Proud day for tight band of brothers
IN a sunkissed Ashford as the Enniskerry players sang their love for manager Paudi Byrne shortly after they had clinched the Philip Doyle Junior ‘B’ Football Championship title after beating Avoca, little did anyone know where the next few hours would take this tight band of brothers.
Sadly, for many the dominant memories of this wonderful day for Enniskerry will be of the terrible accident that was to take place as the team celebrated in the village that evening but, thankfully, it wasn’t as serious as it might have been, and perhaps, given time, their recollections will go back to the entertaining county final and that feeling of exhilaration at having finally crossed the line.
Speaking after the game, team captain Gavin Barton said that the team had began the year manageless and had finished with a county title thanks to former Ballinacor boss Paudi Byrne taking them to the next level.
‘At the start of the year we had no manager,’ began Gavin. ‘One of the lads, Seamus O’Gorman, stood up, we played our first game against Shillelagh-Coolboy, won that, and Paudi stepped in after that and he brought us on to the next level. Huge credit to him for this.
‘He’s brought us over his neck of the woods, training up in Glenmalure, up in Glendalough, different training this year has brought us on,’ he said.
A tough semi-final battle with Knockananna was the final hurdle Enniskerry had to cross. Aftera coujty final defeat to the same opposition three years before it was vital that they dig out a victory and they did just that.
‘Yeah, three years ago they bet us in the final, good side, we didn’t actually play too well in that game, and they kicked a lot of wides as well so they’re probably kicking themselves as well, but the lads dug it out and got through,’ said Gavin.
Avoca, as always, approached this game with savage intensity but it was the socring of the two goals that were key to Enniskerry’s victory.
‘We got the early goal at the start, we always knew Avoca wou0ld bring the intensity, we played them this year and they bet us down there in the first group game. We regrouped after that, we kind of said we need to havea look at ourselves and we said that if we got another chance at them we would take it and thankfully today we did.
‘We got the first goal; I went short and our lad just got it. The same for the second, I hit a bad free and thankfully the lads were on the other end to help me out,’ said Gavin.
Having suffered several county final defeats in recent years Gavin Barton said that winning this battle means everything to the club.
‘It means everything. This squad, we’ve been here the last four or five years, we lost to Knockananna, lost to Rathnew, Carnew three or four years before that. We kind of had to keep coming back, keep coming back and finally we got it. It’s hard every year coming back but finally it’s paid off.
‘This year was the first year we had over 20 up training. The last few years we had small numbers and we were just getting through and this year Paudi put the fear of God in the lads, you were nearly afraid not to turn up. If you weren’t there, he was hounding you,’ he said.