DARREN FLYNN — JBFC PLAYER OF THE YEAR

THERE’S simply no denying what winning the 2016 Junior ‘B’ football championship meant to Darren Flynn, from Knockananna. Not long after he starts to talk about the season and the bouncing back from relegation and you can see his eyes light up and the emotion starting to bubble into his usually calm voice.

The 2015 season had been disastrous for the border village with probably the smallest pick of any club in the county.

A terrible championship campaign resulted in the dreaded drop from Junior ‘A’ to Junior ‘B’ only a few years after the club had secured their status in Intermediate only to see a raft of retirements and emigration lay waste to a potentially golden period in the club’s history.

But Knockananna are nothing if not persistent and one of the most persistent player in the club has to be Darren Flynn.

“From the start of the year it was a totally different year, we had well over 20 lads every night, we had commitment and it was 100 per cent from the start. The players knew themselves after the previous years that something had to change,” said Darren.

Last year saw Aughrim native Eugene O’Brien assume the role of manager of Knockananna with Pat Bracken coming in as physical trainer. Darren said that the professionalism of the two men helped to build on the foundatations that were already there.

“The professionalism of the lads was amazing. They were ringing lads, texting lads, getting in touch with lads before the year had even started to get them on board. Lads that had given up football came back to play and when you’re rock bottom there’s really only one way to go.

A successful campaign sent Knockananna on a collision course with Enniskerry in the decider in Arklow on beautiful championship day and Darren said that despite the favourites tag they carried into the final the Knockananna players knew what they were facing.

“We knew that was going to be a hard match,” he said. During the match we actually got level with them and we said we’d gladly take the draw that day but then Keith Corrigan took the ball at corner-back and the ball was worked all the way up the field and Paddy Byrne, the right man in the right place, and you know yourself,” he said.

Darren Flynn said that the championship win, given the small catchment area, was huge for the club.

“For such a small club, with probably a few miles of a catchment area, it was huge. What was most important about the win was what it did for my village. I got more enjoyment over what it did for my village, from the kids who were down in the field from day one, and at each training session. From day one they wanted to get involved. Garry (Bradley) said it in his speech about Eoin Canna and that young lad was down in the field every training session and getting water and getting the balls. He was super. And all the kids were great, and they’d be looking up to you, and that’s what it’s all about,” he said.

“I’m delighted to get the award. It’s nice when you win cups but it’s a bonus to get the likes of this and, I suppose, you’re nothing without the lads on either side of you and on the team with you, and I’m only here representing the team tonight,” he added.