There's a saying that if you keep knocking at the door then eventually someone will answer. In Na Piarsaigh's case, however, they must feel like they have been knocking their head against a brick wall for the past few seasons.

Twice in the last three years they have finished runners-up in Division Two while in each of the past two seasons they have lost out on the Intermediate Championship by only the narrowest of margins.
If they thought coming second in back to back seasons in the league in 2007 and 2008 or a one point defeat to the Dreadnots in their first ever intermediate final appearance last year was tough then nothing compared to the hurt experienced this season.
In what was a rollercoaster campaign, Na Piarsaigh overcame a first round defeat against the O'Connells to beat St Nicholas, Roche Emmets, Hunterstown Rovers and the Geraldines all by narrow margins before seeing off St Joseph's and Clan na Gael in the latter stages to advance to the final.
The Rock Road outfit had certainly rode their luck along the way, surviving a major fightback from the Nicks in Dromiskin, beating Roche with a goal in the sixth minute of injury time in Louth Village and getting the better of the Geraldines by the narrowest of margins in Dundalk despite finishing the game with 14 men.
That was just the group stages.
In the quarter-finals a dubious penalty decision was converted by Brian McCartney to send them into the last four where they beat their previously undefeated town rivals Clan na Gael on a 2-9 to 1-8 scoreline in Dowdallshill in a match that saw the Clans hit 12 wides.
Na Piarsaigh had certainly rode their luck on the way to the final but having got their, the omens had appeared to be with them.
After all recent history in the intermediate championship said that a team who lost a final one year ultimately went on to win it the next.
Their luck ran out though in the final as for the second year in-a-row they lost out on the Seamus Flood Cup by the narrowest of margins after going down to Naomh Malachi on a 1-12 to 1-11 scoreline in Dromiskin.
The scoreline only told a small portion of the story, however, as the manner of Na Piarsaigh's defeat was a lot more difficult to stomach than the previous year's ever was.
Despite trailing for long periods, a Shane Callan goal got the Rock Road men back in contention close to the finish with points from Alan McCartney and Cormac Malone ensuring a tense finale.
Then came 30 seconds of mayhem that Na Piarsaigh and all involved with the club will take a while to get over.
After a shot from Callan appeared to cross the line, the ball rebounded out before referee Kevin Carroll awarded a penalty.
Malone stepped up to take the kick, knowing that if he scored his side would be heading for senior football for the first time in their history. His effort sailed over the bar, however, and from the resulting kick-out the full-time whistle blew. It was a particularly harsh blow on Malone, who had been the difference maker for his side in their semi-final win, scoring the first goal and setting up the second.
For the second year in-a-row though Na Piarsaigh had come up just short. This time, however, the result was all the more difficult to stomach.
It was a defeat that selector Pearse Craven described as 'heartbreaking'.
"It was a heartbreaking end," he said.
"Let's be clear though, it wasn't Cormac Malone's penalty that cost us the game. He has saved us so many times over the past three years and when other players were stepping back, he stepped up.
"Unfortunately penalties can make you go from hero to zero.
"I spoke to Shane Callan after the game and he had tears in his eyes, saying the ball was over the line before the penalty. He remonstrated loudly at the time but we didn't get the luck you need to win a final," said Craven.
For Craven and his co-selector Damien Shields it marked the end of three years at the helm; three years in which they had taken the club to new heights without getting the sort of silverware they deserved.
Shields, however, said that both he and Craven could look back on their time at the club with great pride.
"The club want a change," he admitted.
"We spoke before the final and we said that three years was probably enough anyway. The players were devastated when we told them but it is well within the panel for them to bounce back and go for a third final in-a-row.
"It is a fantastic job and it will interest any football manager in the county.
"Myself and Pearse can look back with great pride at our three years. Every year we made progress apart from this one. Last year we were beaten in the final by a point and it was the same this year, so it's not bad going.
"Please God the club will rise again and we could be back some day," he said.
The one slight disappointment for Na Piarsaigh this season was their inability to mount a major challenge in the league, having finished runners-up in each of the two previous seasons.
This year, however, injuries and play unavailability played their part in what could be described as an inconsistent campaign with the club eventually finishing in eighth place.
Perhaps a sign of things to come arrived in the opening match when they were fortunate to rescue a 1-5 to 1-5 draw at home to St Mochta's.
They did manage to beat the Sean McDermotts in their next outing but just one win in their next four matches meant that their hopes of challenging for the title were effectively over by mid-summer with any slim hopes of a turnaround killed off at the start of August when they went down to eventual winners the O'Connells on a 3-17 to 1-10 scoreline in Castlebellingham.
Looking back on 2009, club secretary David Hearty admitted that the final defeat to Naomh Malachi had been a bitter pill to swallow but he said that he was hopeful that Na Piarsaigh would be back competing in finals again in the not-too-distant future.
"It was disappointing with how we lost out in the final but earlier in the year our form had been so up and down that we didn't think we'd be in a final at all," he said.
"We probably used up all our luck throughout the year. We were lucky to beat the Nicks in the group stages and we only beat Roche thanks to a goal in the sixth minute of injury-time as well.
"Against the Joe's, it was really a penalty that won it for us and against the Clans I just don't think they clicked on the day, although we do feel we were well prepared for them.
"In terms of the final, you couldn't have wrote a horror story any better.
"It was hard to take but I think our performances in the last few years have shown we're no flash in the pan side. We've been runners-up by the smallest margin in each of the last two seasons and hopefully we'll be back sooner rather than later to make it third time lucky but we can't take anything for granted either because you never know what might happen
We've had a great few years without getting over the final hurdle but the club owe an awful lot to Pearse Craven and Damien Shields for the work and effort they've put in
They've taken on to another level and hopefully we can keep on improving," said Hearty.
While not everything went according to plan for Na Piarsaigh on the pitch, with the club also losing out in the Minor C Championship final to Roche Emmets, off the field the club has continued to make major progress.
Work is almost complete on a new training pitch at their grounds which Hearty hopes will be ready for use early next year.
"We got a lotto grant in July 2008 for 40,000 euro and with that money we have been developing a waste ground area into a sand-based training pitch.
"It has been progressing nicely since April and just recently we had it seeded so hopefully by next spring it will be ready for use," he said.
The major highlight of the year, however, was the visit of Tyrone captain Brian Dooher and the Sam Maguire Cup to the Rock Road back in March - an event that helped the club launch their underage training for the year.
"It was a great night," said Hearty.
"Nearly 200 people showed up and it was great for the club.
"We owe a lot to Noel and Gerry Gormley for making it happen. They're massive supporters of the club and they gave us the heads up that they might be able to pull it off for us and thankfully they did.
"We used it to launch our underage training and it coincided lovely with that."
Once again the club made good progress at underage level this season but Hearty admitted that one of the major highlights was the launch of the club's ladies team this year.
"The U-12 girls team and our ladies team were the two big successes for us this year," he said.
"The U-12s won the Shield competition and it was the only bit of silverware we got this year as a club.
"The ladies also got to a blitz final but were beaten by Cuchulainn Gaels. It was great to get things off the ground though and they were definitely a big addition to the club."

