to finish. The dynamic trio of Aisling McKenna, Therese McNally and Ciara McAnespie were yet again in the scoring mood contributing 5-8. However, it was at the other end that really caught the eye. In front of the excellent Sinead Mohan, the full back line of Nadine Hughes, Ann O'Brien and Martina Flood were awesome. The half back line of the McNally sisters Grainne, Una and Brenda also turned in a very solid showing as the back six kept The Neale at bay restricting them to just five scores. Conditions were far from ideal with a swirling wind throughout. Emyvale enjoyed the aid of the wind in the opening period and used it to full advantage in building up a 2-7 to 1-0 interval advantage. This young talented Emyvale side used the full pitch spreading the ball out to the wings giving a more physical Neale side the run around. The midfield pairing of Lisa Sherry and Nicola Fahy had a very impressive afternoon while up front along with aforementioned trio in the full forward line, the half forwards of Caroline McAree, Melanie Colleran and Aoife McAnespie tormented the Neale rearguard and stopped them in their tracks of building attacks from the back. Therese McNally and Aisling McKenna fired the goals with both hitting one a piece in the opening period. Therese added a further two after the resumption while Aisling raised the green flag on one more occasion. Now, it was off to Banagher for the All-Ireland decider against Cork side Ballingeary/ Inchigeela at the end of November. What a day it was when the girls created history by becoming the first ever club to take the Intermediate title not only to Monaghan but back to Ulster. It was a nervy start that took them 23 minutes to get on the scoreboard. By the stage Ciara McAnespie did get an Emyvale point but the Cork girls had hit a goal and Emyvale had seen an Aisling McKenna penalty saved. However, once they had made the breakthrough there was no stopping them. Defensively, yet again the Monaghan girls were awesome with the half back line of Grainne, Una and Brenda McNally in particular eye catching form. They simply cleaned everything up and if the ball did get past, Martina Flood, Ann O'Brien, Nadine Hughes and goal keeper Sinead Mohan were equally as reliable. At the centre of the park Nicola Fahy had the game of her life covering almost every blade of grass and was ably assisted by Lisa Sherry. The Cork girls did their best to halt the dangerous full forward line of Aisling McKenna, Therese McNally and Ciara McAnespie. To give them credit they did a good job as they got numbers back to try and crowd them out every time they got the ball. Reaping the rewards of this though was the half forward line of Aoife McAnespie, Melanie Colleran and the lively Caroline McAree who all had very impressive games. Emyvale's opening goal from Melanie Colleran edged her side in front for the first time on 27 minutes, but it was a lead they were never to lose. A further major from player of the match Therese McNally from the penalty spot give them a 2-2 to 1-0 interval lead. Disaster struck for Emyvale in the first minute of the second half as corner forward Ciara McAnespie was sin binned. During this period they conceded just two points and wrapped up the game when Therese McNally netted a third goal for the winners. They even had to withstand the sin binning of Lisa Sherry ten minutes from time but nothing was going to stop this talented Emyvale side landing the All-Ireland crown. The Road to Glory Emyvale 7-17 Inniskeen 2-4 Ciara McAnespie (1-5), Melanie Colleran (2-1), Caroline McAree (1-3), Aoife McAnespie (1-2), Aisling McKenna (0-4), Therese McNally (1-1), Brenda McAnespie (1-0), Nicola Fahy (0-1) Emyvale 2-17 Magheracloone 1-7 Ciara McAnespie (0-8), Therese McNally (2-1), Aoife McAnespie (0-4), Caroline McAree (0-2), Aisling McKenna (0-2) Emyvale 7-8 Derrynoose (Armagh) 2-1 Therese McNally (1-3), Ciara McAnespie (1-2), Caroline McAree (1-2), Aoife McAnespie (1-0), Melanie Colleran (1-0), Hannah Hughes (1-0), Ashling McKenna (1-0), Brenda McAnespie (0-1) Emyvale 6-15 Templeport (Cavan) 0-10 Therese McNally (3-3), Aisling McKenna (3-1), Ciara McAnespie (0-6), Aoife McAnespie (0-2), Grainne McNally (0-1), Caroline McAree (0-1), Melanie Colleran (0-1) Emyvale 8-12 St Paul's (Antrim) 2-5 Aisling McKenna (3-4), Therese McNally (2-3), Ciara McAnespie (2-3), Caroline McAree (1-0), Aoife McAnespie (0-2) Emyvale 5-10 The Neale (Mayo) 1-4 Therese McNally (3-3), Aisling McKenna (2-1), Ciara McAnespie (0-4), Melanie Colleran (0-1), Aoife McAnespie (0-1) Emyvale 3-6 Ballingeary Inchigeela (Cork) 1-2 Therese McNally (2-2), Melanie Colleran (1-0), Caroline McAree (0-2), Ciara McAnespie (0-2) Scorers Therese McNally 14-16 (58) Ciara McAnespie 4-30 (42) Aisling McKenna 9-12 (39) Aoife McAnespie 2-11 (17) Caroline McAree 3-10 (19) Melanie Colleran 4-3 (15) Brenda McAnespie 1-1 (4) Hannagh Hughes 1-0 (3) Nicola Fahy 0-1 (1) Grainne McNally 0-1 (1) How they lined out in the All-Ireland final Emyvale: Sinead Mohan (Capt), Nadine Hughes, Ann O'Brien, Martina Flood, Grainne McNally, Una McNally, Brenda McNally, Nicola Fahy, Lisa Sherry, Caroline McAree (0-2), Melanie Colleran (1-0), Aoife McAnespie, Aisling McKenna, Therese McNally (2-2), Ciara McAnespie (0-2). Subs: Brenda McAnespie for A McKenna, Hannah Hughes for C McAree, Carol Flood for M Flood Rest of Panel: Catriona McKenna, Aine McAree, Aoife McDonald, Laura McKenna, Sinead McCrudden, Sorcha McKenna, Therese Curley, Niamh McAree, Louise Hughes, Sinead O'Brien, Laura Askin, Rynagh McNally Manager: Niall Hughes Team Coach: Dwaine McCarey First Aid: Marie McCarron, Francis McAree Emyvale - Down but not out For the first time in well over two decades Emyvale will compete in Junior Football ranks in 2009. Not since 1985 has the club dropped to the basement division of Monaghan football and it has come as a bitter disappointment that we once again find ourselves competing in the lowest of the county's three 'first-team' grades. By Seamus McCluskey. A similar situation almost developed in 2007, but Emyvale made a miraculous recovery in the concluding stages to jump from the relegation zone to a semi-final placing that year. However, the writing has been on the wall for some time past and the year just ended brought the blow for a very proud club that has adorned both the senior and intermediate grades in Co. Monaghan over the past twenty years. However, despite the fact that Emyvale may be DOWN at the moment, in no way means that they are also OUT, and anyone who thinks otherwise, or gets that impression, is in for a rather rude awakening during the year ahead. Relegation at the end of 2008 can be attributed to a number of factors, and none of them were of Emyvale's own making. In fact, the club must surely be regarded as one of the most unfortunate ever in the history of Monaghan football, as quite a number of factors beyond our control reared up their ugly heads during the year just completed, but, hopefully, such obstacles will never again have to be encountered by the club in future years. On one occasion alone the premier team had to field without no less then eleven first team players, all absent through no fault of their own. Injuries, examinations, foreign studies, army duties abroad, enforced absences, and the very unjust and unfair 'star game' regulation, all combined to make it one of the toughest seasons the club has ever had to face, and the fact that they bravely overcame most of them shows the determination of the players and mentors involved, as well as the huge support that the club still enjoys, despite finishing second from the bottom of the league table and being relegated along with our northern neighbours from Sean McDermotts. On another occasion the team was faced with no less than eight enforced absentees, and not once during the entire league and championship campaigns was the club able to start a game with the exact same line-out on two successive occasions. Few clubs, even the strongest in the county, could overcome obstacles of that nature. The old saying that 'a good beginning is half the work' might have prevailed in Emyvale's case had the unforeseen obstacles not accumulated at an alarming rate over the following stages of the Intermediate League campaign. They certainly did make a very good beginning to the 2008 programme, as their very first outing was a superb home performance when the defeated a strong Corduff side, that would end the year in the concluding stages of both league and championship, at Emyvale on Sunday 24th February, when Emyvale won by 1-8 to 0-4. Corduff started brightly in that one but a goal by score-getter Colm McKenna gave Emyvale a lead which they never subsequently relinquished. They were 1-2 to 0-3 in front at the half-way stage and had lined out as follows: Stephen McAree, Shane McKenna, Jonathan Morrough, Emmet Colleran, Niall Kelly, Brendan McKenna, Sean McMeel, Michael Flannery, Brendan O'Brien, John Thomas Treanor, Brendan Askin, Ciaran Connolly, Colm McKenna, Darren Farmer and Adrian McGee. Subs used:- Gregory Devlin, Gavin McQuaid and Carl Murphy, and their scores came from Colm McKenna (1-2), Adrian McGee (0-3), Sean McMeel, JT Treanor and Brendan O'Brien (0-1 each). This was followed by a drawn game at Threemilehouse when the home side snatched a very late equaliser (2-7 each) to rob Emyvale of both points. Emyvale were now sitting pretty, second from the top of the Intermediate League table, but the two aforementioned games had already taken their toll, injury-wise, and then the inevitable slide began. Four defeats in a row would follow, losing to Rockcorry, Cremartin, Truagh and Eire Og. The 'rot' was eased temporarily with victory over Rockcorry in the opening round of the Championship at Scotstown, but, back to the league for the moment, and the downward slide on the Table was halted with a fine victory over Aughnamullen on 17th May when the team lined out: Declan Callery, Ciaran Connolly, Jonathan Morrough, Killian McKenna, Niall Kelly John Flannery, Sean McMeel, Darren Farmer (1-4), Emmet Colleran (1-0), Gregory Devlin, John T. Treanor, Paddy J. McKenna, Adrian McGee (0-1), Marty McAree and Colm McKenna (0-1). Subs used:- Brendan Askin and David Bellew. Defeat to hot favourites and ultimate