Louth GAA club | “This is what we live for” says Matthews

Few people are more optimistic and hopeful than Oliver Plunketts chairman and lifelong servant, Michael Matthews. Reflecting on his career, he recalls the successes and setbacks that shaped both himself and the club.

Speaking ahead of the DKIT Sport Louth Junior Football Championship final, he said: “All those medals, ‘81, ‘82, in ‘83 we were beaten by the Joes in the Grove.

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“1984, then we were relegated, '84 we won junior. ‘85, we won the intermediate against Sean O’Mahonys, and we also lost against our good friends, Gyde Rangers (1996).”

Before looking ahead to Sunday’s clash, Matthews took a moment to address the tragic loss of Louise, Mark, and Evan O'Connor last week.

“Can I just say before we go on, our thoughts are with Annaghminnion and Tallanstown, over what happened - it’s a tragedy, and we send our thoughts to both communities.”

Matthews sees Sunday as a reward for years of work and a chance to inspire the next generation.“I suppose it was always going to happen, wasn't it, after Mick Sr. I'm delighted; it was a tough year.

“We were just saying earlier how this is going to be great for our underage, for our juvenile section. It'll give us a good boost. It's going to be great. So, it is a good build-up. And, yeah, looking forward to it.”

Long wait

It’s been 11 long years since the Plunketts’ last final, and Matthews admits that the wait has made the moment feel overdue.

“In 2014, you think you're going to be in the finals for the next three or four years, but it never happens. We're looking forward to it. That was a tough one against Glen Emmetts in Stabannon.”

The chairman knows better than most that football is about enduring both peaks and valleys.

“My father used to say, You have to lose one to win one. We lost about 20. It's the truth, though. We lost that final in ‘83. Danny Culligan was captain, and we were relegated the same year and then won the league double and championship double in '84, the centenary year.

“Then in ‘85, we went up and beat Sean O'Mahonys in Ardee in the final. That was a purple patch those years, then we probably went senior when some of us were at the wrong age. The mixture wasn't right, we were always struggling at senior.

“I mean, the GAA is great. The GAA is the best sport in the world. I mean, this is what we live for. Like, it's slashing rain out there, but it means nothing to the boys, not when you're in a final. This is what it's all about, you forget that.”

Confident

With the build-up in full swing, Matthews admits excitement is mixed with nerves.

“The next few days are going to be great. But we just have to get it over the line. It's no good, you know, having a great time and passing over. It's going to be a dogfight.

“Glyde are a very good team – battlers. We've never got it easy. But quietly confident. Quietly, not cocky, confident.

“(We have won) Five (games) on the trot. When I was playing, you didn't get five. Three games and you're in the final. Five games, and actually, Clan na Gael was six on the trot, the last game of the league. So, we're building.”

Commitment

Asked what’s changed this year, Matthews points to commitment.

“I think it's the buy-in. The players have to buy into it, don't they? I mean, Emmitt has been great for us, Emmett Kelleher. And the boys have bought into it.

“Sometimes it takes them a long, long time to cop on and say, look, we're going to forget about soccer, forget about the late nights.

“And they have bought into it this year. And with Darren Moore, who has come in as trainer, he has added that little spice, I have to say.”

The future

Beyond the pitch, the club itself is building for the future.

“Yeah, we have a five-year plan and new lights, a new hall, a walkway. So, please God, this all helps. We've got 270 more houses going in down the road.

“We did a little sports day here a couple of weeks ago with the Indian community, and we're trying to pull those in.

“You know, they're all in the schools and all that. And that's very important. So, it is to try and get them involved with the club, and thankfully, they are. We're a very diverse club.”

The growth of the local schools has also broadened the Plunketts’ reach.

“Well, St. Joseph's School probably was always the Plunketts, but now you have kids from O’Raghallaighs all over the town coming there.

“So, they're pulling from the school more than anything else. It's very tough, but we are getting on well together.”

Nerves

And while Sunday will be all about the players, Matthews admits the nerves will be no less for himself.

“That never leaves, and anyone who tells you it does they're telling lies. I just love the smell of the dressing room. And you see Stabannon last weekend, the pitch. You'd love to put the boots back on.”

A hands-on chairman by his own admission, Matthews laughs that not everyone might agree.

“Yeah, I'd like to think so. There's a few fellas that might disagree with you there, haha. I've got a bit of time on my hands.”

Family 

For him, family is never far from mind when it comes to the Plunketts’.

“We were just saying, you miss Mick Snr, you miss Dan Woods, and Patsy McArdle, they're all gone.

“Look, as I said, time moves on. And there was a time every time I'd come in here, I'd be looking for my dad, but he'll be looking down on us.”