As always there was plenty of activity at underage level. Below is a short report on how each of the club's underage sides performed in 2009:

Na Piarsaigh U-12 Girls Review
The first ever Na Piarsaigh U-12 girls team was formed in February 2009. Training took place every Saturday morning and a good panel was established. The panel consisted of Emily O'Reilly, Amy Broadhurst (Captain), Chanelle McCartney, Shannon Hayes, Stephanie Bond, Victoria Prendergast, Fiona Kirk, Gemma Franklin, Claire Moran, Leah Grimes, Katie McEneaney, Jade Reddy, Faith McCourt, Lynn Craven, Sophie Watters, Chelsie Rafferty, Vanessa Mc Quillan, Tiah McDonnell, Kirsty Gogarty, Louise Moore & Ene Abadji.
The League started in April, with the first game was away to Roche Emmets, which the team were very unlucky to lose, but the next four games (Glyde Rangers, St Fechins, the Geraldines and the Brides) proved a bigger challenge. It was the sixth game against Sean O'Mahony's that our hard work paid off and the teams winning streak began. The team won all of their remaining games, which included teams like Clan na Gael, Stabannon Parnells, Naomh Mairtin, St Vincent's and Newtown Blues. With a twelve points total the team finished 5th in the league which meant resulted in qualification for the 'A' shield. The semi final of the Shield was at was against Roche Emmett's, at home and victory meant a place in the final. The final was played on a Sunday afternoon on 23rd August in Knockbridge against Stabannon Parnells. Na Piarsaigh held out to win in a very tight game by 2-5 to 2-2. Team manager John O'Reilly noted: "This was a wonderful achievement by the girls, who were absolutely thrilled and the management team, supporters and parents were so proud of their efforts."
The Championship was next and the first game was against Roche Emmets in Roche, a win brought the team into a quarter final against Clan Na Gael. The game was played in Clan na Gael and unfortunately the team were beaten by 2 points, much to their disappointment.
The U-12 girls also took part in a number of under 13 blitzes' which were a great experience for the girls. Overall it was a wonderful first year, with two of the girls, Amy Broadhurst and Sophie Watters selected for the Louth U-12 development squad. The season ended with a medal presentation; Mrs. Imelda Clarke, whose late husband Patsy was a founder member of Na Piarsaigh club, presented the girls with their medals, and it was a marvellous occasion for the children and their parents. All involved are already looking forward to a new season, which will begin in January recruiting new players for both an under 12 and under 14 panel.
Manager John O'Reilly was keen to acknowledge the efforts of a number of personnel that made the U-12 girls first year such a success, especially Grainne Madden, Edel Woods, Aine O'Connor, and his wife Ellen who helped him train and manage the team, and he also wanted to thank the parents for their support and for taking the girls to away games.

