Eleven years have now passed since Ardee St Marys defeated St Patricks at Dromiskin to claim the 1995 Louth SFC. The Deesiders made the knockout stage again in '06 but - not for the first time in recent seasons - came a cropper against peninsula opposition. Despite the obvious frustration caused by the disappointing quarter-final defeat to Cooley, full back Hugh Diamond is adamant that the Marys are moving in the right direction and vows to collect at least one county SFC medal before hanging up his boots. Try as they may, St Marys just can't seem to get back into the SFC-winning frame. In 2006, the Ardee men once more flattered to deceive, emerging from their group in fine fettle before succumbing meekly to Cooley Kickhams at the first knockout hurdle. Having amassed huge scores in their previous outings against Roche Emmets and Clan na Gael, St Marys had their tails up ahead of the quarter-final showdown at Dowdallshill on Saturday July 29, but they misfired badly and exited the senior championship race without so much as a whimper. Nobody was more disappointed leaving St Brigid's Park that evening than the players themselves. They had failed on three counts: to do themselves justice; to live up to the billing of genuine SFC contenders; and to bring glory back to a traditional mid-county gaelic football stronghold that craves major success like never before. Hugh Diamond, who wore the No.3 shirt against Cooley that fateful day in late July, echoes the sense of regret in the Marys camp when he says: "We just didn't show up and we were very disappointed with the performance we gave. We have no-one to blame but ourselves. We had all the work done, we had the players, and our spirits were high after the big scores in the last two group games. We really fancied ourselves to beat Cooley and go through to a semi-final at least, but the performance was nowhere near good enough and we deserved to lose. We could have no complaints." It's not the first time St Marys have failed to deliver on the big stage - why are they finding it so difficult to express themselves in the latter stages of the SFC when it matters most? "Cooley seem to have a hoodoo over us and I don't know if it's psychological or what it is, but it's become a hurdle that we can't get over. It's an issue we're going to have to address, though, because Cooley and the Pats are in the shake-up every year now and we won't win a championship without beating those teams. "We went into the game full of confidence and the mood in the team was very positive. We knew we had a great chance, but unfortunately we didn't produce anything on the pitch. There's a lot of talent in this Marys team but not one of our players could hold their head up and say they had a good night. We didn't perform at all and we regret it big time, especially looking at the way the draw went after that. "We know ourselves that we have to start winning these big games. You don't get handed a championship in Louth. More often than not, you will meet Cooley or Pats in a semi-final. The Blues and Collon complete the Top Four in the county at the moment, and we are only there or thereabouts after that. We're still not there; we're not performing to the level we should be." When St Josephs came from nowhere to eliminate two of the perceived big guns (Mattock and Newtown Blues) en route to the 2006 SFC final, were the Marys thinking 'we should be able to do that'? "Definitely. The four teams I mentioned are the benchmark but the Joes have surprised everybody and they have shown that there's not a lot between any of the top teams in Louth. We played them in the league without Darren [Clarke], Ronan [Carroll] or a few others and beat them comfortably. I know they didn't have Ollie McDonnell or 'Skid' Reilly that day, but you would have written them off on that performance. So it shows what can be achieved if a team gets it right on the day and believe in themselves. We know we have the players, so it's just a question of playing to our true potential when it counts…" The Marys opened their Group C account with an unlucky 0-15 to 2-8 defeat to the Blues at Collon on Sunday June 4 but were soon back on track after superb victories over Roche Emmets (2-14 to 0-4) in Louth village on July 1 and Clan na Gael (2-13 to 1-8) at Haggardstown a fortnight later. Despite an injury-time goal from substitute David Woods, they lost their quarter-final clash with Cooley by 0-12 to 1-6. As all teams in Division 1A were guaranteed their senior status for 2007 and the league subsequently had an eerily uneventful element to it, the Marys' year was effectively over. This was certainly not how they had planned it. Reflecting on the early stages of the year, Hugh notes: "It was Colin [Kelly]'s first year in charge and I didn't know what to expect initially. Some of the lads had worked with him before but I hadn't. I was very impressed by his input. He got a good response at the start of the year and, even though we had a few bad results, we quickly got into it and started to play the way we wanted to play. The league was totally irrelevant as we couldn't be relegated, so the manager said we were going all out for the championship and we were happy with that." When championship