Following a disappointing 2008, Butlersbridge have re-appointed former boss Phelim Plunkett to the club. The Ballyhaise man led the 'Bridge to junior glory back in '02 and new club PRO Paul Henry is hopeful that history can repeat itself this time around. Back when Paul Henry was chairman of the Butlersbridge GAA club, he had made a bold move by luring an outsider in as manager of a team desperate to capture a first county junior championship for their club since 1974. The closest they had come was three years previous, seemingly cruising in a final only to be stunned by two late goals from the Drumlane arson at Breffni Park, which cost them the precious Sean Leddy Cup. In 2002 the outsider had come in and fixed up everything just right. Michael Fitzpatrick's frees and Carlos Conlon's goal ended the 28-year wait, Butlersbridge overcame Kildallan on a cold November's day to collect their Cavan Junior Football Championship title, with Ballyhaise native Phelim Plunkett at the helm. Since then, the 'Bridge have been in and out of the intermediate ranks, while Plunkett has enjoyed successful stints with Ballyhaise and Drumlane before taking a selector's position in Donal Keogan's Cavan senior team management, which came to an end once the Breffni County made their exit from last year's All-Ireland SFC at the hands of Kildare. Now, seven years later, both Plunkett and Butlersbridge find themselves right back where they started - stuck with one another trying to capture county junior championship title. Last year, the 'Bridge's progress didn't make for pleasant reading. An early exit from the championship was backed up by a seventh place league. Things had definitely taken a step backwards rather than forwards, and with questions of commitment hanging over some players the club felt a change was needed. "Every one in the club wanted him (Plunkett) back," said Henry. "So I guess you could say he's back by popular demand. "He's very good with the younger players and had his first meeting with the squad as a whole at the start of the year. By the second week in January the team was back training, starting a seven-week fitness programme." Following last year's seventh place finish in Division Three, Plunkett's charges will be looking for a better start to the league this time around. In March 2008, the 'Bridge travelled to St Mary's Park to take Swanlinbar, who has been demoted the previous season, and lost out to the Fermanagh border outfit on a score-line of 1-9 to 1-6. The first win of the year was stored a fortnight later at Emmet Park, where the hosts saw off Arva by a comfortable eight points to get off the mark in the league table, but narrow defeats at the hands of Templeport and Shannon Gaels hindered hopes of an early promotion bid. Things didn't seem to be running so smoothly under Cork native Brendan Farrelly, but coming out on the right side of an enthralling encounter with Mountnugent in Butlersbridge provided a bit of a boost for the club coming up to the opening of their state-of-the-art facilities. A draw with struggling Cornafean looked to be another stumbling block for Farrelly's boys, but emphatic wins over high-flyers Kill and Laragh United set the tone in the camp nicely before the players would face a stern test against Drung in the junior football championship. "I thought we faired well in the league, especially when you consider the players we were missing things could have been a lot worse for us," says Henry. "Last year we were without the likes of Senan Flanagan, Darragh Keogh, Paddy McGerty and Paul Murphy; and for a small club like us you are likely to struggle without those kind of players." The 'Bridge went in against the junior championship's favourites confident of being able to grind out a result. Competing all year long in Division Two, the Bunnoe based side were fancied to go all the way ever since their relegation at the hands of Swanlinbar the previous season. However, there had been a feeling since the February draws were made that the men from the 'Bridge could spring a mild upset against Barry Watters and Co. and book a place in the last eight of the competition. Both sides were slow to get off the blocks at Annalee Park, Ballyhaise, with the favourites taking in a 0-4 to 0-2 lead at the interval. In the second-half