Glen grit it out to claim back-to-back Ulster SFC titles
DING DONG: Scotstown's Darren Hughes shoots under pressure from Glen keeper Conlan Bradley in Sunday's Ulster Club SFC final at BOX-IT Athletic Grounds in Armagh.
DERRY'S Glen are back-to-back Ulster club football champions and will take on Kilmacud Crokes in a glamour - but grudge - All-Ireland semi-final clash early next month.
Malachy O’Rourke’s men produced a huge second-half performance in front of 6,047 at Armagh’s Athletic Grounds to turn a two-point interval deficit into a landmark two-point win.
It’s only the Derry club’s second provincial title but having come up just short in last January’s All-Ireland decider, with Crokes possessing an additional 16th man at one stage late in that game, their eyes will already be turning to the bigger national prize.
They dug so deep to come out on top in this one with two separate blasts of four points in a row in the second-half proving decisive in what was a heavyweight contest.
Four-time champions Scotstown gave it everything but may ultimately feel that they didn’t lead by enough at half-time having played with the strong wind.
Glen, in contrast, won the second-half by four points – 0-8 to 0-4 – and had huge performers in Conor Glass and Eunan Mulholland while county man Ciaran McFaul contributed a vital point in the closing minutes also as they turned the screw.
Scotstown’s big players stood up too and goalkeeper Rory Beggan struck a second-half point from play while Jack McCarron and the Hughes brothers, Darren and Kieran, pointed too but they came up just short in an epic that was level three times after the break.
Heavy rain began to fall during the warmup and while it lessened at times it never actually let up throughout the 60 or so minutes.
The pitch held up well but it still amounted to desperately difficult conditions for both sets of players who, in the circumstances, served up a high-quality game.
Scotstown operated with the wind initially and hit the interval with a two-point 0-7 to 0-5 advantage that they just about deserved.
But it was an absorbing encounter, tight and tense and loaded with tactical tweaks.
Scotstown were at it from the off, deploying Monaghan midfielder Darren Hughes in the full-forward line, presumably to the surprise of Glen.
Hughes spent the half flitting between the two positions and pulled it off well, scoring one great point after showing well for the ball and he set up James Hamill for another.
Hamill was a late addition to the official team-sheet and struck two tidy scores but the point of the opening half came from Kieran Hughes, moments before the interval.
The big forward knew exactly what he was doing when he toe-tapped his way out to the right sideline, dragging his man with him, before suddenly cutting back onto his left foot, attacking the space he’d just created and thundering over a huge left-footed score.
It wasn’t all Scotstown though, far from it. In fact, Glen will feel they should have hit the interval with the lead themselves as they carved out a great goal chance in the 19th minute.
Beggan eventually saved on the line following Mulholland’s flicked effort after a flowing move up the pitch. Beggan was a relieved man as the Glen move had started with a kick-out following a Beggan point attempt that flew well wide.
Mulholland wore number five for Glen but was a constant threat going forward and sniped two first-half points, aside from almost scoring that goal.
Former All-Star Glass kicked an early Glen point from a free and set up another for Danny Tallon. Glass went off briefly following a bang to the head. Current All-Star Conor McCarthy was influential for Scotstown also, setting up their opening point.
Glen took control of the game in the third quarter with a series of points from Tallon, Mulholland again, full-back Ryan Dougan – whose primary task was to mark Monaghan star McCarron – and Young Player of the Year Ethan Doherty.
Mullholland and Dougan both floated over long scores, taking full advantage of the wind. Scotstown struggled more while playing into it than Glen had in the first-half.
Darren Hughes and captain Damien McArdle, for example, both had point attempts that were sucked well wide by the breeze.
Those four Glen points in a row between the 32nd and 43rd minutes left them ahead for the first time in the game, 0-9 to 0-8, but they were level twice more at 0-9 and 0-10 apiece.
Scotstown lost provincial finals in 2015 and 2018 following extra-time and it looked as if an additional 20 minutes might be required again.
Glen refused to let victory slip through their fingers though and four more points on the trot from Tiarnan Flanagan, Glass, McFaul and Jody McDermott earned them a memorable win.
D Tallon (2 frees), E Mulholland (0-3 each); C Glass (0-2, 1 free); R Dougan, E Doherty, T Flanagan, C McFaul, J McDermott (0-1 each).
S Carey (0-3, 3 frees); K Hughes, J Hamill (0-2 each); J McCarron, C McCarthy, D Hughe, R Beggan (0-1 each).
: C Bradley; M Warnock, R Dougan, C Carville; E Doherty, C McFaul, C Mulholland; C Glass, E Bradley; E Mulholland, J Doherty, J McDermott; T Flanagan, D Tallon, J Doherty.
: Alex Doherty for Glass (10-13, blood); A Doherty for J Doherty (55); S O’Hara for McDermott (62).
: R Beggan; B Boylan, R O’Toole, D McArdle; C McCarthy, D Morgan, E Caulfield; D Hughes, M McCarville; J Carey, S Carey, J Hamill; M Maguire, K Hughes, J McCarron.
D Murray for Maguire (43); M McPhillips for Hamill (53); R Malley for Boylan (58); F Maguire for J Carey (62).
: P Faloon (Down).
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