The past few years have represented a transition period for Sean O'Mahonys. They have invested a lot of time, effort and resources into developing their Point Road home into one of the best grounds in the county and, with a place in senior football secured, are already reaping the rewards of those efforts on the field of play. O'Mahonys now have the facilities and a team to match. The forward thinking club decided some time back to completely upgrade their facilities and the result is an excellent base which has helped nurture the talent of a growing catchment area. According to Chairman, Paddy Kettle, the development of these young people is the number one priority for the Seans which he hopes will result in the club challenging for the top silverware in the years to come. "A few years back we decided that we would put a lot of effort into upgrading the facilities and a lot of time was spent trying to improve things in order to establish a quality base for the club." Backed by a hard-working committee the club certainly didn't do things by half and over a couple of years transformed the Point Road pitch into one of the best playing surfaces in the county, with quality clubrooms to match. However, Paddy points out that that work had one particular disadvantage in that the absence of a home pitch meant that it was difficult to bring the young players through. "It is difficult to concentrate on all aspects of the club and a lot of effort was needed to see the development come to fruition. Unfortunately it meant that the young players in the area had nowhere to identify with and without a field of our own it was hard to put in the required effort in to bring the young lads on," explained Paddy. The chairman is now confident that this difficulty is behind the club and already the young structure is starting to pay dividends. "Once we had the facilities in place we began to put our efforts into coaching the young players, and already we see the rewards of that. " It is great to report that the club is in a very healthy state. To be able to go down to the field on a Monday night and see 40 or 50 kids playing football is fantastic for the club and proves that the effort the committee made over the past few years has been worthwhile. "Our underage football section is really well structured and is starting to bear fruit as we are regularly taking trophies from U-10 up to U-16." One of the most satisfying aspects of this season for the Sean O'Mahonys is that fact that some of the young players have already progressed on to the adult side competing in the Intermediate league and championship. "This season we have been going well in the Division 2A league after winning promotion last season, and it is great to see that three of our minor players have come through and are holding their own at that level. "Usually you might only get one player from the U-18 side but to get three is a real bonus. Eoin Hanratty, Conor Finnegan and Tony Delduca are the three in question and the best thing is that they have established themselves in a team that is going well and it is not a question of having to bring in young players just to make up the numbers. "Of course that trio doesn't include the talented Colin Finan who is currently playing with Dundalk FC", added Paddy. While much work has been done by a dedicated team of coaches and mentors, it is not simply a case of putting in the work on the field of play as Paddy points out that there has been a great effort put into other aspects also bringing in young players from the new estates in the area. One of the biggest tasks facing Sean O'Mahonys has been to incorporate the young players from the new housing developments. "The likes of Manydown Close and other estates that have been developed have been a great plus for the club. However, it is not a matter of just sitting back and waiting for players to come down to us. We have to work hard to make sure we attract those young players and give them the opportunity to play football. "That is where the facilities are so important. You have to look after all players and it is great to be in a position to be able to have two underage games on at the same time and then the possibility of another afterwards. The excellent floodlights help give us the chance to provide matches for all players. "It has been great for us to see that the parents in the area have responded to what we are doing and they seem to be delighted that their children have the chance to play with their local club. "It always helps when you win a few trophies and over the last number of years we have had a good deal of success," explained Paddy. When Paddy and the rest of the committee reflect on the 2005 season they will have plenty of reason to be satisfied. However, they will no doubt be hoping to continue their improvement over the coming years. At adult level, the club were determined to consolidate their position in Division 2A after winning promotion last season. Some good performances ensured they would be in the shake-up for honours as the league season reached its climax. Incredibly, O'Mahonys went on to claim the Division 2A title following a thrilling play-off victory over Naomh Malachi. Promotion on successive years represents a huge achievement and the prospect of senior football at the Point Road in 2006 is an exciting one. In the championship, O'Mahonys began their Group C campaign with a difficult task against 2004 runners-up, O Raghallaigh at Dromiskin. In a well contested game the Dundalk side lost out narrowly on a scoreline of 0-10 to 1-6 with Barry Mackin grabbing the only goal of the game. Round two produced another tricky tie as the Seans came face to face with neighbours, Na Piarsaigh, again at Dromiskin. The Point Road men managed to get something from the game on this occasion as a goal from Gerry Dooner helped them to a 1-11 apiece draw, a result that did little for either side's prospects. That meant that the Seans went into their final game looking for victory but also hoping that other results would go their way in order to keep their title aspirations alive. Although they managed to produce their best display of the competition in defeating Lannleire by 2-10 to 0-6 at Castlebellingham, it wasn't enough to put them through to the knock-out stages. The goals from Gerry Dooner and Shane Hession proved little consolation as O Raghallaigh's victory over Na Piarsaigh the following evening meant the Seans were out. But the story had a very happy ending as promotion to senior football was secured via a stunning late show in Division 2A of the all-county league. Tweet

Most Read Stories