2009 will see Arva coming up on a 16th year since winning their last junior crown, but midfielder Gavin Doyle is hopeful that with the help of some of the prosperous young talents coming through the St Patrick's club can become real contenders to leap out of the basement level in the county. In 2007, Arva reached the last four of the County Junior Football Championship where they were pipped by a ruthless Shannon Gaels side at Breffni Park, and since then team manager Sean Pierson has been looking for the team to take the 'next step', according to Doyle. "After last year we were keen on taking the next step," explained Doyle. "We had reached the semi-final and lost out to Shannon Gaels by a point and the thing that Sean Pierson was trying to install into us was to take it to the next step from there." The season had got off to a good start with the team's opening match in the ACFL Division Three at home to Maghera MacFinns resulting in a 2-12 to 0-6 win for the hosts at Michael Cully Memorial Park. Heading into April, Arva suffered defeats at the hands of Shannon Gaels and Mountnugent before triumphs over both Mountnugent and Cornafean, home and away respectively. "We had kind of a mixed start," admitted Doyle. "I think we won four of our first nine games, but we were hindered by injury to a few of our key players." Indeed, Shane Bouchier proved a massive loss for the St Patrick's club after having to undergo an operation to correct injury and his absence would be noticed throughout the remainder of Arva's league campaign. May proved to be a dire month for the team, with a brave loss at home to promotion favourites Kill on a score of 1-11 to 2-12 paving the way for further defeats to Laragh and Munterconnaught. Pierson's side looked to have gotten things back on track in June with a one-point win over championship opponents Corlough, but lost out to Kildallan in the weeks before the county's big games kicked-off. Reflecting on Division Three and its stipulation brought in the previous year; where who finished bottom of the table would suffer relegation to Division Four among the top tier's second teams, Doyle's not so sure that it will even happen this time after last year's fiasco. He does, however, believe that the league has become that bit fiercer since the decision to introduce relegation was taken and thinks that many of the 14 teams are on a level par somewhat. "It has (become more competitive), but no-one really knows what's going on with that to be truthful. Templeport were supposed to be relegated last year but got out of it some how. "In some way, most of the teams in Division Three are all equal powers and thankfully the games we have won have helped us get away from any doubt this year, but next year we will be looking for a better start." However Doyle, along with club-mate Dermot McGlade had been upping their own levels at the start of the year with their involvement in Cavan teams. The Limerick-based teacher had been involved with Donal Keogan's senior panel in their preparations for the McKenna Cup and National League, but a trapped nerve in his lower back enabled him to play and he withdrew from playing football for the time being until receiving an intriguing phone call. "In October I started off training with the seniors, coming up and down to train in Navan but just before the Dr McKenna Cup I got an injury to my lower back, which turned out to be a trapped nerve from driving. "I quit football all together for about a month after that and got a call from Terry Hyland around March to join up with the development squad. "We had a couple of training session, but mostly played challenge matches against teams like Kildare and Meath in preparation for the Dublin game." Cavan juniors took on Dublin in the Leinster JFC, with Doyle and McGlade both part of the setup. Doyle started at corner-forward at Parnell Park and struck an early point for the visitors in a promising opening 20 minutes, but an unwavering finish to the half saw the Dubs through by four points in the end as they went on to claim provincial and All-Ireland honours. "We were very unlucky I thought," said Doyle of the defeat. "They were strong around the centre of the field but we stayed with them even though they got a big score in before half-time. "They went on to win it of course, but they had a strong selection of players like Coman Goggins, who was just come back from injury, and a good bulk of that Fingal Ravens team that beat Ballinagh in the Ulster All-Ireland." With that Doyle's remaining aims for the season rested with the Cavan junior championship which threw-in for his club on the last weekend of July against Corlough - a game which Sean Pierson, along with assistant managers John Hamilton and