Gerry Robinson reports on how Baile Talun bridged a 32-year gap by deservedly clinching the 2001 Louth Minor Football Championship. It was a magnificent year for the young footballers of Baile Talun as they captured the minor championship for the first time in 32 years and only the second time in the club's history. Ultimately, their 1-15 to 1-8 victory over Sean Treacys in the county final was about as decisive as they come and sparked great celebrations in the mid-Louth area. Drawing players from the Glyde Rangers, Sean McDermotts, Westerns and John Mitchells clubs, Baile Talun were quite simply the best minor team in the Wee County over the course of the year . . . so the celebrations were justified. The final took place at the Gaelic Grounds in Drogheda on Sunday September 22nd as the curtain-raiser to the Blues/Mattock senior decider and the Tallanstown outfit put in a performance worthy of such a stage, impressing the huge attendance and mesmerising their opponents in the second half with an exhibition of pure football. The breakthrough comes at a time when football in the general area is on a real high (Westerns, Seans and Glyde all had noteworthy seasons) and is as firm an indication as we've had yet that such a scenario is set to continue. Added spice was brought to the final by the fact that a number of the players on duty were due to meet again a fortnight later when Sean McDermotts and Naomh Fionnbarra met in the intermediate championship final. Baile Talun established the platform for their seven-point win through their dominance of the midfield sector, where Westerns' Terence Sweeney and McDermotts' Daniel Woods held the upper hand throughout against a much-vaunted Treacys pairing including U17 International Rules Series representative John Doyle. The winners started sharply and looked like they might run away with it from the off but the Togher side clawed back and made a fight of it (in the first half at least) to trail by just a point at the interval. Having watched their opponents draw level with the first score of the second half, Baile Talun finally took the game by the scruff of the neck and ensured themselves of victory with an unbroken scoring sequence of 1-7 from the 35th until the 50th minute. All the shellshocked Treacys could do at that stage was look back on how the game was won and lost: Baile Talun captain Daniel Woods opened the scoring from an early free and corner forward Diarmuid Durnin added a second point immediately. It was one-way traffic at this stage and Terence Sweeney combined with his centrefield partner to fire the Tallanstown outfit into a three-point lead. Treacys finally got on the scoreboard in the eighth minute but poor defending thereafter allowed Sweeney in for his second point, the Westerns man casually volleying between the uprights. Points were swapped at either end before Treacys hit two scores in a row to move within a point at 0-5 to 0-4. But Baile Talun refused to panic, registering points through Conor Sheridan and Kevin Carroll and, even though Sean Treacys pulled a couple back before the short whistle, they still took a one-point advantage with them into the break. Half time: Baile Talun 0-7, Sean Treacys 0-6 When Treacys equalised at the start of the second period there was nothing to indicate the one-sided nature the game was about to take on: Baile Talun would run rampant during the course of a fifteen-minute spell which confirmed that the Larry Murphy Cup was on its way to mid-Louth. Terence Sweeney and Daniel Woods supplied some terrific scores to ease Baile Talun into a 0-11 to 0-7 lead after 42 minutes. Then came the killer blow - Baile Talun's goal. The winners were really into their stride and high on confidence and a slick passing move ended with Kevin Carroll blasting to the net. When John O'Brien and Trevor O'Brien (2) followed this up with more points there was clear daylight between the teams, 1-14 to 0-7, with just over ten minutes left to play. Treacys registered a well-taken goal from the penalty spot before Diarmuid Durnin replied with the winners' last score. There was only enough time for the Treacys to grab a consolation point before minor board chairman Paddy Oliver presented the Larry Murphy Cup to captain Daniel Woods who also picked up the Match of the Match award. At the start of the year, few would have predicted that either of these teams would have made it through to the final, but they both progressed to the big day on merit and nobody could argue that Baile Talun weren't full value for their county title success. Treacys qualified for the final when they fought back to frustrate defending champions Clan Na Gael in the first semi-final while, a week later, Baile Talun were on top of their game when impressively accounting for