Na Piarsaigh Ladies Review 2009
In 2009 Na Piarsaigh created the first ladies team in the club's history. This was thanks to some great work by people like Grainne Madden, Edel Woods and Ellen O'Reilly along with club members Peter Grealis and Gerry Kellett who put the initial ideas together at committee level. The club set out with the ambition of assembling a team to play in the Junior League. They started out with small numbers but by January 2009 there was a large squad had been gathered. It was clear by the response from girls in the parish and elsewhere in Dundalk that there was a gap in ladies football for another team in the area.
Under manager Ciaran Marks Na Piarsaigh Ladies played in the club's first ever competitive league game away to Cuchulainn Gaels in Omeath, with the Na Piarsaigh girls eventually winning in some tough conditions. This was the best start a new club could possibly have asked for. It was not surprising, however, that the remainder of league campaign proved tough and ended in disappointment but throughout the season the team led by captain Nicola Gorham were competitive home and away. The highlight of the year came when the club reached the final of the 7 a side blitz organised by the county board for players who were not involved in exams. Na Piarsaigh beat the fancied Glen Emmets in Tullyallen to reach the final. This performance was typical of the spirit and team work that the girls showed all year.
The Ladies Junior Championship was not kind to Na Pairsaigh pitting them against the well established Dowdallshill who won easy towards the end of August. Despite the heavy defeat the spirit of the Na Piarsaigh team was evident once again and they never stopped until the final whistle. In recent weeks three of the Na Piarsaigh players were named in the Ladies Junior Team of the Year which was a great achievement for the players and the club in general. The players were Majella Gallagher, Aine O'Connor and Nicola Gorham, a brilliant end to 2009 for the team.

Na Piarsaigh U-10s Review 2009
2009 was a very successful year all round for the Na Piarsaigh U-10s. The Monday night training was generally well attended with up to 20 players in attendance each night. This allowed the club to field two teams in most blitzes through the summer. The managements mission was to establish the team as the number one team in Dundalk, which was arguably achieved this with our 'A-team' remaining undefeated against our local rivals and our 'B-team' winning or being competitive in the majority of matches they played in.
The highlight of the year was the trip to Dublin to play Whitehall Colmcille GAA U-10s and take a tour of Croke Park. Despite the long journey and unusually hot weather the kids caught the 'Inter-County' bug and gave a great account of themselves, narrowly losing tight games against an undefeated Dublin team. We're hoping Whitehall will travel to Dundalk next year for the return leg!! The Croke Park Stadium tour left everyone wanting to get back there as adults to play.
Later in the summer three players (Fergal Mulholland, Gavin Smith and Luke Hazzard) represented the club as part of a Dundalk U-10 team which played challenge matches at the Damian Reid Og Sport Fund-raiser in Dromiskin. The U-10s were well marshalled all year by Thomas Mulholland with assistance from Damien Smith and Ian Hazzard, and they want to acknowledge the club and parents who supported the kids efforts all year. The 2009 U-10 Squad was as follows: Kate Burns, Kyle Cleary, Craig Rogan, Adam Molloy, Luke Hazzard, Gerard Rice, James McQuillan, Fergal Mulholland, Gavin Smith, Paul Franklin, Lynn Craven, Daire O'Reilly-Smith, Emer O'Reilly-Smith, James McTighe, Dylan Ward, Conor Farrell, Sean Cleland, Emma Teather, Jamie O'Hagan, Faith McCourt, Jade Reddy, Aaron Quinn, Thomas Merry and Kanori Ndungu.

