Shercock: From struggling for numbers to final day

When Jody Clarke earlier this year agreed to take charge of the Shercock ladies for a temporary three month stint, a Junior Championship final was a long way from his thoughts.

Numbers at training were hit and miss, players had drifted away and Clarke admits it was pressure from his three daughters which eventually persuaded the vastly-experienced coach to take on the job.

“The girls were in a bit of bother at the start of the year. They hadn’t anyone to look after them, numbers were low and a lot of girls had, for one reason or another, stopped playing,” Clarke explained.

“We said we’d give it a go for three months. We always set ourselves a target of having 15 at training and there were a couple of nights when it dipped to 13 or 14.”

Gradually, however, things changed. Young players began stepping up from Shercock’s successful underage structure and numbers increased to the point where the club could also field in the Junior B Championship.

That youthful influence has helped transform their season, with Shercock going on to win 14 of their 17 league matches, including the semi-final and final.

Resilience

Championship brought a different challenge and Shercock were repeatedly forced to demonstrate their resilience.

They survived a remarkable comeback from Belturbet/Redhills to win by a point before overcoming local rivals Drumgoon and eventually meeting a highly-rated Ballymachugh side in the semi-final.

Shercock raced into a commanding lead in that game before being forced to withstand a sustained second-half fightback.

“We only scored 1-2 in the second half, but the maturity and the mentality to see it out was just brilliant,” Clarke enthused.

That maturity is particularly impressive given the age profile of a team Clarke says averages just 19 years old.

Experience

Now they face Killinkere, last year’s beaten finalists, and there will be little mystery between two clubs whose players know each other well through school, county football and previous underage amalgamations.

Clarke is particularly wary of the experience Killinkere possess, allied to emerging talents such as Ella Sheridan, but Shercock’s journey has given him plenty of reason for belief.

For a team that was struggling simply to put sufficient numbers on a training pitch a few short months ago, reaching the county final represents a remarkable turnaround.

“It’s a huge day for the club and a huge day for the young players,” Clarke said.

“Killinkere were there last year. It’s a role they know well. It’s all new to us, but we’re really embracing it and enjoying it.”