By now it must be a major source of frustration to Castledaly folk that their senior team has failed to win the Flanagan Cup, despite the great promise they've shown. In 2007 they failed to reproduce the form that took them to the senior final the previous year and had to settle for a quarter final berth. Here, Damien Maher reviews their year. There was a genuine belief in the small rural setting of Castledaly that, after reaching the senior football championship final in 2006 and failing to Tyrrellspass in a replay, 2007 could finally be the year they made the breakthrough. For whatever reason, though, their talented side failed to reach the highs of the previous year and found themselves battling to reach the knock-out stages of the senior championship. They encountered their nemesis, Tyrrellspass, in what looked a truly engaging quarter final, but, on this occasion, were no match for the defending champions and ended up losing by seven points. Defeat hasn't lessened the hunger, though, and Castledaly will bounce back a determined team this year and might well be dangerous opposition come the summer. This year Castledaly will have a new man at the helm. Padraig Farrell, who led Tubber to the intermediate title in Offaly in 2006, takes over the reins from fellow Offaly man, James Stewart, and he'll to hoping to improve the team and correct the errors of the past as they go in search of that elusive senior title. With the likes of JP Casey, Derek Heavin, Tommy Warburton and Niall and Gordon Duffy in their ranks, Castledaly remain a dangerous proposition for any of the lading teams in the county and it may well be too early to write them off as nearly men. With the experience of three county final appearances under their belt, Castledaly will not be content until the most coveted prize in Westmeath football - the Flanagan Cup - makes its way through Moate and rests in their close-knit community. Castledaly's 2007 championship campaign began when they took on Garrycastle in a mouth-watering first round tie at Tang GAA grounds. The result was a three-point win for Garrycastle (1-13 to 1-10), but, in reality, the gap was much wider than that as Castledaly failed to reproduce their impressive league form. A late Niall Duffy goal provided some form of consolation for Castledaly, but they were fully aware that major improvement was required if they were to re-ignite their championship ambitions. For the second round it was back to Tang and a meeting with a buoyant Bunbrosna side which had just defeated Athlone. Castledaly had the greater level of experience and this proved crucial as they prevailed in the end by two points (0-11 to 0-9). It was a victory they had to dig deep for, however, as their best form continued to dessert them and with just a two points lead at half time, 0-7 to 0-5, it was a relieved Castledaly side that emerged with the honours. Tang was once again the venue for round three, where Castledaly met another of their south Westmeath rivals, Athlone. As expected, it was a tough, wholehearted contest and Castledaly showed genuine signs of improvement as they recorded a three points victory, 0-10 to 0-7. Murtagh Brennan scored a crucial point after the move of the match in the second half to put Castledaly three clear and, having led by 0-5 to 0-4 at half time, they were strong enough to fend off Athlone's late rally. Their fourth outing in the 2007 senior championship took Castledaly to Hogan Park, Moate, for a clash with Tubberclair. Both sides produced one of the most open games of the championship, with plenty of good football and quality scores, and, in the end, it finished level (Castledaly 0-14, Tubberclair 1-11). Tubberclair led by six points entering the last quarter, which meat that Castledaly were forced to call on their reserves of character and steel to snatch a draw. A point from the ever-reliable JP Casey started the great comeback and substitute, Alan Fitzgerald notched the equalising pont with an audacious effort from a very difficult angle. In their final game of Division 2, Castledaly traveled to Cusack Park to take on Coralstown/Kinnegad. It was a game they genuinely expected to win, but Coralstown/Kinnegad dominated and had six points to spare at the final whistle. The concession of a second half goal completely undermined any chances of a Castledaly victory after the sides retired level (0-5 apiece) at half time, but considering Kinnegad kicked an amazing 13 first half wides, the final scoreline certainly wasn't of the flattering nature. Castledaly had an anxious wait to see if Bunbrosna could defeat Tubberclair and when result was duly delivered, they met Tyrrellspass in the quarter final - a repeat of the 2006 senior championship final. On that occasion it took a replay to separate the sides, but this time, Castledaly failed to produce the necessary improvement in their game and it was Tyrrellspass who won with seven points to spare (0-17 to 0-10). There was some form of consolation for Castledaly when their Senior B side captured the championship title with a spirited victory over Athlone in late September. Castledaly had home advantage for the delayed final, which was postponed the first day due to inclement weather, and that probably inspired them to this five-point victory (2-8 to 1-6). The sides were on level terms at half time in what was a keenly contested final, with three players being sent off. A goal from Michael Duffy in the 21st minute of the second half proved the crucial score, though, and it was Castledaly captain, Niall O'Neill, who accepted the winners' trophy from Football Board Assistant Secretary, Seamus Browne. Elsewhere, at underage level, Castledaly's under 16 footballers reached the Division 2 championship final where they encountered a formidable St. Loman's side. Castledaly went into the game in confident mood following their impressive victory over Ballynacargy in the semi-final, a team which had defeated them in the league earlier in the year. But, after a disastrous first half display, Castledaly found themselves 10 points in arrears (3-6 to 0-5), having conceded three goals. And despite a resolute second half performance, which included goals from Eoin Fleming and Cathal Connell, they simply couldn't recover the lost ground and lost by three points on a 3-10 to 2-10 scoreline. Off the field of play, developments are continuing at Castledaly's GAA grounds, with plans to extend the dressing rooms and install flood lighting that would be sufficient to cater for games. This coming year is a big one for the Castledaly club, which is planning a celebration to mark the 25th anniversary of their Junior Championship win over Milltown in 1983. It would indeed be significant if those celebrations coincided with their senior footballers bringing home the Flanagan Cup and, if Farrell is able to help them rediscover the form of 2006, anything is possible. The Castledaly side which landed the Senior B title in 2007 was: Willie Glynn; Alan Duffy, Niall O'Neill, James Larkin; Stephen Kavanagh, Brendan Fitzgerald, Colin Harrington; Tony Heavin, Seamus Kelly; Murtagh Brennan, Michael Duffy, Brendan Kelly; Michael Fogarty, Joe Sheerin, Ollie Galvin. Subs used: Jonathan Holloway, Alan Kelly, Anthony Costello. Tweet

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