Na Piarsaigh U-12s Review 2009
Under the guidance of Stephen Murphy, Paul Smyth and John O'Reilly the U-12 team played 12 games throughout the year on a home and away basis, against Cuchulainn Gaels, Dowdallshill, Glyde, Stabannon and Naomh Finbars. Slow to start, the team lost the first two games of the year, but went on to win 8 of the final 10 games, drawing the other 2 games. Some of the U-12 players joined the U-10s for the very successful trip to Dublin to play Whitehall Colmcilles and Croke Park museum and stadium tour.
The season finished for the U-12s with a very successful mini blitz against Clan Na Gael, Sean O'Mahonys and Dundalk Young Irelands. Players to shine throughout the year were Andrew McCourt, Kyle Cotter and Robert Rogan. U-12 Squad : Ciaran Murphy, Robert Murphy, Stephen Arrowsmith, Mark O'Hagan, Kyle Cotter, Kevin Kane, Sean McGeown, Francis McKeown, Adam Stevens, Jason Teather, Andrew McCourt, Christian Rafferty, Conal Myles, Cormac McCarthy, Fergal Mulholland, Kay McKenna and Robert Rogan.

Na Piarsaigh U-14s Review 2009
Having successfully won 2 OgSport U13 finals in 2008 it was with excited anticipation that the team entered the big stage in 2009. However at the back of the minds of the management was the fact that most of the panel had not played outside of the OgSport games and how the players would react to playing on full size pitches under the full rules and regulations. Well all was answered very quickly with defeats to Newtown Blues, Bailie Talun, Clan na Gael and Glen Emmetts. These defeats left the team with no chance of league honours.
Manager Paul McCourt and his selectors Gerard Kellett, Peter McCartney and Gerard O'Hare turned their thoughts to the championship and a preliminary round match with Newtown Blues in Clogherhead was eagerly awaited. The game itself was close and entertaining until Na Piarsaigh suffered the loss of 2 key players around half-time which Newtown Blues took advantage of to run out winners. All that was left was the shield competition in which the team were drawn against the old foe Clan na Gael.
In a most entertaining game Na Piarsaigh came from behind in the last 10 minutes to win by 5-7 to 2-6 to gain some revenge for losing an U13 final the previous week to the same opposition. Having got over St Josephs in the semi-final, the Glen Emmett's stood in the way of a final victory. A nervous team having already been beaten in the league by the Glens took to field and went in at half time losing by 1-4 to 1-1. A goal in the first minute of the second half for Glen Emmett's and the writing was on the wall. But at last after 5 months training the team came alive and aided by the breeze scored 6-9 to end up winners on the scoreline of 7-10 to 4-4. Another final won by this team which gives the club hope for the future and the team confidence for next year. 2009 U-14 panel - James Smith, David Grimes James McCartney, Thomas Maguire, Chris Kellett, Conall Shields, Eric McQuillan, Jason Greene, Sammy Fassin, Stephen McQuillan, Jason McCourt, Stefan Cooney, Glenn McCourt, Stephen Maguire, Darren Carolan, Mark O'Hare, Emmet Hayes, Mark O'Hagan, Mark Craven, Cormac McCartney, Pauric Cooney, Fintan Donnelly, David Pinto and Sean Ward.

