2005 was another disappointing year for Kilbeggan Shamrocks with their involvement in the intermediate football championship being ended at the quarter-final stage. Despite this, there is no shortage of optimism in the club as they gear up for the new campaign according to former secretary Damien McLoughlin. September 4 2005 is a day which continues to haunt Kilbeggan Shamrocks. The maroon and whites arrived in Cusack Park for an intermediate football championship quarter-final against Shandonagh with high hopes, but not for the first time in recent years, they failed to live up to expectations as they exited the championship with a whimper. "The lads just didn't perform on the day," former Kilbeggan secretary Damien McLoughlin ruefully reflects. "We were ahead at half-time but we faded badly in the second half. We are much better than we showed against Shandonagh and anyone who saw our performance against Killucan in the Intermediate Cup semi-final will vouch for that. That game took place a few weeks before Killucan won the intermediate championship and I think they were taken aback by how well we played." McLoughlin, who was replaced by Keith Gorry as club secretary at the recent AGM, feels that Kilbeggan have consistently underperformed in recent seasons and attributes this to a lack of confidence and self-belief on the part of some players. "What's holding us back is the fact that many of the younger players don't have enough belief in themselves. They don't truly believe that we can win the intermediate championship. By contrast, the guys who were involved when we last won the championship in 2000 are convinced that we can do it. If the younger players had the same belief, I've no doubt we would win the championship again and perhaps make an impact at senior level. "Kilbeggan was always a senior club up until about 15 years ago and we are striving to get back to that level again." Under the guidance of former Coralstown/Kinnegad stalwart Joe Giles and his co-selectors Dermot Smith and Philip Kiernan, Kilbeggan opened their 2005 intermediate championship campaign with a 4-10 to 2-10 victory Milltown at Castletown-Geoghegan. The result was never in doubt with Aidan Gorry and Stephen Conroy both finding the net in the opening six minutes. The same two attackers swooped for another goal apiece to leave Kilbeggan leading by 4-3 to 0-7 at the break. Inspired by Stephen Somers who amassed an impressive tally of 2-8, Milltown reduced the gap to two points midway through the second half, but Kilbeggan responded with a flurry of points from Kevin Smith, Emmet Dalton and Keith Gorry to finally end the Milltown challenge. Joe Giles' charges chalked up their second win when they had four points to spare over Tang at Moate. The sides were level on 0-5 at the interval, but the introduction of Mattie McCormack for Leon Carberry in the second half enabled Kilbeggan to take a grip on proceedings and they had opened up a four-point lead by the three-quarter stage. Tang failed to get any closer in the final quarter with Kilbeggan eventually running out winners by 0-14 to 0-10. Kilbeggan maintained their 100 per cent record when accounting for Milltownpass by 2-12 to 2-7 at Cusack Park. A Keith Gorry goal helped the maroons to a 1-5 to 1-3 interval advantage, but Milltownpass recovered to restore parity by the 40th minute. When David Wright scored a second Milltownpass goal in the 53rd minute, Kilbeggan looked to be facing defeat but Kevin Smith replied almost immediately with a similar score, and Keith Gorry, Emmet Dalton and Stephen Conroy tagged on further points before the end to seal the win. However, Kilbeggan's hopes of reaching the knock-out stages suffered a double blow when they lost to both Rosemount and Bunbrosna. Rosemount stormed into a 0-6 to 0-1 lead after 18 minutes and were 1-6 to 0-3 ahead at the interval thanks to a goal from Danny Fielding. Kilbeggan threatened a comeback after the restart when Emmet Dalton, Keith Gorry and Michael Fox hit three points in succession, but a second Rosemount goal from Michael Loddick ended the game as a contest and saw the black and ambers prevail on a 2-12 to 0-9 scoreline. Against Bunbrosna, Kilbeggan got off to the perfect start when Keith Gorry scored an early goal. Aidan Gorry also hit the post and had another goal disallowed for a square ball infringement. These misses were to prove crucial as a fortuitous Bunbrosna battled back to take a 1-3 to 1-3 lead into the break. Following the restart, Bunbrosna took complete control, adding an impressive 1-6 between the 31st and 50th minutes, while Kilbeggan could only manage one point during the same period. Kilbeggan's misery was completed when Aidan Gorry missed a late penalty, but it wouldn't have made any difference as Bun coasted to a 2-10 to 1-5 victory. Kilbeggan's championship aspirations were now hanging by a thread and they needed to beat Maryland in their final group match to remain in contention for the Peter Geraghty Cup. The Drumraney outfit dominated the opening half, but a tally of nine wides saw the sides go into the break on level terms. The teams were still deadlocked on 0-8 each after 47 minutes, but Kilbeggan finished with three unanswered points to go through to the quarter-finals as runners-up to Rosemount in the group. With PJ Ward returning from the US and John Brennan also making himself available for selection, Kilbeggan had reason to fancy their chances against Shandonagh and when Ward punched an early goal, everything seemed to be going according to plan. Kilbeggan's lead was short lived, however, as Shandonagh replied with an Andy Fox goal two minutes later after his penalty had been saved by Leon Carberry. Points from midfielders Colin Galligan and David Duffy added to Shandonagh's momentum, but they were rocked before half-time when Kilbeggan registered 1-2 in a three-minute spell to lead at the break. These scores should have provided the spark for Kilbeggan to go on and win the game but instead, they faded badly as Enda Kincaid grabbed two goals in a five-minute spell after the restart. Two points from Aidan Gorry and PJ Ward reduced the deficit to the minimum midway through the half, but Shandonagh finished the stronger to claim a 3-8 to 2-6 victory. Kilbeggan had an encouraging All-County League Division 2 campaign, but were left disappointed after narrowly missing out on promotion to the top division. "We finished on 12 points, and Athlone got promoted on 13. But for a defeat to Rosemount, we would have been promoted," Damien ruefully reflects. At the time of writing, the Brosnasiders were waiting to play Bunbrosna in the delayed 2005 Intermediate Cup final. For the first time in three years, Kilbeggan fielded a team in the under 21 championship. They recorded good wins over Maryland and Rosemount before losing to Caulry at the quarter-final stage. "It meant a lot to the club to be able to field an under 21 team again. Apart from Stephen Conroy, all of last year's team is eligible for the grade once again this year. We have been working hard at underage level over the past few years and it's good to see an increase in our playing numbers." Despite last year's collapse at the hands of Shandonagh, McLoughlin - who is a county minor football selector - is upbeat about the coming season. He takes encouragement from the fact that the squad had been bolstered by new signing Mike Murphy, and the availability of PJ Ward and John Brennan after they missed most of the 2005 campaign. "We have secured the services of a very good footballer in Mike Murphy. Mike is a former Donegal minor who spent a lot of time in the States. "PJ Ward is back playing great football for club and county, while John Brennan has committed himself to us after withdrawing a transfer request. A lot of our younger players have come on in leaps and bounds over the past year or two. Fergal Scally was our most improved player last year and I felt he was unlucky not to make the county panel. All the signs are that we will have a much stronger panel in 2006." McLoughlin also welcomes the decision by Joe Giles to continue as manager for a second season. "We're delighted that Joe has agreed to remain in charge for another year. We haven't had any real continuity since Pat Flanagan was manager, but at least we have managed to change that trend. Joe has had the best part of a year to get to know the players and we're looking forward to a big year. Kilbeggan have been big underachievers and it's time to put that right," he concludes. Tweet

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