Donegal fans in Clones on Sunday – taking their lives in their hands behind the goals.
The terror in my little girl’s eyes when she realised our tickets were behind the goals in the East Stand at Clones was obvious.
Last year we ended up directly behind the goal as we met Monaghan in the Ulster Final.
And on that occasion we literally took our lives in our hands as ball after ball reigned down from the sky like lumps of lava being spewed out of a volcano.
That may sound like a bit of an exaggeration.
But tell that to the couple just a few feet away from us whose teenage son got a belt from one such ball.
Luckily he was okay and didn’t need medical attention.
But I could only imagine if such a ‘missile’ had landed full-force on top of the head of a young child.
The speed and force of such balls being hit by players is no laughing matter despite the giddy cheers of many in the crowd.
Last Sunday I was so thankful that our tickets were located to the left of the goal and we didn’t feel the full force of the storm of pre-match shots.
So the question is – why does Clones not have ball-catchers behind its goals?
Why does the Monaghan County Board and the Ulster Council take in tends of thousands of euro each season and not protect its fans.
Is it a planning permission issue or have they just not got around to it yet?
The families of young children who are allocated seats behind the goals, and who pay good money each time, have a right to know.
If the Ulster Council or Monaghan County Board let us know, then we’ll explain it to our readers.
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