Even though they failed in their prime objective of winning the county JFC, 2002 was nonetheless a reasonably successful year for Kildallan. They garnered an U16 FL Division Three title, reached the JFC final and also carried out a great deal of development work on their pitch in Ballyconnell. All of which leaves them in good shape going into the 2003 season... The fanfare was ready to greet a famous JFC success in Ballyconnell. It had been 25 years since the club last garnered the county junior football championship and hopes were high that the bridge would be gapped. But the widely anticipated triumph never materialised. Butlersbridge spoiled the party at the final hurdle. While losing the final was a big blow to the White & Reds, it must be stated that they had played some decent football en route and justifiably went into the decider as firm favourites - an achievement in itself. The club also enjoyed a creditable year at underage level and undertook some major development work. Definite progress was made and hopes are high that 2003 will be an even better year. Outside of his work as a Garda Superintendent in Cavan town, John O'Hara is a staunch Kildallan clubman. He's club chairman and is also involved as a selector with a number of underage teams, as well as serving as an underage referee. John wears his passion for Kildallan GFC very much on his sleeve. Thus, try as he may, the club chairman can't hide his disappointment when casting his mind back upon the events of '02: "It was a disappointing year for the junior team," he deadpans. "Our target was to win the junior championship and, by so doing, ensure our status in Division Two of the league. Unfortunately, we failed to achieve that, which is disappointing. "We really wanted to get up to intermediate and what makes it all the more frustrating is that we are definitely good enough to play at that level. The manager Mark Lawlor and his selectors John Joe Brady and Eamonn O'Neill put in a big effort and the team put in a big effort but we just never got going in the final." Clearly, neither team nor management fell short in terms of commitment, determination or dedication to the cause, as John re-iterates: "You couldn't fault the effort. But it was the second year in a row that we lost the final. We also lost to Drumgoon the previous year and were beaten by the eventual winners Cornafean in the semi-final in 2000. "While we're happy with the level of consistency we've been showing, we still haven't got the ultimate success we've been yearning for since 1977." For a long time, it had looked as though the 25-year famine would end in '02. "When we eventually qualified for the final everything was on course," John notes. "We were favourites and we felt confident, but for some reason none of the team played to their potential on the day." What went wrong? Nerves? Complacency? "We've tried to analyse it and work out what happened, but there are no readymade answers. It was just one of those. Even our best players didn't deliver..." For the current season, Kildallan have a new management team in place. Dermot Smith from Drumlane will be assisted by local men Emmet Curry and Paul Maguire as the Ballyconnell men again strive to set the record straight. As the club chairman explains: "It's all hands to the wheel again and we'll be giving it another strong push. We feel we have a strong team here which is well capable of achieving the success that's required. "We're strong in all sectors of the field and we believe we're the best all-round junior team in the county. It was just that one hour of bad play in the junior final that spoiled our whole year. Having said all that, we wish Butlersbridge all the best and we wouldn't begrudge them their success for a minute. They were the better team on the day and deserved their victory." It's typical of the sporting nature of Kildallan to be so gracious in defeat. But they're far from resigned to such outcomes. The age profile of the team is such that they can come back stronger than ever this year. Even though their team is essentially young and fresh-faced, they have in the likes of Noel Maguire, Enda Herron and Padraig Wynne experienced campaigners who can lend that vital guiding influence. And there's certainly no shortage of skilled youth coming through the system, as John attests: "We've been doing well at underage level. Our U16s won the league in 2002 and the previous year we won the U14 league and championship double. This is a good crop of players and I feel that if they stick together our future will be bright. "There are a number of other good young teams coming through as well and I'll be surprised if most of them don't have success in the future, not just at juvenile level but right through into the adult team." Even though it has only existed in its present incarnation since the 1960's, Kildallan was the first registered club in Ulster back in 1886 (thus the legend 'Ballyconnell First Ulsters'). Indeed, they continue to go strong both on and off the actual field of play. In off-the-field activities, Kildallan