KNOCKANANNA

Knockananna started their league campaign under the new management team of Pat Lambe, Anthony Tracey and Declan Whelan away to Vallymount on Saturday evening last and suffered a very heavy defeat to a well drilled and experienced Vallymount outfit.

Many people may be hoping that the club could build on the fantastic success of the previous two years, but moving up to Intermediate was always going to be a tough ask particularly as this team is on the road for the last 12 years with only one or two new faces joining the panel in that length of time.

The most pleasing thing about last Saturday was for the first time in 20 yeas we have nine new faces, all of whom are 17 years of age and this bodes well for the future.

While the defeat on Saturday may have been hard to take, it’s worth remembering that only four players from the championship winning team and the team that gained promotion last year started the game.

Most of these lads that were missing will be back over the few months so we should be in good fettle come championship time on August 4.

On a separate note the club would like to thank Pat Bracken and Eugene O’Brien for the last two years and two nicer fellows you couldn’t meet.

They have brought a whole new approach to training and tactics etc. and was very enjoyable particularly 2016, culminating with the Swan Cup victory over Ashford.

Thanks also to Paul Canna and to Denis Kinsella who replaced Anthony Tracey last year as selector.

In a two-year period we played 37 matches, winning 28, drawing one and losing eight and five of them were league games.

Apart from the league final against Vallymount which we lost by 10 points, the biggest defeat we suffered was six points and that’s testament to a great team and management.

Knockananna will be running a race night on March 18 in the Wagon Wheels. Horses are priced at €10 and are on sale now from all good committee members, and some bad ones.