Glen (Derry) 1-11
Moycullen (Galway) 0-11
ANOTHER SEMI-FINAL where a goal proved of critical importance, another semi-final where the winners survived a late onslaught to triumph.
There were plenty parallels between the second All-Ireland club football semi-final and the game that preceded it, with Derry’s Watty Grahams Glen ultimately fashioning success to join Kilmacud Crokes in the decider.
It will be the first Derry-Dublin clash at this level since 1995 when Kilmacud overcame Bellaghy. This is a time of incomparable joy for the Glen club, their maiden All-Ireland decider coming fast on the heels of last month’s Ulster breakthrough. They were left grateful to Tiarnán Flannagan’s crucial goal early in the second half, while midfielders Emmet Bradley and Conor Glass landed valuable points when their team needed them most.
Malachy O’Rourke continues to shine in the managerial stakes, an All-Ireland club decider now awaits in a fresh chapter in his career.
It was a day where Galway’s Moycullen were also entering unchartered territory. Champions locally for the first time in 2020, when Covid prevented any provincial or national club competitions occurring, they had flourished when rounding out 2022 with Galway and Connacht titles.
Two points was an agonising margin to fall short by. They attempted to work a goal from a late free, Dessie Conneely playing it short to Peter Cooke but he was crowded out and his shot repelled as the Glen rearguard remained defiant.
In a way it was fitting that it fell to Conneely, the team captain, and Cooke to try to conjure up a piece of magic to save the day for the Galway outfit. From the entire team tally of 0-12, they notched 0-10.
Conneely’s free-taking was measured and important in landing eight scores, while on an afternoon where space was hard to find in a frenetic game, Cooke clipped over a stylish point from play in each half.
The standards are exacting at this level though and both players were left frustrated at point attempts in the finale tailing wide into the Davin End, Conneely from a free when they were two adrift and Cooke from play when there was three in it.
Moycullen deserved admiration for hauling themselves back into contention. When they switched to man-to-man combat, they prospered. Their pressing of the Glen kickout was wonderful and their feverish tackling yielded several turnovers as they made life hard for the Derry player in possession.
And yet they were always chasing this game, primarily because Glen were the superior team at the start of either half. They began the match with a blend of pace and intensity that overwhelmed Moycullen, snapping over four points without reply in the first ten minutes. The pick of the bunch came from Ethan Doherty after an eye-catching, marauding run.
It was 0-6 to 0-4 at the interval, Moycullen may not have scored until the 18th minute but they were firmly in contention at the break. But significantly Glen pounced again after half-time, Flanagan tucking home the rebound after Eunan Mulholland’s initial shot was blocked.
That proved the only goal of the game and Glen were flying when they went five points up with 20 minutes left. The finale would test their resilience though.
Vital scores were needed at different junctures. Conor Glass supplied one, a fine kick as he profited from Emmet Bradley’s leap to catch and deliver a pass. The first half had seen Bradley weight in with two vital points.
Then in the closing moments Michael Warnock fisted over one point and Cathal Mulholland kicked another, both scores registered after patient, probing team moves.
It was sufficient to keep them ahead until the close of this encounter.
Scorers for Glen: Danny Tallon 0-3 (0-1f), Emmet Bradley 0-3 (0-1f), Tiarnán Flannagan 1-0, Ethan Doherty 0-2, Conor Glass 0-1, Cathal Mulholland 0-1, Michael Warnock 0-1.
Scorers for Moycullen: Dessie Conneely 0-8 (0-8f), Peter Cooke 0-2, Owen Gallagher 0-1, Niall Walsh 0-1.
Glen
1. Conlann Bradley
4. Connor Carville, 3. Ryan Dougan, 2. Cathal Mulholland
5. Tiarnán Flanagan, 6. Michael Warnock, 10. Ethan Doherty
8. Conor Glass, 9. Emmett Bradley
7. Eunan Mulholland, 11. Jack Doherty, 12. Conor Convery
15. Conleth McGuckian, 14. Danny Tallon, 13. Alex Doherty.
Subs
- 21. Cahir McCabe for Convery (38)
- 19. Stevie O’Hara for Alex Doherty (53)
Moycullen
1. Andrew Power
2. Conor Corcoran, 5. Eoghan Kelly, 4, Neil Mulcahy
13. Michéal O’Reilly, 6. David Wynne, 7. Aidan Claffey
12. Paul Kelly, 10. Gerard Davoren
9. Tom Clarke, 14. Niall Walsh, 8. Peter Cooke
3. Seán Kelly, 11. Owen Gallagher, 15. Dessie Conneely
Subs
- 22. Fionn McDonagh for Walsh (53)
- 19. Conor Bohan for Paul Kelly (58)
- 21. Daniel Cox for O’Reilly (60)
Referee: David Gough (Meath)
