Knocking on the door
April 30, 2010In each of the past three years, Tang have had their intermediate championship interests ended by the eventual champions.
Last year, near-neighbours Tubberclair defeated them in the semi-final, Maryland beat them by a point in the 2008 quarter-final and the year before that they lost to Ballinagore at the semi-final stage. Such a record would suggest that Tang will make the breakthrough sooner rather than later, but they first have to reach the final - something they haven't managed since they lost to Tubberclair in 2002.
"We've been knocking on the door for the past while and hopefully it will open for us in the next year or two," says secretary JJ Leavy, who was part of the last Tang squad to lift the Peter Geraghty Cup in 1993.
"I'd like to think we're getting closer. We've been knocked out by the eventual winners in each of the last three years and that has been frustrating. But we'll keeping plugging away and hopefully we can go one better than last year and reach the final. That's the goal."
After three years of steady progress under John Burke, the Longford-border outfit have turned to the highly-rated Padraig Farrell as they bid to take the next step. Farrell certainly has the Midas touch when it comes to delivering county titles. He won an Offaly intermediate championship with his native Tubber in 2006 before going on to guide Castledaly to their first senior championship two years ago.
"We're hoping Padraig will be able to give us the final push and get us over the line. John Burke did tremendous work over the last three years and everyone in the club would acknowledge that. But the players wanted an outside manager this year and hopefully Padraig and his selectors Christy Flanagan and Stephen Heneghan will be able to get the best out of them," adds JJ, who is into his second year as secretary.
Tang opened last year's championship campaign with a 2-9 to 0-10 victory over Milltownpass at Rosemount. The sides were level three times in the first half, at the end of which Tang led by 0-6 to 0-4. By the 48th minute, Milltownpass were back on level terms, but after Aidan Burke squeezed Tang back in front from a free, Paul Conway and substitute Colm Donoghue struck late goals to seal the win.
The maroon and whites also left it late to see off the challenge of Moate All-Whites in their second outing at Caulry. There was little or nothing between the teams until five minutes from the end when substitute Chris Connor netted to give Tang a 1-10 to 0-10 win.
Tang made it three wins from three when they edged out St. Mary's by 2-12 to 1-14, but once again they needed a late goal to take full points. The teams were level on 1-6 apiece at half-time, but the game looked to be drifting away from Tang when they fell three points in arrears midway through the second half. But John Burke's charges staged a late rally which culminated in former county star Conway scoring the winning goal on the stroke of full-time.
The Goldsmith Country outfit suffered their only defeat of the group stage when they succumbed to Ballynacargy by 2-6 to 0-13 at Ballymore. Goals in either half from Alan Murray and Aidan Burke looked like giving them their fourth straight win, but after Mark Murphy had brought Ballynacargy level, Daniel Keena kicked the winning point two minutes from the end to shade it for Frank Mescall's side.
Tang bounced back in the best possible fashion by trouncing Kilbeggan Shamrocks on a 1-17 to 1-7 scoreline to qualify for the quarter-finals in impressive fashion. A fisted goal by Paul Conway eased them into a 1-7 to 0-4 interval lead and they played some scintillating football in the second half to run out easy winners, with Kilbeggan's goal only coming in stoppage-time.
Kilbeggan's neighbours, Ballinagore, were nextoa to fall to Tang in a quarter-final which only came to life in the closing stages. Goals from Aidan Burke and Paul Conway had Tang 10 points to the good, 2-10 to 1-3, after 47 minutes, but two fisted goals by Michael Ennis brought Ballinagore back from the dead. Ennis could have had a third goal in the final minute of normal time, but Michael Galvin denied him with a brilliant save as Tang held on for a 2-12 to 3-5 victory.
Tang met local rivals Tubberclair in the semi-final at Cusack Park on September 12 in what was a repeat of the 2002 intermediate decider, and after a tremendous contest, the outcome was the same with the green and golds securing a 3-9 to 1-12 victory.
Pre-match favourites Tubberclair looked to have one foot in the final when they led by 3-5 to 0-6 at the break, but Tang fought back to trail by the minimum with 10 minutes remaining, only for the winners to finish the stronger with points from team captain James Martin and Ian Coffey.
Tubberclair were much sharper in the first half and a couple of early goals from 'Brolly' Spollen and Conor Elliott had eased them into a 2-3 to 0-1 lead by the end of the opening quarter. A third major, scored by Spollen, gave them an eight-point cushion at the interval, but Tang came out for the start of the second half with all guns blazing and were back in the game when Aidan Burke beat Gary Connaughton in the 37th minute.
Burke was the driving force behind Tang's second half recovery and when they brought the margin down to the minimum with 10 minutes still to play, their supporters sensed victory. However, Martin's 53rd minute '45' gave Tubberclair much-needed breathing space before Coffey sealed the deal with the last kick of the game.
"I thought we were very unlucky not to beat Tubberclair but, in fairness to them, they proved what a good team they are by going on to win the county final and to reach the Leinster final," former goalkeeper JJ says.
"We know we're not that far away from winning an intermediate championship and all our focus will be on trying to achieve that this year. We have 40 players on the panel and they're all desperate to win a championship and play senior football in the next couple of years."
Tang did capture silverware last year when they won their own Galvin Cup competition, beating underage partners Maryland in the final by 2-6 to 1-7 in early July. They also comfortably retained their All-County League Division 2 status.
Further improvements were carried out to Joe Fox Memorial Park in 2009 with the laying of a new training/walking track around the pitch, the installation of training floodlights, the erection of new ball-stopping nets and the construction of two new dressing rooms next to the existing ones.
The club received a further boost in November when Maryland/Tang claimed the minor football club championship Division 1 crown following a 3-7 to 1-6 victory over Coralstown/Kinnegad. Played in driving rain at St. Loman's Lakepoint Park, the game was illuminated by a brilliant display by Maryland/Tang full forward Callum McCormack, who finished with a personal tally of 2-3.
The Maryland youngster found the net after just two minutes to help the combination side to a 1-5 to 0-4 interval lead. McCormack fired home a second goal eight minutes after the restart and a third major from Willie Flanagan put the result beyond doubt.
"We had a good few players on that minor team and the likes of John and Martin Rock, Owen Coughlan, Chris Connor, Paul O'Neill and Aaron Galvin are already involved in the intermediate set-up. The Maryland/Tang amalgam has proven to be very beneficial for both clubs, and long may it continue to be the case," JJ concludes.
Tang's line-up against Tubberclair in the IFC semi-final was: Michael Galvin; Damien Gill, Kieran Duncan, Chris Connor; Eamonn Carey, Robert English, Alan Murray; Joe Conlan, Niall Bannon; Colm Conlan, Alan Higgins, Denis Bannon; Aidan Burke, Paul Conway, Thomas McCormack. Subs used: Greg Carey, Colm Donoghue and Sean Egan.
The Maryland/Tang team that captured the minor football club championship Division 1 title was: Martin Donoghue; Trevor Farrell, Chris Connor, Aaron Elliott; Sean Coughlan, Darren Malynn, John Rock; Willie Flanagan, Christy Grimes; Martin Rock, Enda Kincaid, Trevor English; James Ganley, Callum McCormack, Owen Coughlan. Subs used: Chris McCann, Liam Moran, Paul O'Neill, John Connor and Christy Hermbusche. Tweet