Arthur McCabe had the team well tuned for. "We trained very hard in the build up to the championship," he admitted. "Lads were coming up from Dublin and we had 25 to 30 training hard in the build up to the game." He recalls the first game as being a 'low-scoring affair', which ended in a 1-7 to 2-4 draw, but cites Sean Donnelly's impact off the bench in the replay the following weekend as the reason why Arva were through to a quarter-final. "Both sides had missed chances the first day to win the game and it wasn't much of a spectacle," he admitted. "In the replay we played a bit better, but Sean Donnelly came off the bench for us and scored a point and then set-up a goal and he proved the real difference for us." After a lengthily wait, Arva would take on Shercock in the last eight of the Cavan JFC at PJ Duke Park in Stradone. A poor opening to a team that had been playing Division Two football for the past two years hindered Pierson's side's chances from the start and although they had pushed the east Cavan side right up to the break, Shercock ran out winners on a score-line of 1-12 to 1-9 to advance to the semi-finals where they'd lose out to Drung. "It was a month to five weeks until we played Shercock because of the qualifiers and we had let them get into to comfortable a lead. It was close enough at half-time but they pulled away from us entirely in the second-half and they won it comfortably in the end. "They had been playing at a higher level all year in Division Two and I think it stood to them that day." Although another year had went a begging from the club's senior point of view, Doyle insists that the future is the way forward and is counting in Arva's bright young prospects to come through in the coming years to replace those on the way out. "I suppose the future is the way we should be looking, with the underage talent we have in the club. "The past couple of years have saw the club have good success at Under 12, 13 and 16 level with some of those players now coming up to minor level, which are good signs for the future with regards to the senior team." In 2008 the club were very unfortunate to have lost three the three underage finals they were involved in, with the Under 12's losing out to Butlersbridge in the league decider, the Under 13's being pipped by Cornafean to a championship title and the Under 14's defeated in a league final by Ballymachugh. Now with players of the calibre of the Morris twins, Peter and James, and Fergal McGlade (brother of Dermot) coming through, Arva's young prospects for the future look promising. One player whose break onto the senior team is looking more and more eminent is the club's Under 16 Championship winning captain of 2006 Tomas Brady, who has been part of a promising county-minor setup in recent times. Ladies football Ladies football has proved a real success story for the Arva club over the past 12 months. Following their defeat to Killygarry at the final hurdle in '07, Arva's Ladies, managed by the team of Brid Dolan, Michael English, Fergal Brady and Kathleen Nanery, captured an elusive junior double in both league and championship in September. The Championship decider against Laragh proved to be a very much one-sided affair with the St Patrick's Ladies blowing away their Stradone opponents with three first-half goals coming from Melissa King, daughter of former Cavan captain Stephen, Emma Connolly and Catherine Dolan giving their side a 3-4 to 0-3 advantage at the break. Further goals from Orla Brady, Catherine Dolan and Lisa Mulligan from the restart ensured victory, as along with their three majors Arva's lethal forwards put up another 13 points on Laragh to romp to a 6-17 to 2-4 win and collect a first junior title in some style. Just two weeks later the Ladies made the short trip to O'Connell Park, Milltown where they took on St Finbarr's in an enthralling encounter for which Arva pipped their opponents by a point to land the Division Three title. The Drung and Kill amalgamation started the match strong and took in a 2-4 to 1-6 lead at the interval, with half-forward Ruth Mulligan netting the goal for Arva which kept them in touching distance after the half-hour. From the restart Arva began to take control with the superb Nathasha Daly and Donna English very much hitting the fore front to supply the likes of Lisa Mulligan and Bronagh Fleming up front with possession that saw their side storm into an eight point advantage midway through the second-half. Finbarr's would finish out strong, bringing the deficit down to just a nerve-wrecking point, but Arva held out to cap-off a much coveted double for the year. Arva (Div 3 final v St Finbarr's): Lorraine O'Hara; Blaithin O'Reilly, Siobhan Sweeney; Nathasha Daly, Donna English, Janice