Glen edge Moycullen to set up All-Ireland final date with Kilmacud
VITAL SCORE: Tiernán Flannagan of Glen, left, celebrates his 31st minute goal with team mate Alex Doherty during the AIB GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Semi-Final match between Moycullen of Galway and Glen of Derry at Croke Park in Dublin. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile
Fourteen months after winning their maiden Derry title, Glen are one hour from All-Ireland club glory.
Assertive and authoritative in the first half, jittery in the second, Malachy O’Rourke’s charges had enough of a buffer on the scoreboard to hold out in the face of a high-octane final quarter from their opponents.
That buffer stemmed from a two-point half-time lead that jumped to five when half-back Tiarnán Flannagan goaled 41 seconds after the restart.
There were three separate occasions in the third quarter where their lead stood five strong before Moycullen, the same as they did in the second quarter, roared back.
Two Dessie Conneely frees and Peter Cooke’s second from play had the gap back to two on 54 minutes. Crucially, though, Conneely missed a free in the ensuing play to leave the minimum between them.
Moycullen’s comeback had its roots in a superb press that completely unravelled Glen’s restarts. What the Galway champions had in work rate, however, they lacked in finishing power as they managed just 0-4 from play across the hour.
No more than half-back Flannagan’s goal, Glen centre-back Michael Warnock and corner-back Cathal Mulholland travelled from deep to land vital scores in the final quarter.
Moycullen were fortunate to be only two in arrears at the break. They’d have been thankful too to be just two behind.
The first-time Connacht champions were so lacking in urgency throughout the opening quarter. On too many occasions in that opening quarter did they sleepwalk into a large group of Glen defenders where they were quickly relieved of possession.
Glen’s third point on nine minutes to go three up - a Danny Tallon free - stemmed from Moycullen centre-back David Wynne, in the opposition half of the field, waiting for a Dessie Conneely pass to fall into his hands. The contrast of Moycullen sheepishness and Glen sharpness was perfectly captured in this moment as Conor Glass leaned in, took control of possession, and set in train a Glen move that ended with a white flag.
An Ethan Doherty effort very soon after extended their lead to four. It was a 10th-minute four-point lead that could have been even greater had the first-time Ulster champions done better with two half goal chances.
Tallon was unable to remain upright at the crucial moment when finding himself inside the cover, while a menacing-looking Conleth McGuckian pass across the danger area was not met by another white jersey.
Moycullen, though it took them an age, eventually got on the board and themselves into the contest. A Dessie Conneely free had them off the mark after 18 minutes.
Their next two points - another Conneely free and fine Peter Cooke kick - both came from Glen players overcarrying possession in the face of stiff Moycullen pressure.
Ethan Doherty’s second on 25 minutes ended a 15-minute Glen wait for a white flag, with Emmett Bradley then adding his second.
A 0-6 0-4 interval scoreline was not reflective of their first-half grip. Flannagan’s goal immediately upon the restart corrected that anomaly, and while they spent much of the remaining half hour on the backfoot, they never allowed their opponents to get within a single point.
Poise under pressure, they had enough of it here.
E Bradley (0-3, 0-1 free), D Tallon (0-3, 0-1 free); T Flannagan (1-0); E Doherty (0-2); C Mulholland, M Warnock, C Glass (0-1 each).
D Conneely (0-8, 0-8 frees); P Cooke (0-2); O Gallagher, N Walsh (0-1 each).
C Bradley; C Carville, R Dougan, C Mulholland; T Flannagan, M Warnock, E Doherty; C Glass, E Bradley; E Mulholland, J Doherty, C Convery; C McGuckian, D Tallon, A Doherty.
C McCabe for Convery (38 mins); S O’Hara for Doherty (52).
A Power; E Kelly, C Corcoran, N Mulcahy; M O’Reilly, D Wynne, A Claffey; G Davoren, P Kelly; T Clarke, N Walsh, P Cooke; S Kelly, O Gallagher, D Conneely.
F McDonagh for Walsh (53 mins); C Bohan for P Kelly (58); D Cox for O’Reilly (60).
D Gough (Meath).
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