Valley Rangers in the second 'semi'. Meanwhile, Baile Talun's other victims en route to the final were Hill/O'Mahonys and Naomh Mairtin. It was a sweet success for Baile Talun - not only did they take the county crown for the first time since 1969, they also made amends for their unfortunate defeat at the hands of Clans in the 1999 decider at Haggardstown. Baile Talun was founded in 1965 and made an immediate impact when winning the Mid Louth U14 and U16 leagues in 1965 and '66. The club affiliated to the County Board in 1968 and won its first county minor title the following year when Cooley were beaten in the final at Louth village. Who'd have thought they'd wait another 32 years before winning it again? Indeed, the '99 defeat to the Clans represents the only other time they've appeared in the minor final, but one suspects there could now be plenty more where that came from. The club has always been prominent over the years, winning Mid Louth and all-county leagues at various grades while a number of players also earned county representative honours at different levels. Officers in 2001 were Brendan Flynn (Chairman), Johnny Burns (Secretary), Hugh O'Neill (Treasurer), Kevin Carroll, Marty Garland, David Byrne, Brendan Courtney, Richie Barry, Gerry Melia and Mick Judge. Baile Talun, 2001 Louth Minor Football Champions: Kevin Moran; Richard Sweeney, Brendan Finley, Pearse Kelly; David Matthews, Carl Courtney, Thomas Durnin; Daniel Woods (0-5), Terence Sweeney (0-3); Kevin Carroll (1-1), Shane Barry, Conor Sheridan (0-1); Trevor O'Brien (0-2), John O'Brien (0-1), Diarmuid Durnin (0-2). Sub: Mark O'Brien for Kelly. Team mentors: Brendan Courtney, Gerry Melia, Tommy Burns. Glyding Glyde Rangers enjoyed a satisfactory season among the big boys, proving that - despite their relative youth - they have what it takes to rub shoulders with the best of the rest in the Wee County. Speaking to Gerry Robinson, proud club Chairman Patsy Reid reports on why heads are being held high in Tallanstown these days. In winning the Toner Cup in 2000 by virtue of a runaway Division 2A league success (eleven victories from twelve outings), Glyde Rangers booked a return to senior football for the first time since 1978. When the draw was made for the group stages of the 2001 senior championship, the buzzing in and around the picturesque mid-Louth village of Tallanstown went into overdrive. Glyde were in the same group as Newtown Blues, Stabannon Parnells and St Brides. Three cracking matches to look forward to - and the meetings with the Blues and Stabannon in particular promised to give them a fairly accurate indication of exactly where they stood. Many observers were shocked by just how well Glyde did. Okay, so they lost all three games . . . but they really put it up to their more seasoned opposition. And there was a lot more than just their championship form to draw encouragement from. Their league form was impressive too and Glyde went close to booking a place in Division 1A, losing a promotion play-off to Mattock Rangers (0-14 to 1-6) at the end of the season. The championship performance against the Brides may not have been vintage stuff (they were already out of contention before that 1-12 to 1-5 defeat) but Glyde were a revelation against the Blues and Stabannon. In their first senior championship fixture in 23 years they gave Stabannon the fright of their lives; a few weeks later, they proved this was no flash in the pan when pushing the defending champions all the way. The Blues knew they had been in a game when just about emerging on the right side of a 0-16 to 2-8 scoreline. Recounting those two classic performances, Patsy Reid has a smile on his face. He's delighted with how the lads performed bearing in mind that they were conceding so many years of experience: "You'd have to be happy with them, because they're a very young team," he points out. "Those were two great performances against the Blues and Stabannon. We were also the first team to beat St Brides in the league in a game that showed our true character - they were top of the [Division 1B] table at the time [late August] while we were struggling close to the bottom. "Our main aim for the year was to stay up senior for another year and that result was vital. It gave us something to build on and we're thrilled to be senior again next year. Playing senior football regularly is what it's all about and we'll improve even further next year." Was Patsy surprised by how well the club's young players adapted to the challenges of senior football? Many's a team has found it a step too far, but the Tallanstown representatives took it in their stride: "To be honest, I wasn't surprised at all. We have found that the better the opposition we come up against, the better we'll perform