Martin Smith was club chairman and full forward

1996 FINAL Rathmolyon's second Jubilee Cup success was memorable

It's doubtful if Brian Clough ever saw a game of hurling, or even saw a hurling stick, but he did know something about what it took to make a team successful.

The Nottingham Forest side Clough managed so adroitly with his assistant Peter Taylor enjoyed considerable success, including league titles and European Cup triumphs in 1979 and 1980, defeating Malmo and Hamburg respectively in the two finals.

"Old big 'ead", as Clough was fond of referring to himself, fully appreciated the importance of claiming the big prize twice for all sorts of reasons.

He knew how significant it was especially in silencing the doubters, the sceptics, the cynics.

"You win something once and people say it's all down to luck. You win it twice and it shuts the buggers up," he said.

Those who were involved with the Rathmolyon hurling team in the mid-1990s could, no doubt, relate to Clough's observation.

The Village side claimed the Meath SHC in 1993, relying on a large slice of fortune - as well as composure and resilience - to defeat surprise-packets Wolfe Tones and win the club's first senior crown.

They stumbled and fell in the 1994 and 1995 senior campaigns, but in 1996 Rathmolyon achieved glory again, overcoming Kilmessan in Trim in the SHC final and by so doing removing any doubt that their team of that era was made up of players who had the 'right stuff,' who deserved to be lauded as true champions.

One of the Rathmolyon players who was instrumental in both triumphs was Martin Smith.

When he spoke to the Meath Chronicle he could hardly believe 25 years have sped by since the '96 win was achieved, before commenting wistfully how time passes quickly.

He looks back on that year now and sees his team's victory as something truly memorable. Special.

There's always something special, of course, in a club claiming their first senior title, but for Smith - as it proved for Clough - winning the title twice brought an extra layer of satisfaction.

"I certainly don't mean any disrespect to Wolfe Tones, but in '93 they had just come up from intermediate and we only scraped through, we got out of jail that year," he said.

"However, in 1996 we won by beating Kilmessan, that's like beating Kilkenny in an All-Ireland final, you know you have beaten the best around.

"Yes it was great to win the first one, of course it was and as I said, no disrespect to Wolfe Tones, they had a great side around that time, but beating Kilmessan in '96 meant a lot more. Kilmessan were the top team for so long."

By '96 Smith was in his early 30s and had a world of experience behind him as a hurler at club and inter-county levels.

He had grown up turning out in the green of his club. He was also only 16 when he started playing senior hurling for Meath, something that just wouldn't be allowed today for health and safety reasons alone.

In the early 1980s Rathmolyon (who won the IHC in 1975) looked poised to win their first senior title - but Smith and his clubmates were to suffer one crushing setback after another.

"We got into the senior finals in 1982, '83 and '84 but lost all three of them, that was a killer," he recalled.

"That was a great spell for us, in one sense, and we had a good enough team, but we just couldn't win the title, we just didn't have the belief. Those defeats were a killer.

"We were lucky in one way in Rathmolyon in that we got back to the final 10 years later in 1993, some teams might never get back after losing three finals.

"When you get a cycle where you get a good team you have to make it count and we finally did that."

In '93 Smith was more than just a player. He was also club chairman, an unusual role for someone who was still playing, especially as he was still only in his early 30s.

In the top job he was instrumental in bringing Dubliner Dave Foley in as manager that year. Foley's arrival, believes Smith, was the catalyst for success.

"We had a lot of young lads coming into the team and we had heard from Jim Carroll, God rest him, a great hurling man who lived in Kildalkey, about this coach from Dublin called Dave Foley.

"So one Saturday night, Johnny Gorry and myself went up to talk to Dave and told him what we wanted. We agreed we'd give it a go. We felt we needed a different direction.

"It didn't go down well in some quarters, but it paid off.

"Dave came on board and he brought a whole new approach. He made us believe and got us playing as a unit.

"He treated me and other lads who played for the county the same as everyone else which was a good thing. There were no special cases."

In 1993, along with club colleagues Mike Cole and Johnny Gorry, Smith had helped Meath win the All-Ireland SHC B title.

He feels the experience he and his two colleagues gained on the inter-county front was important when it came to helping the club win the Jubilee Cup in the '90s but they could only bring so much to the table.

"What Foley emphasised was the importance of EVERYBODY playing a role. It had to be a united effort or nothing.

"As county players we might have felt we could win it on our own, but it doesn't work that way.

"Dave got us playing as team, everybody had their role in the team, including myself.

"It was all hurling, hurling, hurling with him, ball work. That was the thing, and belief.

"Dave was a great man to have with us. He worked with kids from disadvantaged backgrounds so he was a good talker and we needed that," he added.

There are a number of incidents that stand out for Smith from 1996.

One in particular was from early in the year when he was part of the Meath team, then managed by John Davis, that defeated Wexford in a NHL game.

That shock was compounded by the fact that Wexford were playing at home.

Walking off the pitch Smith saw a Wexford 'supporter' step out and spit in the face of Liam Griffin who wasn't long in charge of the Model County.

Later that year Wexford went on to win the Liam MacCarthy Cup, their county's first senior All-Ireland since 1968.

Looking back now Smith sees a connection between Griffin and Foley and what they did for the teams they managed.

