Lisahally F.C.

Lisahally Football Club is an amateur football club currently competing in the First Division of the Derry and District League. The club is based in the Strathfoyle area of Derry.The club was initially formed by the workers of Lisahally, but has since developed and offers the people and indeed, youth of Strathfoyle a chance to demonstrate their skills. The club now offers football at youth level and is in the process of relocating to a new football pitch, complete with changing rooms, which, at the minute are not available. Current manager is Chris Whoriskey, is himself a former player. The former coach Charlie Burns was once offered a job as manager of Institute F.C. reserves.

History

After its foundation, Lisahally only ever competed in 'Summer Cups' around the city. However, it was only in the late 80s and early 90s that Lisahally emerged as one of the leading teams in Derry. As soon as the club was accepted into the Derry and District League, they won the Third Division and all of the Cup competitions. They then entered the Second Division (now First Division) and finished second, but as they repeated their success in the cups, they were promoted to the First Division (now Premier Division). The successful Lisahally team of this period included Lawrence Mullan, the brother of Glentoran F.C. legend, Gerry Mullan, Patrick Kelly and current manager, Christopher Whoriskey. In recent times however, Lisahally have failed to repeat their success. Despite the abundance and wealth of talent available, the club lacks direction and this is partly due to the lack of modern facilities in Strathfoyle. In 2004, Lisahally sent their under-18 squad to Limavady to compete in the Limavady Cup. They won the competition and subsequently entered a number of Summer Cups around the city. The under 18 team then finished runners up two years running in the Glen Cup. As the youth teams were playing so well together, managers, Chris Whoriskey and Chris Tracey decided to experiment with youth on the senior stage. Ryan Kelly was one of the youngest players to ever start for Lisahally, having just turned 16 on his debut. However, this new surge of interest was extremely short-lived as Lisahally failed to accommodate its players' needs. The Married Men versus Single Men 2006 match was won by the Married Men, despite the Single men taking a 2-0 lead in the first half through goals from Ronan Whoriskey and Steven McAllister, the Married Men came back to win due to the constant squad rotation of caretaker manager Shan Whoriskey.

Future

There has been a shake-up announced in the club in the wake of discovering that the long running manager of the single men (Shaun Whoriskey) is finally stepping down and joining the married men. His defection to the married men has brought much joy to his future team, as one Insider said to me (Rory Kirk) "I can't wait. Shaun is a class act and I can honestly say that I love him. He's such a great guy with an abundance of enthusiasm and he possesses a flair and passion for the game that is unrivalled".

Following the news of Shaun's defection to the married men, Gary "Dutch" Bryson has thrown his hat into the ring to become the next manager of the single men. His name being mentioned has been met with mixed reactions. A player from the single team who does not wish to be named said that he would welcome Gary into the management position as he is known for his free following football and that he would be with the team for a while because and i quote "He'll never get a wife because he is boot ugly". Another name thrown into the hat is young Bryson's next door neighboor Mark "[...]" Tracy. A good outside bet you would expect, although there is talk [...] is in secret meetings already with Shaun to take over the reigns starting in January. It seems [...] see this as his route back into the hearts of the Strathfoyle people. [...] is currently barred from Strathfoyle's local, 'Molins Sports and Social Club'. Insiders believe [...] sees this as his chance to start redeeming the crazy actions that cost him exclusion from Molins. If he can start getting the single men to play football only Shaun can dream of, the people of Strathfoyle may call for [...]'s ban to be lifted. A local citizen of Strathfoyle was quoted after hearing the possible news as saying, "It would be a bold move for [...]. Can the former player show the temperament required to run such a unique bunch of players?" It is rumoured that a member of the established neighbourhood, 'Gortmore Place'(See Gortmore Place) will take over, most likely one with the deepest pockets.

Trivia

• Lawrence Mullan, a Lisahally legend, is the brother of Glentoran F.C. hero, Gerry Mullan. Lawrence also had a spell at Glentoran. Lawrence's son, Conor is one of many players to have played at Lisahally after their fathers

• Lisahally is affectionately known as "Lissa" to its fans.

• There is a "Married Men versus Single Men" match held annually. The proceeds of this match go to charity and is usually a friendly showdown between fathers and sons.

• Former player and Dunfermline F.C. goalkeeping coach Declan Devine and current Institute F.C. player Ryan Semple took training sessions as guest coaches for the youth during the summer.

• Club Colours are Yellow and Black.

• Lisahally players Rory Kirk and Brian Devine were the first ever Lisahally players to ever engage in a violent dispute during a match. Because of this ridiculous outburst, Rory Kirk was subsequently banned from the Derry and District League for one season and his theme song, "The Wang Says" was sang mockingly by Lisahally fans.

Notable Former Players

• Jonathan Hume
• Patrick Kelly
• Lawrence Mullan
• David Ogilby
• Christopher "Topher" Whoriskey