Moycullen

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 ...

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. A Dessie Conneely free had them off the mark after 18 minutes. A 0-6 0-4 interval scoreline was not reflective of their first-half grip. Two Dessie Conneely frees and Peter Cooke’s second from play had the gap back to two on 54 minutes. The first-time Connacht champions were so lacking in urgency throughout the opening quarter. Moycullen’s comeback had its roots in a superb press that completely unravelled Glen’s restarts.

Ulster champions Glen set up an All-Ireland Club Football Final against Kilmacud Crokes as they edge out Moycullen 1-11 to 0-12 at Croke Park.

Conneely's eighth point left two between the sides with two minutes of normal time left but Glen refused to relent and Connor Carville set up his fellow corner-back Mulholland to fire over their final point, as they held on despite Gallagher's closing Moycullen point, and further late pressure from the Connacht champions. Perhaps boosted by the let-off, Moycullen were only a kick of the ball in arrears by the 44th minute after another Conneely free was followed by a score by the increasingly influential Cooke. With Moycullen's pressing up on the Glen kickout proving effective, highly-rated midfielder Peter Cooke pointed for long range on 23 minutes to leave the minimum between the sides but the Ulster champions quickly regained their composure as Doherty and Bradley swung over superb efforts from play before another Conneely free left two in it at half-time.

GLEN, the club who hadn't so much as won a Derry senior title prior to Malachy O'Rourke's arrival, are into an All-Ireland club final.

And secondly, Glen weren’t as composed in the final third when they did break out with possession. Peter Cooke’s brilliant score on the run was their only from play in the first half. Subs: C McCabe for Convery (38), S O’Hara for A Doherty (53)

Galway champions have late chance with final play of the game but Tiarnan Flanagan's goal proves the difference.

That left Glen 1-6 to 0-4 in front, only Moycullen were far from done, and a little more composure in the first half may well have made for a different result. Moycullen struggled to get any ball, including from their own kick-outs, and a second from Tallon after nine minutes, quickly followed by a first from Ethan Doherty, put Glen 0-4 to no score in front. That was that.

Scorers for Moycullen: Dessie Conneely 0-8 (0-8f), Peter Cooke 0-2, Owen Gallagher 0-1, Niall Walsh 0-1. Glen. 1. Conlann ...

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 first half had seen Bradley weight in with two vital points. But significantly Glen pounced again after half-time, Flanagan tucking home the rebound after Eunan Mulholland’s initial shot was blocked. The finale would test their resilience though. And yet they were always chasing this game, primarily because Glen were the superior team at the start of either half. From the entire team tally of 0-12, they notched 0-10. Vital scores were needed at different junctures. When they switched to man-to-man combat, they prospered. 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. Two points was an agonising margin to fall short by. Moycullen deserved admiration for hauling themselves back into contention.