Conleth McGuckian of Glen celebrates after the AIB GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Club Championship semi-final match between Kilmacud Crokes of Dublin, and Glen of Derry, at Páirc Esler in Newry, Down. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile.
AIB All-Ireland Club SFC semi-final
WATTY GRAHAM’S GLEN 1-14 KILMACUD CROKES 2-10
By John Harrington at Pairc Esler, Newry
Shrouded by freezing fog, Glen and Kilmacud Crokes produced a barnburner of an AIB All-Ireland Club Senior Football Semi-Final.
When the final whistle blew it was the Derry and Ulster champions who stood victorious amongst the glowing embers, but they were fairly singed by a Crokes team who refused to die.
The reigning champions came back from seven points down to draw level late in the game and very nearly came back from the dead again when they reduced an injury-time four-point deficit to the minimum.
But a last-gasp effort from Shane Walsh for an equalising point drifted wide and Glen just about had vengeance for last year’s All-Ireland Final defeat to the same opponents.
It was a deserved victory for they were the better team for most of the contest and had heroes all over the field.
Though difficult to make out who was who at times through the pea-soup fog, the brilliance of some individuals was unmistakeable.
A defiant Michael Warnock won his duel with Walsh, Ciaran McFaul drove his team forward from centre-back, Conor Glass and Emmet Bradley dominated the middle third, and nine players contributed from play to a very slick offensive effort.
There will surely be a dressing-room inquest as to how they nearly let the result slip twice, but this was a performance to be proud of nevertheless.
It was Crokes who opened the scoring with a third minute Luke Ward free, but they might well have had a goal moments later had Glen’s inspirational centre-back, McFaul, not made a spectacular diving block on a Craig Dias shot.
The Dublin side doubled their advantage two minutes later when a slick move involving Paul Mannion and Shane Cunningham ended with Mark O’Leary slotting over.
It was all Crokes in those opening minutes as they dominated possession, but with Glen’s first attacking foray of the match they got on the scoreboard themselves through Danny Tallon.
The same man followed up with a free three minutes later when Conor Glass was felled by Rory O’Carroll and the sides were level.
Michael Warnock of Glen in action against Cian O'Connor of Kilmacud Crokes during the AIB GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Club Championship semi-final match between Kilmacud Crokes of Dublin, and Glen of Derry, at Páirc Esler in Newry, Down. Photo by Daire Brennan/Sportsfile.
The first quarter of the game fell into the sort of pattern we had expected – Crokes probing patiently with a possession-based style of play and Glen endeavouring to turn them over and then hitting them with more direct counter-attacks.
Another Tallon free edged Glen into the lead, but then Shane Walsh produced a bit of magic with a dummy to create space followed by a languidly kicked point from a decent distance off his left to leave it 0-3 apiece
It was a really even contest up to that point, but Glen would dominate the second quarter.
They turned the tables tactically by now holding onto the ball for longer periods of time than we’re used to seeing from them with goalkeeper Connlan Bradley proving a useful extra-man as he raided high up the pitch.
This allowed Glen to create overlaps which they used to create scoring opportunities or force fouls that enabled them to score four unanswered points, with Emmet Bradley and Michael Warnock hitting two especially inspirational ones.
Mannion hit back with a free for Crokes, but it was Glen who found another surge before half-time as points from McFaul and Glass helped them into a 0-9 to 0-4 interval lead.
They looked like they might coast to a comfortable victory when they increased their advantage to seven at the start of the second half thanks to points by Danny Tallon (f) and Cathal Mulholland.
But Crokes gritted their teeth to just about hang on during the third quarter and then summoned a courageous comeback in the fourth.
Ethan Doherty of Glen celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the AIB GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Club Championship semi-final match between Kilmacud Crokes of Dublin, and Glen of Derry, at Páirc Esler in Newry, Down. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile.
It was Paul Mannion who provided the spark with a classy score that reduced the deficit to six, and then another magic point off his wand of a left-foot saw Crokes reduce the gap to three, 0-12 to 0-9, by the 52nd minute.
Then came what you thought might be a hammer-blow to Glen’s hopes when Crokes struck for an equalising goal. Shane Walsh produced a moment of true brilliance to pick out Hugh Kenny with a driven pass across the face of the Glen goal, and the Crokes substitute did well also to roll a cool finish to the far corner.
Glen showed their character by going straight down the field to edge ahead again through an Alex Doherty point, but Crokes hit back two minutes later when goalkeeper David Higgins drove forward to kick a beauty.
Glen thought they had won it when an injury-time free by Emmet Bradley was followed by a Ethan Doherty goal after Conor Glass did brilliantly to strip Andrew McGowan of possession, but there was more drama to come.
Walsh slung in a sky-scraper of a dropping ball that went all the way to the back of the net as every player in the Glen square seemed to lose it in the murky gloom.
And then moments later Walsh had a chance to force extra-time when he collected possession on the right and steadied himself to shoot, but his effort curled wide of the left-hand post.
Relief and elation for Glen who now march on to the All-Ireland Final against St. Brigid’s, hoping to go one better than last year.
Scorers for Watty Graham’s Glen: Danny Tallon 0-5 (4f), Emmet Bradley 0-3 (2f), Ethan Doherty 1-0, Michael Warnock, Eunan Mulholland, Ciaran McFaul, Cathal Mulholland, Conor Glass, Alex Doherty all 0-1.
Scorers for Kilmacud Crokes: Shane Walsh 1-2 (1 ’45), Paul Mannion 0-4 (2f), Hugh Kenny 1-0, David Higgins, Cian O’Connor, Mark O’Leary, Luke Ward all 0-1.
Watty Graham’s Glen: Conlan Bradley; Cathal Mulholland, Ryan Dougan, Connor Carville; Jody McDermott, Ciarán McFaul, Cathal Mulholland; Conor Glass, Emmett Bradley; Ethan Doherty, Jack Doherty, Eunan Mulholland; Conleth McGuckian, Danny Tallon, Tiarnan Flanagan. Subs: Conor Convery for Jack Doherty (22), Alex Doherty for Ryan Dougan (40)
Kilmacud Crokes: David Higgins; James Murphy, Theo Clancy, Dan O’Brien; Mark O’Leary, Rory O’Carroll, Andrew McGowan; Craig Dias, Brian Sheehy; Shane Horan, Shane Cunningham, Dara Mullin; Paul Mannion, Luke Ward, Shane Walsh. Subs: Cian O’Connor for Luke Ward, Hugh Kenny for Brian Sheehy (both half-time), Darragh Dempsey for Shane Cunningham (43), Padraic Purcell for Dara Mullin (60)
Referee: Conor Lane (Cork)
