St. Loman's historic breakthrough at under 21 level could provide the spark for that long-awaited senior championship success according to under 21 captain Ciaran Kilmurray. In a year when St. Loman's expected challenge for Flanagan Cup honours never materialised, it was left to the club's underage teams to bring home the championship bacon. While titles were secured at under 14 and under 16 level, far greater significance was attached to the club's historic under 21 championship success. After all, it was the one title that had eluded St. Loman's down the years. "It was a long time coming," admits under 21 captain Ciaran Kilmurray who is also an integral member of the St. Loman's senior side. "By winning it, a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders. It couldn't have come at a better time because people were beginning to doubt if we could ever win an under 21 title. "You couldn't blame supporters for losing hope because we should really have won this championship before now. We never had any problem winning at under 14, under 16 or minor level, but for some reason, the under 21 grade was a major stumbling block," he adds. For Kilmurray, it was a case of third time lucky after he had finished on the losing side in two previous under 21 finals. "This was my last chance to win an under 21 medal and I'm delighted to have finally got my hands on one. I was on the team when we lost to Garrycastle in 1999 and Caulry/Castledaly last year and I think Colin Whyte and Gary Glennon were in the same boat. It would have been devastating to lose again because two years of hard work went into winning this championship," he says. Although Loman's played just two games en route to capturing the under 21 crown, there was nothing easy about their success. After receiving a walkover from Maryland/Tang in the quarter-final, they needed a period of extra-time to see off the challenge of Coralstown/Kinnegad in the semi-final. The signs looked ominous for the Mullingar side when they trailed by 0-2 to 1-5 after the opening 30 minutes. But they showed a vast improvement in the second half and after scores from Paul Martin, Niall McGurren and David Dunican had reduced the deficit, Paddy Dowdall fired over the equalizing point which brought the game into extra-time. In the additional 20 minutes, Loman's gradually got on top with further points from McGurren and Dowdall sealing a 0-13 to 1-8 victory. The final against Tubberclair at Rochfortbridge in late November was even more dramatic with Loman's staging an amazing second half recovery to take the spoils. Tubberclair played spellbinding football in the opening half and were not flattered by their 0-11 to 0-1 lead at the interval. Few would have given Loman's a snowball's chance of making up the deficit in the second half, but when David Windsor netted just after the restart, the comeback was on. Robbie Daly, who had a magnificent game at midfield, reduced the leeway further with two points before another point from substitute McGurren eventually restored parity. Tubberclair tried desperately to put a stop to Loman's momentum, but the Mullingar side continued to drive forward and they took the lead for the first time when Windsor pointed. Paul Martin followed up with a free before McGurren scored a second goal to complete one of the most remarkable comebacks ever witnessed on a GAA field in Westmeath and give Loman's a 2-11 to 0-13 victory. "The manner in which we won both of our games was very pleasing," notes Kilmurray, who played at wing forward on the Westmeath team which beat Laois and Offaly in last year's Leinster under 21 championship. "We showed a tremendous never-say-die attitude in both games which is something that St. Loman's have been accused of lacking in the past. Town teams have a reputation for being soft, but there seems to be a steely determination in this particular bunch of players. "The management team of Robbie Kenny, Davy Doolin and Fergal Reynolds deserve great credit for all the work they did with us over the past two years, as does Joe Maleady who had to step down at the beginning of last year when he became club chairman." Kilmurray believes that the club as a whole has taken tremendous encouragement from the under 21 win and that it could provide the spark for senior success in the near future. "You would not believe how much of a lift this has given everyone in St. Loman's. All the senior players were down in the clubhouse celebrating with us and hopefully this will give us the final push that's needed to win the senior championship. "It