Maroons 0, Balgownie 2

An enjoyable season came to a painful end Saturday with a major drinking session leaving many sore heads in the Coledale catchment area. Before that, however, came the knockout semifinal and the stark realistation that it doesn't matter how many chances are created, if you don't put the ball in the metal rectangle and the other team does, you deserve to lose.
We squandered two good chances to go ahead early in the match but fell behind to our season long achilles heel - a set play with the ball swung into the box. A corner wasn't cleared, the ball jagged around for an age and a Bally player poked it in for a scrappy opener.
We regained composure but not our finish. Two shots drifted wide of the far post and a corner went over their keeper and was just cleared off the line.
At the other end Bally had our keeper scrambling to tip one wide. Granted I have a bias but I don't really remember Bally threatening again until the final killer blow four minutes from time.
We completely owned the second half. A one on one with the keeper was tipped over and two of us missed with headers when unmarked in front of goal. A freekick just missed the post. All the way we felt the goal was coming and then it did at the wrong end. A goalkick fell to the oppposition forward who sprinted in. The defender got in to smother the shot and it sickeningly looped up over the keeper into the net.
With four minutes left the game was up and any chance we had disappeared when a cute chip through the heart of the Bally defence enticed their central defender to bat it away with his hand. Red card but outside the box and the freekick vanished into the distance, along with our hopes of advancing to the preliminary final.
Thanks to everyone for their input this season - for doing their lino and BBQ duty or turning up to IAFA meetings or marking the field or filling the fridge.
Next Sunday we can go back to where it all began - just having a kick around at Jim Allen Oval. Hope to see you there.