All Eyes to Next Season

The recent spate of bad luck that has landed Lisahally's way would be enough to demoralise even the most optimistic of individuals. 

Having put in a number of solid performances, the Strathfoyle Men have suffered excruciatingly narrow defeats at the hands of teams at both sides of the table as well as crashing out of the cup on penalties.

A particular bone-of-contention over the past few weeks has been referee performances with fans and players alike bemoaning the questionable decision-making of a number of referees in recent games.

In the aftermath of the league defeat to Three Flowers, in which Lisahally had a claim for a penalty turned down and a player dismissed, a prominent member of the Lisahally No.1 Supporters Club suggested that some officials have an agenda: "From what I see standing on the sideline, someone is going to get seriously hurt.

"Lisahally players are not given any protection by the referees. It seems as though some of these boys have been sent out to make sure Lisahally lose."

Club captain, Jai White also expressed his frustration, saying that "some of these referees are a joke. You'd swear they were cheating".

Nevertheless, on the performance side of things, it appears that there are nothing but good vibes emanating from the club and with Lisahally secure in the Premier League, manager Noel O'Donnell has expressed his belief in the ability of his players.

Speaking to the Listener, O'Donnell said, "I think everyone is keen to see the back of this season. We were all over the place at the start of the season, but I think that as the season went on the team definitely improved.

"There is a great buzz about the club at the moment. I'm really excited about next season, even at this early stage, as are the lads, and I think Lisahally will surprise a few people.

When asked about his team's chances for the forthcoming season, O'Donnell was extremely upbeat: "One thing's for sure, Lisahally will be nowhere near a relegation fight next season."

"They are a better team than what they believe and it will be my aim to instill that self-belief so that they will perform consistently at the level that I know they can."

With a strong squad already assembled, Lisahally will need to hit the ground running next season with an intense pre-season if they are to reach the heights that O'Donnell believes they are capable of.