SYDDAN ‘It’s my ball’ says Ben Bashford
Syddan’s wait for a return to the top flight of Meath championship football goes on after a 2012 IFC campaign which was effectively derailed when they lost their first two group matches to Na Fianna and Dunderry.
T
he club has to go back to 1999 for its last triumph in the intermediate grade and their bid to reach the knockout stages was also frustrated last year, though they just missed out when finishing a point adrift of Gaeil Colmcille and Dunderry in a tricky section. They achieved victories over the Kells men and St Michael’s, drew with Carnaross and lost to Dunderry in their final match. They went for a very experienced man to guide their intermediate team this year in former Meath player, selector and manager Eamonn O’Brien, but they had to plan without a number of players who emigrated. On a more positive note they had the services of Brian Dillon from the word go this year after his return from abroad last summer. However, he headed off to Australia after they completed their group campaign. Syddan were drawn in group B of the championship and that meant they were again pitted against
IT’S A NUMBERS GAME FOR SYDDAN Dunderry and St Michael’s, as well as Na Fianna, who were to take the competition by storm, and Clann na nGael. It was a section from which they must have entertained realistic hopes of making further progress, despite so many absentees. However, they didn’t make the desired winning start when they made the long trip to Trim to play Na
Fianna in the championship opener and the concession of three first half goals, all of them to Shane Barrett, left them with a mountain to climb. It was one they were unable to scale. Syddan started encouragingly with a couple of points from Gary Farrelly, but they then had a penalty saved and that seemed to spur Na Fianna on as they pushed into a 3-3 to 0-4
The squad on duty for the IFC game with St Michael’s at Pairc Tailteann, front l/r: Michael Sweeney, Darren Smith, Fiachra Ross, Paddy Farrelly, Ian Curran, Mark Fedigan, Ronan Mooney, Cormac Rowe, Sean Malone. Back: Barry McConnell, Paul Smith, Gary McManus, Robert Farrelly, GaryFarrelly, Dermot Rowe, Kevin Traynor, Pauric Young, Ciaran Farrelly, David Sullivan, Stephen Dillon, Ben Bashford, Niall Hackett, Paddy Rafferty, Stephen Finnegan
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