The recent trend of relegated clubs winning the junior football championship at their first attempt continued last year when Milltownpass put behind them the disappointment of 2009 to land the Hugh Daniels Cup for the first time in 30 years.

Milltownpass are looking to the future with renewed optimism after they claimed only their second ever junior championship crown last October.
Responding in the best possible fashion to their relegation playoff defeat to Shandonagh in 2009, Billy Flanagan's reinvigorated charges beat all comers to make an instant return to the intermediate ranks. And while it may seem a long shot, Milltownpass have their sights set on emulating the achievement of the 1980 team who followed up their junior championship triumph with an intermediate title 12 months later.
"That would be great and it would be lovely to have an intermediate medal to match the likes of Billy Flanagan, our manager, who's done a great job with us this year. But it won't be easy and it's going to take an even bigger effort," said star forward Andy Devine after last October's 2-11 to 0-8 victory over Milltown in the junior championship decider.
"We're now back in intermediate football and that's going to be a huge challenge because it is a big step-up, but we are determined to give it a right go. Last year was a real downer, but today makes up for it. We now want to build on the win."
"We knew this was going to be a tough final because Milltown-Rathconrath are a big strong team and they were hungry. They showed that in the first half and we knew at half-time that we'd have to up our game. We got a great start to the second half and just built on that."
As a club which operated at senior level for many years, the junior championship was not where Milltownpass wanted to be in 2010, but the confidence gained from winning silverware can only stand to them. And with the minors, who were managed by John Norton, Billy Moore and Dermot Gorman, also tasting success in the form of an 11-a-side championship, things are certainly looking up.
Installed as championship favourites at the start of the year, Milltownpass went through the campaign unbeaten with only St. Paul's and Milltown providing them with serious tests. They were head and shoulders above most teams in the championship and this was reflected in the big scores they posted.
Billy Flanagan's first championship game back in charge of the 'Pass resulted in a comfortable 3-11 to 2-3 victory over Ballycomoyle at The Downs. The game was over as a contest by half-time when the champions-elect led by 3-5 to 0-3 thanks to goals from Kevin Reid, Andy Reid and David Wright.
Milltownpass cruised to a 1-16 to 1-3 victory over Loughnavalley in their second outing before making it three wins from three with a 2-8 to 0-8 defeat of Milltown in a dress rehearsal for the final. They put 6-16 past Delvin (who scored 3-3 in reply) in their fourth game and further wins against St. Fintan's/Multyfarnham (0-15 to 0-7), St. Paul's (3-9 to 1-8) and St. Joseph's (3-14 to 1-6) followed. Of these games, St. Paul's provided the black and whites with their most searching examination.
As winners of Section 'A', Milltownpass qualified directly for the championship semi-final where they renewed their rivalry with St. Paul's at Lakepoint Park. Having had the benefit of a quarter-final replay against St. Loman's, the Clonmellon men were confident of avenging their earlier defeat, but in a stormy encounter, Milltownpass once again prevailed on a 1-10 to 0-7 scoreline.
With Andy Devine to the fore, Milltownpass held a slender 0-4 to 0-3 lead at the break before extending their advantage on the restart through scores from Devine and Paul Brady. St. Paul's hit back with points from Conor Slator, Paul Gilsenan and Johnny McGuinness to reduce the deficit to the minimum, 0-6 to 0-7, before an Andy Devine brace pushed the 'Pass three clear again. McGuinness and Milltownpass' Mark Gorman were then shown straight red cards following an altercation.
Despite dominating possession, Billy Flanagan's men weren't able to make it count until after St. Paul's were reduced to 13 players following Dara Brady's dismissal with seven minutes remaining. Devine landed his sixth point before he combined with Seamus Faulkner to tee up the clinching goal for Paul Brady.
Milltownpass' county final opponents on October 10 were a Milltown-Rathconrath team determined to make amends for their heartbreaking losses to Caulry and Rosemount in 2006 and '07. Milltown led by 0-2 to 0-1 early on thanks to a brace of Joe Kenny points, but pre-match favourites Milltownpass eventually settled and a trio of points from late replacement Kevin Reid helped them to a 0-7 to 0-5 lead at the break.
The game remained in the balance until 10 minutes into the second half when Noel O'Reilly rattled the Milltown net to put daylight between the teams for the first time. Billy Flanagan's charges never looked back after that with the losers' plight not being helped by the dismissal of Michael Connell on a straight red card just three minutes after his introduction. 
Milltown had to wait until the 51st minute for Francis McLoughlin to open their second half account, but by then, Milltownpass were coasting and a late goal from substitute David Devine put the seal on a comfortable win.
Not content with a county championship, Milltownpass switched their attention to the Leinster club junior championship and the prospect of further glory. They cleared the first hurdle with a 0-11 to 0-6 victory over Laois champions Ballyfin at Cusack Park. The visitors dominated the middle third of the park, but lacked a forward of the calibre of Andy Devine who accounted for 0-5 of the visitors' tally. Milltownpass led by 0-5 to 0-3 at half-time after goalkeeper Gary Brady prevented a certain goal, and after Ballyfin drew level five minutes into the second half, the Westmeath side gradually pulled away to set up a quarter-final meeting with Offaly's Clonmore Harps.
Playing in the familiar surroundings of Cusack Park for the fourth game in-a-row, Milltownpass' goal-scoring ability proved crucial as they powered to a 4-5 to 0-6 victory. The home side were well in control in the first half and led by 2-4 to 0-4 at the break, despite Kevin Reid missing a penalty. Clonmore enjoyed their best spell after the restart when they cut Milltownpass' lead to three points, but that was as good as it got for them and the black and whites closed out the game with further goals from Emmett Brennan and Dermot Faulkner.
Milltownpass travelled to Pairc Tailteann in Navan where they faced Meath champions Ballinabrackey for a place in the Leinster final. Despite representing different counties, there was a real local derby feel to this clash with only a few miles separating the clubs.
Having gone through the season without losing a championship game up to that point, Milltownpass were confident of progressing to the decider, but the dismissal of three players - one just before half-time and two more in the last six minutes - proved their undoing as they fell to a 0-5 to 0-8 defeat.
Midfielder Shane Flanagan was unlucky to see a straight red card at the end of the first half and Kildare referee Fergal Barry continued to flash the cards in the second half, with Fintan O'Reilly and Seamus Faulkner following Flanagan for an early shower.
Ballinabrackey registered the semi-final's first two points through Andrew Munnelly and Danny Quinn before Andy Devine got Milltownpass off the mark. Quinn made it 0-3 to 0-1, but two Kevin Reid white flags ensured the Westmeath side of parity at the break.
The Meath champions resumed with a brace of Damien Carroll points and another from Munnelly to open up a three-point lead. Milltownpass tried hard to get back into contention, but without their chief ball-winner Flanagan, they were unable to close the gap and just like Rosemount and near-neighbours St. Mary's, Rochfortbridge before them, their Leinster ambitions were ended by Royal County opposition. 

Milltownpass' JFC winning team was: Gary Brady; Paul Brady, Damien Loran, Shane Gammell; Stephen Treacy, Fintan O'Reilly, Shane Gleeson (captain); Shane Flanagan, Dermot Faulkner; Noel O'Reilly, Seamus Faulkner, Kevin Reid; Emmett Brennan, David Wright, Andy Devine. Subs used: David Devine, Shane Donoghue, Paul O'Reilly and Ciaran Wright. Tweet

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