champions, Ballybay, followed, but a respectable draw with Donaghmoyne and yet another draw away to Corduff aroused hopes that the downward trend would come to an end. These hopes were fully realised when they overcame visiting Sean McDermotts by 3-9 to 2-8 in mid June. Unfortunately the good run ended there and a series of defeats ensue, losing successively to Rockcorry (in which game one of our players was seriously injured), Cremartin, Truagh, Aughnamullen, Eire Og and Ballybay. Two further points were gained when we had a 'bloodless' win over Donaghmoyne in the final game, but, at that stage, our life in the Intermediate grade had already ended and we had been relegated to Junior for 2009. Despite the poor league run, our displays in the Championship were extremely encouraging, with that already mentioned win over Rockcorry in the opening round at Scotsotwn with this team: Declan Callery, Ciaran Connolly, Jonathan Morrough, John Flannery, Niall Kelly, Shane McKenna, Sean McMeel, Brendan O'Brien, Michael Flannery, Paddy J. McKenna, Martin McAree, Darren Farmer (0-6), Colm McKenna (1-2), Brendan McKenna (0-1 and Adrian McGee (1-0). Subs used: JT Treanor, Gregory Devlin, Brendan Askin and David Bellew. This was followed by an equally good, if very narrow, win over Aughnamullen, to qualify for a semi-final placing, but a Rory Woods inspired Donaghmoyne put an end to our hopes, the Fontenoys winning by 0-16 to 0-13. Thus the premier team's efforts for the year ended in disappointment, but maybe a year in Junior ranks won't do us the slightest bit of harm. There is certainly nothing to fear from the clubs we will are likely to meet in the year ahead and with the experience our younger players have been gaining over the past couple of season, it is obvious that our stay in the bottom grade will not be of long duration. The big problem for our mentors is the keeping together of this highly talented and promising outfit, and with a bit of co-operation from all concerned, we will have a much happier report to make at the end of 2009. Despite the disappointment of the year's Intermediate experience, our Reserve teams both did themselves proud, and the fact that there were never less than 24 players togged out for every game in all three grades throughout the year speaks volumes for the spirit and future prospects for football in Emyvale. Our 'B' team had a remarkably successful season, reaching the Final of the Crawley Cup Reserve Football Champion-ship, only to run up against Clontibret - the strongest and long-term holders of this title - in the Final. The Final at Monaghan in late October resulted in 0-11 to 0-6 win for the reigning champions but Emyvale did themselves proud with this team: Stephen McAree, Killian McKenna, Barry McDonald, James Kane, Ciaran Connolly, Gregory Devlin (0-1), Seamus Downey, Paddy J McKenna, Carl Murphy, Gavin McKernan, Sean McMeel (0-1), Paddy McCarron (0-3), Brendan Askin, Martin McAree (0-1) and Colm McKenna. Subs used: David Treanor, Niall Kellly, Gary Sherry and David Bellew. As usual, the Juveniles again excelled, despite the fact that no major trophy, (but several lesser titles), came their way during the year. We are extremely fortunate in this respect as Emyvale must surely have the most energetic, most enthusiastic and most competent bunch of mentors of any club in Co Monaghan, and we should be extremely grateful for that. Besides the footballers, young Darren Doherty also made quite a name for himself in the County and Provincial Handball competitions and is obviously going to be one of the stars of the future in this great traditional Irish sport. Aside from the sports competitions, the club also hit the headlines during the year, becoming the first club in Co. Monaghan to erect a 'Memorial Garden' at the entrance to our main playing pitch, and which was officially opened on 23rd May, as a tribute to all those who have laboured so tirelessly for the club down through the years. The project was spear-headed by Vincent McAnespie. Then came the installation of floodlights and these were officially switched on by the President of the GAA, Mr. Nicky Brennan in September. The success of the Brendan Colton memorial tournament and the Benny Connolly/Eamonn McElroy Tournaments (under floodlights) were also highlights of the past season, so we certainly have no reason to be despondent and can look forward to the future with greater expectations than we have had for many years past. Finally, let's take a leaf out of the Emyvale Ladies Football section of the club, who covered themselves with glory during 2008 and achieved such phenomenal success that could only have been dreamt of in previous years. From the other sections of the club we say 'Well Done and Heartiest Congratulations' to our Ladies, who have been such a brilliant addition to the club since their first foundation just over a decade ago - and such an amazing example and inspiration for all other sections of what must surely be one of the most progressive and hard-working clubs, not just in Monaghan, but in all Ulster. Tweet

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