Ellistown finish season on a high as first ever Intermediate ‘A’ champions
Ellistown, the first ever National Electrical Wholesalers Intermediate 'A' Football champions Photo: Martin Rowe
It wasn’t a classic encounter by any means, but you would have been hard pushed to find a man or woman of an Ellistown persuasion who cared a jot after their club were crowned the first-ever National Electrical Wholesalers Intermediate ‘A’ Football Championship winners at Kilcullen on Sunday afternoon.
A strong, swirling breeze had a significant impact on proceedings and made life difficult for both sides, but it was Ellistown who adapted better as they rounded off their season with a fifth successive championship victory.
As the only side in either the Intermediate or Senior Championship to win two group games and still miss out on a quarter-final place, Ellistown were desperately unlucky not to make the last eight of the main competition. Perhaps, however, their route to glory in the ‘A’ Championship will work out better in the long run.
They are a young side moving firmly in the right direction and this latest piece of silverware, added to the Junior title won in 2024, will only increase their appetite for more success.
While the team possesses plenty of youthful talent, there remains one vital cog who is very much in the veteran stage of his career. Captain Andrew McLoughlin was in his first season of senior football in 2000, the last time Ellistown claimed an Intermediate Championship. He came on as a substitute in that final victory over Rathangan and, 26 years later, remains just as enthusiastic about the game.
Now 43 years of age, McLoughlin continues to lead by example and the promising young talent around him provides hope that he may yet have an opportunity to captain his club back to the Senior Championship before eventually hanging up his boots.
In accepting the cup, McLoughlin referenced the many positive developments currently taking place within the club. They hosted a hugely successful Night at the Oskars fundraiser on the weekend before the final, while their second team captured a county title last Monday.
There is every reason for optimism about what lies ahead. Ellistown continue to enjoy success at underage level, joining forces with Nurney in the Naomh Bhríde amalgamation, while the club is also producing strong teams in the girls’ grades.
With silverware already secured at junior and now Intermediate ‘A’ level in the space of two years, Ellistown are undoubtedly a club on the rise and one currently riding the crest of a wave.
They made a flying start to the game when Pat Martin fired over a two-pointer after two minutes, and Nurney answered back with a long-range effort of their own through Cathal Hagney, but any thoughts of this turning into a spectacular shoot-out didn’t last long.
Instead, it turned into a war of attrition, but Ellistown’s shooters had the better of the exchanges.
They rattled off five unanswered points to open up a 0-7 to 0-2 lead by the 20th minute.
On the Nurney sideline, manager Alan Jordan and former League of Ireland Premier Division-winning manager Vinny Perth looked for a response from their side. They appeared to get one when Owen Kealey won possession from an Ellistown kick-out and the move culminated in a point from Ciaran Callan.
Ellistown replied with a Tadhg Watson free to make it 0-8 to 0-3.
Some of Nurney’s best play of the game came in the final minute of the half as a long spell of patient possession football ended with a point from Kealey.
They couldn’t carry that momentum into the second half, though. Former Kildare star Mikey Conway and national silver medallist shot-putter Theo Hanlon have been central to Nurney’s progress this season, just like the rest of their forward line, they just could not not find any way into the game.
Tadhg Watson and Harry Donnelly scored early in the second half and then, shortly after picking up a yellow card for a foul while in possession of the ball, Darragh Watson kicked a wonderful two-pointer with what proved to be the last score of the game in the 44th minute.
It was something of a disappointing finish to the season for Nurney, but that can’t take away from what has been a very good year for them. Promotion from Division 3 was a superb achievement and this run to the Intermediate ‘A’ final backed that up.
But this was Ellistown’s day and, as Premier League-bound striking sensation Michael Noonan mingled with supporters on the pitch afterwards, conversation quickly turned from what had been achieved in 2026 to what this talented group might accomplish in the years ahead.