"I was very close to Griffin as we walked off that day and I'll always remember the supporter saying 'this is the worst day for Wexford hurling.'

"It was a great win for us, of course, but it was also a turning point for Wexford, they went on to win the All-Ireland.

"Like Griffin, Dave Foley was a great talker. He could talk all day, but it all made sense and what he said gave us belief."

Rathmolyon didn't make the best of starts to their '96 SHC campaign.

They lost to Kilmessan in the opening round (2-10 to 3-12) and looked like they might have to endure another fruitless campaign.

They got back on track with a 0-15 to 2-5 victory over Kildalkey, drew with Wolfe Tones (3-8 apiece), defeated Kiltale (2-9 to 0-9). They then overcame Wolfe Tones in a play-off (3-8 to 2-5) before pushing on to earn a place in the final with a 0-13 to 0-12 victory over Killyon in the last four.

Preparations for the big day took place. Flags sprouted from shops and houses in and around Rathmolyon village.

The team was also presented with jerseys for the final sponsored by 'Gael Sport' the official GAA magazine of the time.

The magazine's commercial manager was proud Rathmolyon man Martin O'Halloran, now the chairman of the Meath Hurling Committee.

In the final on a wet, blustery day in Trim, Rathmolyon were on fire.

They stormed to a 0-10 to 1-2 victory and afterwards the then chairman of the Meath Hurling Board, Sean Colgan presented the Jubilee Cup to Rathmolyon captain Denis Ashe.

However, there was more drama to come. Soon after accepting the trophy Ashe felt unwell and had to be assisted from the field and brought to hospital by ambulance. He received seven stitches to a head injury he had picked up during the second-half.

It was another dramatic part to an unforgettable day for Ashe, Smith and their Rathmolyon colleagues who had shown the desired focus and belief to win the Jubilee Cup for a second time.

They had silenced the doubters.

Rathmolyon best in low-scoring

Jubilee Cup final

Going into the 1996 SHC final against Kilmessan, Rathmolyon supporters had reasons to be cheerful - and to be fearful.

The statistics showed that in their championship campaign up to the final that year they had scored a highly impressive 10-63.

However, on the other side of the balance sheet was a statistic that would have chilled the heart of even the most optimistic, dedicated follower of Dave Foley's side.

That was the statistic that showed they had conceded a massive 10-51 in their six championship games played.

That didn't compare well with the relatively paltry 3-38 conceded by Kilmessan.

Which Rathmolyon team would show up in the final?

Would it be the high-scoring, swashbuckling team that scored with free abandon or would it be the defensively fragile side that was prone to gift-wrapping goals for opponents.

As it turned out neither side showed up.

From the start of the 1996 SHC final Rathmolyon suggested that they were on their game.They were quick to the ball, strong in the tackle and more clinical in front of goals than their opponents.

However, despite plenty of possession, they were unable to chalk up a big score against a stubborn Kilmessan defence.

For once also, they shut up shop effectively and ended up restricting Kilmessan to a meagre three scores.

When had that been done before?

"Rathmolyon's defence would have made Scrooge look generous. They marked tightly and conceded only 16 frees," wrote sports editor Conall Collier in his match report in the Meath Chronicle.

With Meath winning the Sam Maguire in 1996, defeating Mayo after a replay, the senior hurling final wasn't played until the last Sunday October.

Johnny Gorry claimed the first score of the game, a point after 11 minutes.

By half-time Rathmolyon were still ahead 0-5 to 1-1 with Ger O'Neill kicking the ball to the net for the Kilmessan goal and James Battersby slotting over the bar.

Early in the second-half Nicky Horan lofted over a point for Kilmessan from play, but remarkably that turned out to be his team's last score as Rathmolyon marched on to a 0-10 to 1-2 victory.

"Rathmolyon continued to produce a fluent and steady performance. When Kilmessan overheated in the final quarter they didn't get involved. And it was that disciplined approach which ultimately proved beneficial," added the report in the Meath Chronicle.

Mike Cole finished with five points, four frees, while Gorry tagged on three with the excellent Gary Cole and captain Denis Ashe also helping themselves to one apiece.

During the course of the second-half, as tension levels increased, manager Dave Foley was sent from the sideline by referee Jimmy Henry - but nothing distracted Rathmolyon.

They were SHC champions for only the second time in their history.

"We played very well. This team is very fit and we played to the conditions but I think if it had been a dry day we would have won by more," added great Rathmolyon clubman Billy Byrne.

Rathmolyon - Colin Kelly; Eamonn Regan, John Ennis, Declan Regan; Johnny Murray, Declan Tuite, Michael Healy; George Bagnall, Johnny Gorry (0-3, two '65s'); Gary Cole (0-1), Pat Farrell, Mike Cole (0-5, four frees); Neil Cole, Martin Smith, Denis Ashe (0-1). Subs - Tom Geraghty for Murray, Colm Ennis for Tuite, Paul Ennis for Farrell. Other members of the Rathmolyon panel included: Packie O'Brien, Noel Hunt, Padraig Gantley, Terry Pearl, Noel Healy, Kenneth Murray, Joseph Regan, Stephen Ennis.

Manager - Dave Foley; selectors - Billy Byrne, Johnny Gorry.