was important for us to win the under 21 championship because it bridges the gap between minor and senior level. With a bit of luck, this will prove to be a turning point for the club." Loman's will certainly need to improve on last season's effort if they are to be in the shake-up for Flanagan Cup honours this year. Championship semi-finalists in the two previous years, they were a major letdown and would have faced a relegation play-off had they not beaten Tyrrellspass in their final outing of the group stages. The tone for the championship was set when they suffered a shock 0-9 to 0-11 defeat to Moate All-Whites in their opening game. A late Dessie Dolan point then saw them lose to Garrycastle and whatever hopes they had of reaching the knock-out stages were dashed when they could only draw with Coralstown/Kinnegad. A 1-9 to 1-11 defeat to Athlone left them in danger of being relegated, but those worries were eased when they secured their only win of the campaign against Tyrellspass. The senior championship was a disaster, especially as we had such high hopes at the start of the year," admits Ciaran, whose brother Donal is manager of the St. Loman's under 12s this year. "But we can't really have any complaints because we didn't play well enough to reach the knock-out stages. Hopefully, we'll see a big improvement this year - the young talent is certainly there for that to happen." It wasn't a completely barren year for Loman's at adult level as the club's third team captured the All-County League Division 5 title following a play-off victory over Shandonagh. The under 16 'premier' championship, Feile na nOg and under 14 club titles also found their home in the bulging Delvin Road silverware cabinet. The under 14 club and Feile na nOg finals against Garrycastle were doubled up with Loman's emerging victorious on a 2-5 to 1-6 scoreline. The Mullingar side laid the foundations for their win in the opening half when goals from Conor Cochrane and Daryl Flynn helped them to a 2-3 to 0-3 lead at the interval. With time almost up, Loman's still held a six-point lead, but a late Garrycastle rally which yielded 1-1 left St. Loman's hanging on for a narrow victory. As always, the under 16 'premier' championship was a much sought after prize and under the guidance of Paul McGann, Declan Lynch and Davy Stenson, Loman's approached it in a confident frame of mind. After victories over Inny Gaels and town rivals Mullingar Shamrocks, Loman's squared up to Athlone in the final at Moate. The two clubs had been due to meet in the under 16 club final earlier in the year, but Athlone were awarded the title by the Westmeath minor board after difficulties arose over a date for the fixture. Loman's felt aggrieved by that decision and were well motivated for the championship decider. In a compelling contest, Loman's led by 1-5 to 2-1 at the break, but the Shannonsiders battled back on the restart and had edged into a one-point with the game deep into injury-time. However, a last-gasp point from Conrad Reilly earned the Mullingar side a 2-9 to 3-6 draw. Given the second chance, Loman's made no mistake, pulling away in the final quarter to secure a 3-10 to 1-5 victory. Athlone led by 1-3 to 0-3 at the half-way stage, but a goal from the penalty spot by Robbie Lynch edged Loman's in front early in the second half. Athlone remained in contention until the closing quarter when Loman's seemed to find an extra gear with goals from Ciaran Lynam and man of the match Lynch putting the result beyond all doubt. The St. Loman's team which captured the under 21 'premier' championship was: Stephen Gallagher; Simon Foran, Mark Syron, John Brady; Gary Glennon, Timmy Hill, Senan Russell; Robbie Daly, Ciaran Kilmurray; Paddy Dowdall, Paul Martin, Derek Canning; Ken O'Dowd, David Windsor, David Dunican. Subs used: Niall McGurren, Colin Whyte and Joe Glennon. The under 16 'premier' championship winning side was: Anton Savage; Joe Maleady, Adam Price, Timmy Murphy; David Burns, Philip Coughlan, Martin Connell; John Aherne, Conrad Reilly; Paul Leonard, Robbie Lynch, Neil Foran; Owen Price, Ciaran Lynam, Aidan Reilly. Subs used: David Rushe, Aaron McCarthy, Conor Cochrane and Conor Reilly. The double-winning under 14 team was: Shane Weir; Donal McGovern, Derek Hourihan, Daryl O'Toole; James Kelly, Bob Madden, Emmet Cahill; Daryl Quinn, Mark Flanagan; Conor Cochrane, Conor Lynam, Paul Sharry; Joe Doherty, Shane Flynn, Adrian Gilmore. Subs used: Michael John Farrelly, Seamus Savage and James Whyte. Tweet

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