Sheridan, Melissa King, Ciara Gray; Ruth Mulligan; Lisa Mulligan, Bronagh Fleming; Catherine Dolan, Emma Connolly. Subs: Lisa Magarahan, Laura Feeney, Cory McCabe. Arva's county championship triumph meant they would be representing Cavan on the provincial stage where they faced Tyrone Champions Clann na nGael in the opening round of the Ulster Club JFC on October 5. St Joseph's reach minor championship final 2008 was another year where the Killeshandra/Arva underage amalgamation of St Joseph's were left licking their wounds on the last day, after Cavan Gaels had denied them of both league and championship silverware at the final stage. By seeing off both Kingscourt and Castlerahan, Donagh O'Reilly's side booked their place on the main stage to contest the Cavan Minor Football Championship title against the three-in-a-row chasing Gaels in the curtain-raiser to the SFC decider between Cavan Gaels and Denn at Kingspan Breffni Park in October. In the wet and blustery conditions, it was the Gaels that adapted much better and raced into a massive 1-13 to 1-2 lead at the break, with ace attacker Kevin Bouchier's goal midway through the first-half, after Patrick King's lobbing ball into the square, providing a slender life-line for the Killeshandra/Arva axis. With the wind at their backs, St Joseph's improved after the resumption as Bouchier and Peter Morris both sent over points before both attackers combined in the 48th minute to find the net and reduce the difference to six. 'Man of the Match' Niall Murray responded with a point for the Gaels, which was cancelled out by Bouchier, but when Murray setup substitute Paul O'Connor to get behind the Joseph's defence for a second goal it looked to be all over. Moments later, Gaels were reduced to 14 men and a 45 from Joseph's midfielder Paddy King found its way to the Gaels' net, which threw the trailers a lifeline. The Gaels held out for the victory in the end though, with Murray piercing through once more to fist over and end any hopes of a comeback for Joseph's, 2-17 to 3-7. St Joseph's (Cavan MFC final v Cavan Gaels): Damien McCaul; Conor McEntee, Darragh Tighe, Shane O'Reilly; Aaron Brady, James Morris, Finbarr Rudden; Patrick King (1-0, '45'), Fergal McGlade; Christy O'Dowd, Rory Braiden (0-1), Brian Ellis; Thomas Brady, Peter Morris (1-1), Kevin Bouchier (1-5, 3f, 1 '45'). Subs: Joe Masterson. Come December the two sides would meet again in the county's minor league decider at St Aidan's Park, Templeport, with revenge very much on the St Joseph's players' minds. Once again the 15-year-old Bouchier was the star for Joseph's with his tally of 0-7, which was backed up by the points of Rory Braiden, Thomas Brady and Brian Ellis. However, it was goals that proved the ultimate difference over the hour as Paul O'Connor, Sean Hanley and Brian Grogan all bagged the three-pointers that saw the Gaels eclipse the Saints by 3-13 to 0-11 and secure their minor double. Under 16's edged out in an epic In November, St Joseph's Under 16's players left Hugh O'Reilly Park, Cootehill wondering just how a Division One league title had eluded them. In an action-packed encounter, the Saints struck for four goals in the first-half against their Bailiebrough opponents, thanks to Brian Ellis, Kevin Bouchier (2) and Cian Sheridan, which opened up a five-point lead for them at the interval. In the second-half Joseph's failed to keep the continuity going, scoring on only two points, and would pay the price when Niall Comey blasted the Shamrocks' first goal past Conor McGourty. That score paved the way for Michael Argue, Shane Kelly and Graham McCabe to send over the points in the closing stages that would send the game into extra-time. The Killeshandra/Arva combo conceded two early points in the first-half of extra-time to fall behind, but responded well through a single from Conor Higgins and Bouchier slipping by the Shamrocks defence smash in his third goal of the afternoon. Kelly and McCabe soon leveled within minutes of the restart, but when Bouchier raced past his markers to complete his tally of 3-3 for the day, Joseph's looked to be well on their way. However, Bailieborough would finish out the closing stages strong with Kelly, McCabe and Comey lashing over last ditch efforts that saw them edge out St Joseph's in an enthralling encounter of football, which neither team deserved to suffer defeat, 2-18 to 5-5. St. Joseph's (Under 16 Div 1v Bailieborough): Conor McGourty, Conor Smith, Cian Sweeney, Peter Conneely, Jonathan McCabe, Finbar Rudden, Alan Brady, Joe Masterson, Cian Sheridan (1-0), Conal Sheridan, Brian Ellis (1-0), Barry Flynn, Kevin McKiernan (0-1), Kevin Bouchier (3-3). Conor Higgins (0-1) Tweet

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