time came around, the Marys were in good nick and hoped to make a genuine bid for outright honours. "Considering the way we played, we thought we deserved more out of the Blues game," Hugh continues. "Towards the end, we had three or four chances to get a draw or even to snatch the win, but it wasn't to be. "We bounced back with two big wins. I was injured for the Roche game but the boys scored 1-7 in each half, which is great scoring in any game, and we got a similar return against the Clans, who are sticky opponents at the best of times. We were scoring heavily so we knew we had a good chance of beating Cooley." St Marys averaged almost 17 points in their three group matches. The paltry return of 1-6 from the quarter-final (with the goal arriving in injury time) is inexplicable and something they clearly need to work on. "We still have a young team - Alan Kirk came in as a 19-year-old and Lee Martin is only gone 18 - and one or two years' experience of senior football counts for a lot. We all learn more as the years go on so hopefully we can put the experience to good effect and learn from our defeats." The people of Ardee expect success. They want this team to deliver. Does that add extra pressure? "In fairness, most of the expectation comes from within. We're a big club and eleven years is too long without a senior championship. It was 20 years before 1995 and we're getting close to that again! We should be winning at least one in the next two or three years." Hugh Diamond has been on the St Marys first team for eight years, since he was 18, and refuses to even contemplate the possibility of NOT winning a SFC souvenir: "That's one thing I have to get. There's no two ways about it - I need to win one. We need to win it. It's just a matter of knuckling down and getting the attitude right. When we come up against the big teams, we have to perform. There has been a stumbling block for a few years but this team is about to come of age and I'm convinced we'll get over it." What are the targets for next year then, from a team perspective and from a personal point of view? "We have one year under our belts with Colin Kelly and we know what he's about and what he wants. I'm very impressed by him and things are really looking up for this team. We can go out next year and put past disappointments behind us. Personally, I'd be happy to stay injury free and keep playing senior football with the club, to play every game and take it from there. I've been riddled with injuries and it sets you back. It would be nice to work through a season without any problems and to win something at the end of it. All I have so far is one Cardinal O'Donnell medal; the goal is to add a senior championship." The safest hands in Ardee Patsy McCoy was inducted into the St Marys Hall of Fame in 2006. It was a fitting honour for an outstanding clubman who has served the Marys in virtually every capacity. During the course of an extraordinary playing career, Pasty established himself as one of Ardee's greatest ever goalkeepers. A former club chairman and selector to boot, Patsy has given a lifetime of unbelievable service to his beloved club. Rarely, if ever, in the history of Louth GAA has there been a more deserving Hall of Fame recipient than Patsy McCoy from Ardee. Pasty entered the St Marys Hall of Fame in '06 and he certainly belongs in such esteemed company. A true blue Marys man all his life, Patsy gave the Deeside club over 60 years of faithful service. He was a brilliant goalkeeper, helping the Marys to three SFCs and five Cardinal O'Donnell Cups during the course of a 20-year playing career. Patsy helped the Marys to another Joe Ward success as a selector in 1972 and also served the club in a variety of administrative capacities, including chairman. He captained the Marys to an Old Ranafast Cup success 57 years ago and still lends his vocal support at all major games these days. A proud family tradition is maintained by the presence of grandsons Shane and Barry McCoy on the present St Marys senior panel, and their father Vinny has also been a huge asset to the club as both a player and coach. Patsy has some great stories to tell, too, and we have a couple here to relate from a great man who rightfully holds a special place in St Marys GAA annals. Fittingly, Patsy McCoy and St Marys GFC were born around about the same time - and have been lifelong companions. Patsy held practically every position in the club over the years: a superb custodian; a proud blue; a diligent officer; an intelligent trainer; and an avid supporter. Patsy played a key role in many major successes for the Ardee club and is still greatly interested in the Marys' fortunes today. It was back in 1948 that Pasty McCoy first came to prominence as goalkeeper on the St Marys side that marked the club's 20th anniversary by capturing the Louth senior football championship. That was only St Marys' second-ever SFC (the breakthrough success occurred two years earlier). In 1949, Patsy was captain of the side that won the second division to claim the Old Ranafast Cup. The medals continued to come thick and fast during a golden ear for Ardee football: the Joe Ward returned to the Deeside town in 1951 and again in '55, while Patsy