St Mel’s make brave bid to spring a surprise but lose out to Good Counsel

While St Mel’s College failed to make it through to the Leinster Senior Football Championship Final for the first time since 2005 they produced a highly committed performance in a brave bid to spring a surprise against a strongly fancied Good Counsel side.

There was nothing separating the teams for most of the semi-final clash at the Portarlington GAA grounds on Saturday last and St Mel’s (badly hit by the absence of injured key players Peter Hanley and Robbie Clarke) were actually holding a slender 0-6 to 0-5 lead when wing back Peter Lynn fired over a terrific point from near the sideline in the 48th minute.

Good Counsel were really frustrated by the effective defensive gameplan operated by the underdogs and the New Ross outfit would have been in considerable more trouble had the crossbar not come to their rescue in the early stages of the second half when Darragh Doherty was denied a goal.

Had the unlucky Doherty managed to find the back of the net St Mel’s might well have gone on to win the match but the physically stronger Good Counsel gradually got on top to clinch a Leinster Final showdown against St Mary’s Edenderry.

To read the full match report, see this week’s Longford Leader.