Ten years ago, Glyde Rangers were playing junior football, but in the decade since they have established themselves as one of the most consistent senior clubs in the county. A lot of hard work both on and off the field, combined with a big effort put into juvenile structures have helped elevated the Tallanstown club to the top tier in Louth football. As it is ten years since Glyde lifted the Junior Championship trophy, they would love to end the year with a piece of senior silverware. As the season comes to a conclusion the Cardinal O'Donnell Cup is the main focus of the senior team (who topped the Division 1A table all year to reach the final) and PRO, Tommy Burns, explains that it would be fitting to win the title given that they are celebrating another significant anniversary. "The club is 80 years old and we would really love to mark the occasion by winning the senior league. Although there were clubs in the area before hand, Glyde Rangers was first registered in 1926, so this is a big year for us. "If we were to win the Cardinal O'Donnell Cup we would be more than happy. We you consider that the only time Glyde Rangers won it was as far back as 1933 then it would be a significant achievement. When you think that we won our only Senior Championship in 1934, it is a long time to wait for a senior trophy." Glyde Rangers have been performing consistently well in the league since their return to the senior ranks and will consider themselves unfortunate not to have won the O'Donnell Cup in recent years, as Tommy explains. "We got to the final in 2004 only to be beaten by Cooley Kickhams. It was disappointing because we just didn't perform on the day when we all felt we were capable of winning. We had already beaten Cooley in the league so we knew we could do it, but it just didn't happen for us.. "Perhaps the players were just a little bit overawed by the occasion and didn't do themselves justice on the day. Maybe there was also an element of sensing that we had achieved something by just getting that far, but whatever the reason, we didn't perform." For that reason, Tommy and his fellow club members would love to see Glyde getting a second chance, but heading into the final games of the season, he knew it was not going to be easy despite some good early form. "We have to be happy with the performance of the team as they have had a good run in the league and after nine games in Division 1A were sitting on top having won seven and drawn one. From there, Glyde went on to finish top of the division to secure their place in the senior league final - a repeat of the '04 decider against Cooley. This match was fixed for Sunday December 3 and had yet to be played at the time of writing. One of the most disappointing aspects of the season, and indeed recent years, has been that Glyde Rangers have been unable to transfer that league form into the championship. For many of the past seasons, Glyde have been tipped in many quarters to make a serious challenge for the Joe Ward Cup, but despite their potential, they have been unable to make any real impression on the county's top competition. For Tommy, it was a case of the same old story as the Tallanstown men failed to make it out of the group stages. "The championship was a big disappointment for us again this year. We started off Group D with a controversial win over St Brides in a game that everyone will remember when it was abandoned following a storm over a fisted goal. "That was a great start for us but we just couldn't build on that and lost 2-12 to 1-12 against Kilkerley Emmets in the next game, and I suppose that really cost us a place in the quarter-finals. I think that is the third time they have beaten us in the championship in recent years, which is frustrating because when it comes to league football we have the ability to beat them. "In the final game we were well beaten by Mattock Rangers, 4-9 to 1-5, and were very disappointed to go after playing so well in the league. "It is hard to know why it is not happening for us in the championship. Maybe it is the pressure or the extra intensity of the games, but we haven't really had a decent run in a championship since winning the Junior in 1996. It is a cause for concern as we know we can beat teams in the league but when it comes to the main event it just doesn't happen." On behalf of the committee and players, Tommy thanked former Louth and Clan na Gael player, Gerry Curran, for his efforts in training the team this year. Despite not making it to the knock-out stages of the Senior Championship, it proved no benefit when it came to the Junior 2A Championship, as Tommy explains. "We really don't have a big squad so when we play three senior championship matches, we don't have many left. It didn't help being drawn against St Patricks and although we were able to field a team, we lost heavily in the end." At underage level, Glyde Rangers are part of the Tallanstown parish side, Baile Talun. In recent years, Baile Talun have enjoyed some notable successes, but are going through a transition stage at the moment. They were entered in the Minor B Championship but lost in the semi-final of both the league and championship, as did the U-16 side. The PRO paid tribute to the various players from the club who represented Louth over the course of the season. "It was great to see Trevor O'Brien playing with Louth and helping them to win the National League and Tommy Murphy Cup. He also played for the U-21 side alongside Conor Sheridan. "Gareth Moran and his cousin Brian Duffy, played on the Louth minor team and it is great to see both of those lads coming through to play with our seniors. "Dean Matthews is another great prospect and he has been playing with Louth U-16, while David Duffy is in the U-15 squad." Off the field, it has been another busy year for Glyde Rangers with one of the main events being the continuation of the fundraiser which started in 2005. "We had a draw for a house in one of the new developments in the village and while there was a lot of hard work involved, it was a great success and will help to fund a number of projects in the near future. "It was a big undertaking but there was a very hard working committee led by Ciaran Reid who did tremendous work. From the proceeds we will be looking at putting seats in the stand, relaying the bank beside the ditch, upgrading the dressing rooms and putting in a referees' changing room. "As everyone involved in a club knows, the work is never finished and there is always something else to be done. It is very costly to run a club especially when you consider that it is an amateur game. However, thanks to the efforts of a lot of people we are able to get things done." Tweet

Most Read Stories