It's been nine years since St Paul's last won the junior football championship, despite annually being tipped to win the title since their relegation from the intermediate ranks at the end of the 2000 campaign. Despite the fact that the club has competed in six semi finals and two finals since, a coveted third junior football championship title has eluded them. For many of the fresh faced youngsters that played in the '99 win over Ballycomoyle, the years have come and gone, with the same players now becoming the more experienced members of the side. Granted the club has seen players come through the ranks since and the likes of Gary Gilsenan, Kenny Higgins, Philip Gilsenan and Conor Sleator are talented players, but a junior cup title is all that the club has to show at adult level in the new millennium. Excuses of all sorts have been attributed to the junior team's demise, but at the end of the day, the fact is that St Paul's are still junior. The defeats to St Joseph's and Ballinagore in consecutive finals hit the side hard and this reflected in their displays last year. Once again Eugene Dolan was at the helm and he was joined by former player Padraig Skelly in a new look management team. Nonetheless, the loss of key players through lack of interest, emigration and work commitments did not help their plight. From the outset, it was plain to see that the same commitment was not there as in previous years and to be honest, they were struggling before the championship even started. A new look league structure saw the club move up a division into the third tier, something that St Paul's had been trying to achieve on the pitch for many years without any success. Before the league campaign began, the Clonmellon outfit organised a much needed 'bonding trip' to Donegal for a weekend break and where a challenge match was played against a local team. However, the move up in the league saw St Pauls play mainly intermediate sides, and if they needed proof that a step in the ranks was too soon, then this was it as they struggled from the outset and eventually relegation was a stark reality. Even though their league form was not the best, on their day St Paul's are as good as any of the junior teams in the championship and there was still an air of optimism that their form would improve. Being placed in a group alongside, Milltown, Loughnavalley, St Joseph's and St Loman's meant that it would take a huge effort to reach the knockout stages. In saying that there was great encouragement from their first outing when they faced one of the favourites for the title Milltown. When the sides met the previous year, the Rathconrath outfit recorded a comprehensive win, but it was not so clear cut on this occasion. St Paul's played with a spirit that had been missing for some time and were well level with their opponents for long periods, but Milltown pulled away to win by three points in the end. The result was certainly disappointing, but there certainly were a number of positives to take from the match as the championship gathered speed. After a break of a number of weeks due to the county's involvement in the Leinster championship and qualifying campaign, the club scene resumed and St Paul's met Loughnavalley in the next round. The Valley men have got the better of the blue and whites in recent league and junior cup clashes, but Dolan's charges have been triumphant in the championship and that trend continued in 2007, when they got their campaign back on track with a well-merited win. The loss of some players from the previous year meant that the club had a depleted squad and depended on 18 or 19 players to make up the panel throughout the year. For any club, the absence of experienced players like Paul Gilsenan, Ray Flynn and David Dolan would be a huge blow, but for a small outfit like St Paul's, it was hard to cope with. A six-point defeat to old rivals St Joseph's meant that a win against St Loman's in the last group game was a must if the club were to reach the knockout stages, but it was not to be as the town team ran out convincing winners by nine points. This was the first time since the mid nineties that St Paul's had not reached the knockout stages of the junior championship, which was a massive blow to the dedicated souls that put the effort in throughout the year. As a new year dawns upon us, there have been many changes made and a new management team has been put in place, but everybody concerned knows that unless the proper commitment is given by each and everyone of the players, an early exit from the championship will occur once again. Players like Jimmy McQuaid, Johnny McGuinness, Dara Brady, Darren Henry, Philip Gilsenan, Kenny Higgins and Gary Gilsenan deserve more success given the efforts that they put in over the last few years, while young players such as John Fitzpatrick, Darren Noone, Conor Sleator and Lee Farrell continue to work hard in order to achieve their goal of lifting the junior title. The club's underage section is certainly in a far healthier state and with teams affiliated at all levels up to minor, there is plenty of optimism for the future. Although success was a bridge too far in all grades, it was pleasing to see all teams compete at the business end of their respective championships and there are many talented players coming through the ranks. Each Saturday, the park is packed with youngsters of all ages learning the skills of the game and the many people involved in looking after each team deserve great credit for the time and dedication they give to the club. There is a genuine belief among the club's faithful that all the work at underage level will begin to pay dividends in terms of obtaining some silverware. And what a boost such a feat would be to all involved with St Paul's. Tweet

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