ourselves. Sometimes a team can drag you down to its own level but this doesn't happen when you come up against quality opposition, which is what we prefer. "There's a great spirit and camaraderie in our team. Most of these lads came up together through the ranks, starting out together at U12 and U14 and progressing through from there. They know each other really well and they can all play well together. That's a big advantage." A lot is made of the relative youth of this exciting Glyde outfit. Just how young are they? "We have a couple who are 18 and a couple of them are 19. After that, there are about four or five around the 21 mark and virtually everybody else on the team is under 25. This is basically a whole new team from what we had a few years ago. Some of these lads were on the team that won the junior championship in 1996 but they would have been very young back then." Glyde also won the junior championship in 1990, but they have no survivors from that team on the current side. Last year, they were knocked out in the first round of the championship but compensated with a glorious league run. They won every match they played, bar one. Going by that form and what they achieved in 2001, this team has undoubted potential. How far can they go? "I have high hopes for them", says the club Chairman, "because all they can do really is get better. They have youth on their side too. "Ken Rooney from St Mary's has been training them for the past couple of years and has done an excellent job. He has them playing a running game, with a low ball, using the space - a game which suits our young lads who have an abundance of speed and energy." David Barry, Gerard Sheridan and Andrew Sheridan have all played with the county minors in recent years. Do any of the current crew have senior intercounty potential? "If they give it the commitment, some of them should have no problem. The important thing is that they realise that football these days takes a lot of commitment. Anyone who thinks they can just turn up for a game on a Sunday having been out discoing all night Saturday is just codding themselves. You might get away with it for a couple of years, but it'll eventually catch up on you. I don't think we'll have any such problems with this crop of players, however, because their attitude is excellent." Things are also going well off the field of play: "We got a grant off the national lottery this year and we're using that to carry out repairs to the hall roof and also to do some wiring. We're also considering putting seating into the stand. We raised further funds with a successful Golf Classic which we held in Donaghmoyne on August 24th. We always make a point of getting some work done on improving the pitch each year as well." Back on said pitch, what is a realistic long-term target for Glyde Rangers? "I'd like to see them hold their own at senior and maybe go on to pick up a senior trophy. The last senior trophy we won was the old Flood Cup and it would be nice to win something at senior level again. We wouldn't be too fussy as to which competition we won - they're all County Board trophies and deserve respect." While Tallanstown is still very much a rural area, there are encouraging signs regarding a spurt of population growth which is impacting positively on the local club: "We got a few players out of the Castle View development and there are more developments in the pipeline, so we're keeping our fingers crossed. As well as ourselves, the Westerns, Seans and Mitchells all draw from the same parish, so there's no shortage of competition for players." They all play together at underage level under the Baile Talun banner, and of course, had an excellent 2001, winning the county minor championship ... further proof that football in the area is on a real high right now. Patsy Reid has lived in Tallanstown for 26 years and is a Glyde Rangers man through and through. In what must seem like a previous incarnation, he played in goals for St Mary's of Ardee, winning SFCs in 1968 and '72 and also playing in the '71 county final. He also helped himself to various Old Gaels and Cardinal O'Donnell Cups as well as a second division championship medal. He's been actively involved with Glyde since 1990 and has been Chairman for six years in total (two stints). He was responsible for giving most of the current senior team their grounding in gaelic football as he took charge of them at U10 and U12 levels back in the early 'nineties. "Since then, they've won two Ranafast Cups, a junior championship and an intermediate league - the only thing left is something at senior level. And the way they played this year against the Blues and Stabannon, I wouldn't rule that out." Nor, indeed, would I. Tweet

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