Defeat brings an end to Crosserlough's amazing year

Crosserlough management tried to reflect on a year to remember, in the aftermath of yesterday afternoon's defeat in a second successive All-Ireland semi-final defeat. 

The Ulster champions were unable to bridge the gap in class when they faced Four Roads in Edgeworthtown, ultimately losing out 2-11 to 0-6. The Rosscommon and Connacht champions now face Kilmessan in the All Ireland Final. 

“You have days like that, but realistically we’re after making a major step up in class here today, the same as we did last year,” Crosserlough manager Jimmy Greville said in the immediate aftermath of last Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final. “But I thought each and every one of the girls did themselves proud and they should be really happy with the year they’ve had, and hold their heads high after working hard for every minute of that game today.

Whilst his players were clearly feeling the hurt of defeat, Jimmy tried to put the game in perspective and urged his squad to be proud of their amazing achievements:

“We’re after winning back-to-back Ulster titles, winning three-in-a-row in Cavan, and everything there was to win in Cavan this year, we’ve won it; leagues, junior, senior. When you start with any team at the beginning of a year, you want to win your county championship and everything else is a bonus. Yes, we’ve been beaten in an All-Ireland semi-final but it’s a bonus to be here, but I’m sorry we didn’t push on a bit.”

For a full report, photos and reaction, see Wednesday's Anglo-Celt.