Lissan's novel journey in RTÉ's Celebrity Bainisteoir competition came to an end in Oughterard following a 0-15 to 0-6 defeat to the Galway side.
It had rained all morning in Galway - and most of the top half of the country as well, as those Lissan supporters who made the long journey to the county of the Tribes will attest - but the sun had came out in Oughterard by throw-in for this semi-final clash. The heavy rain had left the pitch in a poor state however and it took the St. Michael's players a while to adapt to the conditions in what was an extremely frustrating first-half for the travelling side.
So frustrating in fact, that Lissan - under the guidance of Majella O'Donnell - trailed by 0-10 to 0-1 at the half-time whistle, with their only score coming from Ryan Donnelly. Lissan were without the services of Kevin O'Hagan and Eamonn McElduff and were struggling to get a stranglehold of possession. It could have been a closer scoreline, but Stephen McCrory was unfortunate to see his goal-bound shot blocked off the goal-line midway through the half. St. Michael's cause wasn't helped by some overly fussy officiating from the Mayo referee; some of the scoreable free-kicks awarded to the home side were nearly as soft as the Oughterard sod.
Things improved somewhat for Lissan in the second half, as they started to win some primary possession, but it was going to take goals to drag them back into contention. Paddy Coey came the closest, as his low shot beat the goalkeeper but slid the wrong side of the upright. Coey did add three second-half points and Oran Donnelly and Stephen McCrory also raised white flags, but Oughterard's ability to feed their forwards and score from all angles meant they would never be truly troubled. In the end it was a deserving victory for the home side and they will be difficult opposition in the Final. St. Michael's would like to wish them the best of luck as they seek to capture the 2011 Celebrity Bainisteoir title.
As for Lissan, a memorable summer (and autumn) has come to an end. Thanks to everyone: players, committee, volunteers alike who helped in anyway throughout the year, and thanks to Dana and Majella for becoming our Bainisteoir(s) for a few weeks. A special thanks also to all the families and support in general that travelled all the way to Galway on a horrible wet day.
That's the Senior Football season over for 2011, but the first training session of 2012 is only a couple of short months away!
Lissan Team: S Conway, C Canavan, O Donnelly (0-1), B McGarvey, B McRory, P McGlone, R Laverty, K Donnelly, D Donnelly, M Quigley, N Convery, R Donnelly (0-1), S McCrory (0-1), P Coey (0-3), C McCann. Subs: D Coey, P Canavan, T Quigley, J Redmond
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© 2010 -
Ciaran McRory