Na Piarsaigh U-16s Review 2009
This is a good panel with a great commitment to training and passion for games. League campaign started on 13 April with an away win over Oliver Plunketts 2-10 to 2-8. This was followed up with a comprehensive win over Newtown Blues and 3 points defeat of Dundalk Gaels. Reality check struck with a home defeat by Glen Emmets but this is when the bond of the team set in with great attendances at training and a determination to succeed. Subsequent games resulted in a walkover given by Dreadnots and good wins over St Josephs, St Fechins and Kilkerley Emmett's which meant the team finished 2nd in the league and a home draw play-off against St Fechins. Original fixture was cancelled due to bad weather and unplayable pitch but on 5th September a confident looking St Fechins ran on to the pitch on the Rock Road and took up their positions. This ended up being an extraordinary game with a total contrast in the way each team was dealt with by the referee with some very "head scratching" decisions - however the ability of St Fechins to score all their free kicks proved to be the winning of the game for them. Final score St Fechins 2-13 Na Piarsaigh 2-7.
The U-16 Championship commenced on 3 September in Darver against a fancied Glen Emmets team - a great start to the game saw Na Piarsaigh steam into an early lead with an early goal and three unanswered points. The second half was more even sided but the great start seen Na Piarsaigh win out 2-11 to 2-5. Next up was semi final at Rock Road against Kilkerly/Mals combination team where a below par, injury hit and lack lustre display from Na Piarsaigh resulted in defeat by 2-13 to 1-7. Overall the U-16 season will be viewed as one of progress in terms of team bonding, training and ability to compete and there can be no doubt the efforts of Mickey Begley, Eugene Burns and Derek Teather in management of the team will bring success over the next 2 years.
Team Panel included - Jason Greene, Ronan Dillon, Paddy McShane, Sean McAuley, Paddy McDonagh, Jason McCourt, Blake Stephens, Paul Mallon, Scott McDonnell, Stephen Broadhurst, Sean Gray, Stephen McGuinness, Brendan Trainor, Jordan Gartland, Daniel Berry, Tim Egan, David Yore, Sean Arrowsmith, Stephen Maguire, James McCartney, James Smith and Conal Shields

Na Piarsaigh Minor Review 2009
Na Piarsaigh had a good start to the Division 2 Minor League with an encouraging 5 point victory over Baile Talun at Rock Road. But following defeats to St Brides and Glen Emmett's, the pressure was on for the team to make the league playoffs. Round four had Na Piarsaigh away to Roche Emmett's and although the team led by 7pts at half time, a spirited comeback from Roche led to a share of the spoils. Defeat away to Naomh Finbars with a weakened team ended any chance of qualifying for the semi finals and the final league match against Eire Og should have led to victory for Na Piarsaigh, but the game finished in another draw. During the League campaign some of the players who stood out were Thomas Moran, Robbie O'Hanlon, Keith Harmon, John Galligan and Fergal Stanley.
With the exams finished and players returning from injury and other sports, there was great belief that the team could perform well in the Championship. Their first outing was against Naomh Finbars in Darver and from the very start the team were a constant threat and resulted in a half time lead of 3-9 to 0-6. Giving all panel members a run, Na Piarsaigh continued their impressive play into the second half and the game finished 4-12 to 1-08. Best for Na Piarsaigh were John Smith, Eamonn Loughran, Barry Durnin, Anthony Vize and Ciaran Boland.
In a very entertaining and closely fought semi final, the team faced St Brides who won by 8 points in the earlier league fixture. Although the Brides went into a 4 point lead early in the first half, Na Piarsaigh showed great fighting spirit to come back and hold on to ensure victory over the much fancied Brides outfit winning 1-12 to 1-10. A Ciaran Connolly goal in the final 5 minutes of the game turned out to be the decisive score. Players to perform well included Philip Duffy, Shane O Sullivan, Stephen Todd, Mark Griffin and Adam Coburn.
Roche Emmets were the opposition in the 'B' Championship decider played in Dowdallshill before the Intermediate semi final. There was great confidence throughout the team and this showed as they went into an early 4 point lead. But they were eventually punished for poor finishing and free taking which would surely have put them out of reach. Roche scored 3 goals towards the end of the first half and this gave them the platform to build a second half lead that they held until the end of the match. Na Piarsaigh tried hard to get back into the match but could not break down the Roche midfield and defence. The game ended 4-11 to 1-08 and best for Na Piarsaigh on the day were Thomas Moran, Stephen McGuinness, Ciaran Connolly and Eamonn Loughran.
Na Piarsaigh Minor panel for 2009 - Stephen McGuiness, Adam Coburn, Eamonn Loughran, Sean McAuley, Stephen Todd, Thomas Moran, Fergal Stanley, Brian Begley, Seamus Gonnelly, Robbie O
Hanlon, Mark Griffin, Anthony Vize, Philip Duffy, John Smith, Shane Sullivan, Barry Durnin, Ciaran Connolly, Keith Harmon, Ciaran Boland, Daniel Berry, Stephen Smyth, and John Galligan. Mentors: Kevin Gordon, Sean Magee, Gerry Magee and Davy Boland. Tweet

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