Farrelly and his backroom team made some useful changes, the most effective being county man Lorcan Mulvey's move from full-forward out to midfield. After Drung had shot an early point at the restart, the 'Bridge launched a devastating attack which saw Mulvey find defender Brian Greenan in space on the edge of the square and he fed a pass to the overlapping Andrew McConnell, who drilled a low shot past James Reilly in the Drung goal to level the game coming into the final quarter. Moments after, it looked as tough the 'Bridge had ghosted into the lead, but Oisin Henry speculative effort fell just sort of the mark. It was there that Farrelly's side's challenge began to fade, as Shane O'Rourke hit 1-1, which saw Drung push on for a hard-earned victory, 1-8 to 1-5. Butlersbridge (JFC v Drung): Niall McCorry; Mark Shannon, Padraig Murphy, Kieran Greenan; Brian Greenan, Paul Murphy (0-1), Andrew McConnell (1-0); Eamon Diver, Matthew Boylan; Darren Fitzpatrick, Michael Fitzpatrick, John Shannon (0-1); Noel McPhilips, Lorcan Mulvey, Oisin Henry. Subs: Carlos Conlon, Martin Fitzpatrick, Donal Leddy, Senan Flanagan (0-3). In August, Farrelly's charges made the sort trip to O'Connell Park, Milltown, to take on Corlough in the qualifiers and hockeyed the west Cavan outfit 1-12 to 2-2 to take their place in the next round against Mountnugent. After their emphatic win, Butlersbridge were going into this encounter as the slightly fancied side, but they weren't counting on Mountnugent's overwhelming firepower to come up trumps on the day. Ace attacker David Givney struck a hat-trick of goals to the Butlersbridge net as Mountnugent effectively ended the 'Bridge's season by handing them a 4-8 to 1-11 defeat. "The Mountnugent game was another tight game right up until the end," recalls Henry. "But when you let in three goals you aren't going to win any games. They went on to the final then and lost to Drung, and I think that kind of says it all from our perspective." Indeed. Butlersbride had meet both of the year's finalists in just three tours of the 2008 county junior championship, but Henry makes no excuses, and realises that to win competitions you have to beat the best that's out there. "It just didn't click," says Farrelly. "Brendan was giving it is all, but the players weren't able to produce it out on the pitch in the end. "We had a few players that stood out, but to win the junior championship, I think you need everyone playing well. Noel McPhilips at centre-forward had been brilliant all year, Padraig Murphy, our veteran Mark Shannon, Andrew McConnell and Oisin Henry, who both received trials with the county, and of course Lorcan Mulvey. This year Plunkett will no doubt be looking for a colossal effort from all his players if they are to achieve promotion back to the intermediate ranks, and Henry indicates that one piece of silverware in particular will be close to the club's heart once again in '09. "It was thoroughly discussed at the AGM," says Henry, "and we want a trophy to put in our new club rooms for 2009. Phelim has made it clear to the players that the Sean Leddy Cup needs to come back to Butlersbridge, where it belongs." New clubrooms In May, GAA President Nickey Brennan officially opened Butlersbridge GAA's brand new clubrooms at Emmet Park. The two-tier building consists of four new dressing rooms, a car park, a meeting room, referee room, tea room and public toilets. Built by Bannon Construction over a 10-month period, the development came to a total cost of 380,000, which was afforded by the club's '300 Draw' initiative. Along with the GAA President other invited guests include the County Board Chairman, Phil Smith, Cavan Co. Board Secretary Liam McCabe and Superintendent Gerry Giblin. A number of underage games preceded the very successful opening, in which afterwards many, including Nickey Brennan, went down to the local to watch the second-half of the Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea. "A lot of people thought that the opening was picked on a bad day," admits Henry, "but we still got the great crowd we expected, and after it was we all went down to the pub to see the best part of the match anyway. Even the GAA president himself joined us." Flanagan fires Redbridge to Under 16 glory 2007 saw Butlersbridge's underage