GFC are moving forward at an impressive rate and are rapidly developing facilities that could comfortably sustain an intermediate (or, indeed, senior ) side. During 2002, up to 350,000 euro was spent on upgrading the existing pitch, which was lengthened and widened and brought right up to championship standards. A new training field has also been developed. Fermanagh-based Prunty Contracts, a company renowned for its expertise in this highly specialised area, carried out all the work to the highest standards. John O'Hara continues: "Sean Quinn donated two-and-a-half acres of land to us free of charge and the club will eternally be indebted to him for that. It was a gesture of incredible generosity on his behalf and we are extremely grateful. It was prime development land on the edge of town, which we needed to make the development possible. We asked Sean to consider selling it to us but he gave it to us at no charge. "It was an amazing gesture from a man who has GAA matters very close to his heart. Sean also gave us another field for training our underage teams. I can safely say that Kildallan GAA club will always be grateful to Sean Quinn." The work is ongoing. Two additional dressing-rooms (bringing the total to four) and a meeting room have also been added by local contractor Terence McGovern. Spectator fencing will be added around the main field this year and floodlighting will be installed on the training field. It is hoped that an official opening can then take place later this year, which would be a very big occasion locally. In conclusion, John concedes: "We were hoping with all the development work going on that we would have had an intermediate team this year, but that wasn't to be. However, the facilities are now in place - as good as those of any team in the county - and hopefully we'll move up a grade this year." Paddy Duignan is chairman of Kildallan's underage committee. This (2003) is his fourth year in that capacity. Paddy was particularly happy with the way things panned out in 2002, the highlight of which was victory over Mullahoran in the final of the U16 Division Three league final. The previous year, Kildallan captured an U14 league and championship double. "The work has always been ongoing at underage level and continues to be," he notes. "One of the biggest problems is getting the numbers because Ballyconnell is still a small area, but we're happy with how things are going in general." The U16 success was particularly notable. A total of 16 teams entered the competition. After topping their group, Kildallan beat Shercock in the semi-final before overcoming Mullahoran. Meanwhile, the club's U14s reached a semi-final against Corlough. The U12s were a bit on the young side but should be a lot stronger this term. As for the minors, Paddy explains: "We just didn't have the numbers to make an impact. We did have some real quality players - as we have at all grades - but were lacking any strength in depth." The juvenile chairman is optimistic that 2003 will be another successful year for Kildallan at underage level: "I think we'll hold our own again," he predicts confidently. "We'll have a decent minor team and a good enough U16 side as well. At this time, I'm not too sure if we'll have that many U14s coming through but the U12s should do okay. "You just have to keep it going. It's all about getting players who will come onto the senior team one day and trying to get them ready for that. Keeping them interested is the key. The young lads at Kildallan have a good interest though and that's very good to see." The Ballyconnell-based club also provides the County board with three underage referees in Paul Maguire, Stephen McKiernan and John O'Hara. On the county front, they had strong representation in 2002, with players involved in all the various underage development squads. Pat McKiernan was with the Cavan U14s. There were five Kildallan players with the county U15s - Shane Reilly, Ciaran Smith, Jason Curry, Stephen Crowe and Kevin Doonan. Aaron Duignan and Liam Martin fielded with the U16s, while Ronan Reilly attended county minor trials and will be with the Cavan minors again in '03. Kildallan had no shortage of help with their underage teams in 2002. Under the guidance of underage chairman Paddy Duignan and secretary Sharon Curry, the club's juvenile arm was as strong as ever. Patsy McPartland, Gabriel O'Neill, Austin Cassidy, Pamela Carney and Michael Donoghue looked after the U10s and U12s. John O'Hara, Peter Fitzpatrick and Daithi Reilly were over the U14s. The successful U16 side was guided by Paddy Duignan, Emmet Curry and Wayne O'Grady and the minor mentors for the year were Jim Carroll, John O'Hara and Thomas O'Brien. No shortage of help there! As Paddy acknowledges: "It's great to see so many people showing an interest and so many parents prepared to play an active role. The more people you have, the more it takes the pressure off everybody, so if anyone else wishes to come on board, they're more than welcome." Tweet

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