and his team-mates also helped themselves to an unbelievable FIVE Cardinal O'Donnell Cup victories. Not to mention the various tournament and subsidiary competition successes enjoyed by the club back in those halcyon days. It was indeed a brilliant time for the Marys and, as one of the most formidable goalkeepers in the Wee County, Patsy McCoy more than played his part on a star-studded team (see the accompanying photo of the 1948 SFC-winning side, which is almost a Who's Who of St Marys legends, including many who featured for Louth in the 1950 All-Ireland final). Indeed, it is also worth pointing out that Patsy's younger brother Barney played for the county in the glory year, 1957. Amazingly, Patsy also found time (and versatility) to hurl with the now defunct Naomh Colmcille club in Ardee, winning two county senior hurling championships into the bargain. As chairman, the man from Dawson's Demesne was a driving force and he always did everything he could to encourage people to get involved in the club in any way. An Ardee man born and bred, Patsy formed the management triumvirate alongside Gussy Kerr and Nicky Roe that oversaw the county SFC success of 1972. The Marys have only won two senior championships since then - in '75 and '95 - so they could perhaps be doing with a few more Patsy McCoys! One of the best stories Patsy has to tell comes from a game played in the spring of 1951, when he lined out against a Dublin side at a Meath border venue: "It was in Stamullen and the Dublin senior team The Westerns were playing St Marys. One of the members of the Westerns team introduced himself to me as Mulderrig [a member of the Mayo team that beat Louth in the All-Ireland final at Croke Park the previous September]. He said 'I had a hand in beating you last year'. "Continuing, he said: 'I was speaking to Simon Deignan, who was referee for the All-Ireland final in 1950, and he told me that we [Mayo] were the luckiest team ever to win an All-Ireland.' The referee Deignan went on to say that Mick Flanagan had over-run the ball for the disputed goal but that when he reached for his whistle it was jammed between his togs and his jersey. And Mayo won the All-Ireland." Another great story from the early '50s underlines just how strong a team St Marys were at that time: "Paddy Duffy, who was secretary of Louth County Board, wrote to the Marys secretary Edmund Gaffney because Louth were double-booked for two venues in Louth and Kildare that weekend. He wanted to know would the Marys go to Kildare as Louth. We went and we won…" For the past 15 years, Patsy's son Vinny has been coaching young lads in the club, including most of the present senior side. Vinny had the distinction of playing in goals for the Defence Forces in Australia and has clearly inherited his Dad's great love for the Marys. The McCoy name looks destined to remain synonymous with St Marys for many years to come, but there will only ever be one Patsy. You could say he's the real McCoy… Our ladies year 2006 was a wonderfully successful year for St. Mary's Ladies G.F.C. We have approximately 80 players registered with our club ranging in ages from 9 to 30 years old. We provide Gaelic football for U10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and adult teams. Our U10 team played in a 7 a-side blitz over a period of five weeks and this was their introduction to playing girls football which was enjoyed by all. Our U12's played in county league and championship. Our U14's had a great year they won all their league matches and played Dreadnots in league final. Captained by Emma Conlon this was a brilliant match and they won the final by three points. They also reached the U14 championship final and played Stabannon this was also a brilliant match but unfortunately they lost by three points. Orla Cunningham, the youngest player in the match, received the 'player of the match' award. Our U16's were unbeaten in the league or championship and played St. Vincent's in the final where they were captained by Niamh Reid. This was another brilliant match and a huge crowd of supporters turned up in John Mitchell's pitch to watch this match and to see St. Mary's take the U16 title winning by eight points. Our U18's also topped the table in league and championship to earn a place in final against St. Patrick's, who we lost to in final last year, but this time it was St. Mary's who ran out easy winners in horrific weather conditions. Una Coleman received the "player of match" for her outstanding performance. Our U18 team was captained by Julie O'Dowd. Our Intermediate team captained by Joyce Cunningham won all their matches in the league and played Roche Ladies in final. This was a hard fought match and St. Mary's were losing heavily at half time but their sheer determination saw them beat Roche in a thrilling game of football. Our intermediate team also reached the championship final against Newtown Blues and won out on the big day. Niamh Reid received 'player of match' for her wonderful performance. So it has been a very rewarding year for St. Mary's Ladies winning five titles in 2006. Great credit goes to all our players for their commitment throughout 2006. Tweet

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