clan profit greatly from their amalgamation with neighbours Redhills, and '08 proved to be no different. The Under 16's stole the show this year in regards to both clubs' underage scenes by capturing the Division Two championship title in November. It was a talented Redbridge outfit that emerged as five-point winners over Lavey, who defeated them in the previous year's decider, at Kingspan Breffni Park to capture the title. Lead by their inspirational captain Fergal Flanagan, who struck 0-7 from centre-field, the amalgamation of Butlersbridge and Redhills came through a sticky start to fire themselves into a four-point lead at half-time, thanks to the scores of Flanagan, Jonathan Leddy, Gareth Henry and Andrew Dunne. In the second-half, Lavey began to get themselves more into the game, but with the outlet of Flanagan to rely on, Redbridge were always going to be hard to look past for the title. It was the defending champions that drew first blood at the restart, but Redbridge full-forward Cahir Reilly was quick to cancel the effort out and get the ball rolling again for his side. Flanagan hit a superb point from play thereafter, and valuable substitute Luke McEntee hit a brace of points towards the help Redbridge over the finishing line in a 0-14 to 0-9 victory. Redbridge (MFC Div 2 final v Lavey) Peter Conaty; Gerard Thompson, Paddy Flynn, Sean Connolly; Cian O'Reilly, Niall McCaffrey, Padraic Reilly; Turlough Mooney (0-1), Fergal Flanagan (0-7, 5f); Hugh Reilly, Shane Jenkins, Gareth Henry (0-1); Andrew Dunne (0-1), Cahir Reilly (0-1), Jonathan Leddy (0-1). Subs: Luke McEntee (0-2), Conor Sexton. Gallant Minors lose out in last four The minors demonstrated just how formidable an outfit they were last year by reaching the semi-finals of both the league and championship of Division One, where they were ousted by eventual champions Cavan Gaels. With the likes of Martin Brady, Robbie Kane and Fergal Flanagan, shining from the Butlersbridge side, the amalgamated outfit scored some impressive wins over the course of the season one of the most notable being their quarter-final victory over Crosserlough in Lacken in October. Trailing by 1-7 to 0-2, without their inspirational midfielder Oisin Minagh, the Butlersbridge/Redhills combo put in an awesome display during the second half-hour at Crowe Park to take their place in the semi-finals against the Gaels, where they would narrowly lose out by a point without the suspended Minagh. "Redbridge has gone well and it's something that we will be looking to keep going next year," said Henry. "I think amalgamation is the way forward in this county at underage level. Since we started amalgamating with Redhills, it has benefited both clubs greatly." Under 12s take Roinn D title The success didn't end there from Butlersbridge's perspective, however. In July, the 'Bridge overcame Arva in am exciting affair at Breffni Park to collect the Under 12 Roinn D football title. From start to finish there was never much between the sides, and it was the winners that took a slender one-point lead at half-time, thanks, mainly, to the scores of their outstanding player at centre-field, Caoimhin O'Reilly. However, in the second-half Arva quickly snuck into the lead with two quick points, before O'Reilly restored some order with a pair of points of his own. Killian Leddy and Niall McGovern stretched the lead for the 'Bridge after that, and when O'Reilly's fine run through the middle was finished to the Arva net it looked like there was no doubt that the Cup would be heading down the N3 by-pass. However, Arva has other ideas, as they struck for 1-3 in quick succession to leave things on a knife-edge in the dying stages. When things began to look shaky, cometh the hour, cometh the man as O'Reilly landed a superb point to ease the worries of Butlersbridge faithful, and when John Fitzpatrick landed the insurance, it was only a matter of time before captain Helen McDermott would be heading into the stands to lift the Cup for 'the Bridge. Butlersbridge (U12 Roinn D final v Arva): Bolaji Gbadebo, Eoin Hanrick, Kevin Leddy, Oisin Hogan, Helen McDermott, Diarmuid McCorry, Dylan Bartley, Caoimhin O'Reilly (1-8), Saulo Cantero (0-2), John Fitzpatrick (0-2), Niall McGovern (0-1), Roisin Leddy, Killian Leddy (0-1). Tweet

Most Read Stories