O'Neills Derry Senior Football Championship semi-final: Watty Graham's, Glen 2-12 Sean O'Leary's, Newbridge 0-4
THE scoreboard doesn’t tell the full story of Saturday night’s clash, but Glen were deserving winners to book a third final spot in four seasons.
Leading by six points with five minutes left on the clock, the champions hit goals from Danny Tallon and Alex Doherty, within seconds, to put the game to bed.
It wasn’t the incessant running game that put Magherafelt to the sword, but Glen never looked in any danger after easing themselves into the groove with Conleth McGuckian hitting the first of four points inside the opening minute.
The positional sense of Conor Glass in a defensive midfield role, coupled with his ability to go on the attack, kept the back door tightly shut and Newbridge never got close to testing ‘keeper Connlan Bradley.
Without a goal, Newbridge’s spirited performance wasn’t going to be enough. If anything, it was Connor Carville and Michael Warnock’s control of the ball from defence that allowed Glen to play the game on their own terms, with Jack and Ethan Doherty injecting pace at different times.
“We knew coming in against Newbridge it was going to be a tough task and that’s how it proved,” Glen manager Malachy O’Rourke outlined.
“We found it very hard to get any daylight between us and them. Towards the end we kept our shape and kept working away and got a couple of very good turnovers.
“It gave us a bit of breathing space and then we got the goals at the right time…the scoreline probably didn’t do justice to Newbridge.”
Glen threatened for goal as early as the second minute, but when Conor Glass saw his effort thwarted by Dessie McColgan, Emmett Bradley tapped over to double the lead.
Goalkeeper James Gribbin fared well against Glen’s zonal press, but it took an 11th minute Conor Doherty free to open the ‘Bridge account.
Warnock got forward to finish off a patience spell of play with a curling effort from outside the Newbridge cover to put Glen three points ahead midway through the first half.
At the other end, Glen’s kick-out plan was two-pronged. They had their line of defenders up the middle, before peeling to the wings, with Glass and Emmett Bradley lying deep for the boomer over the top. They had a 50 per cent rate from going long, but it stretched Newbridge’s man power.
A fine Dessie McGrogan point was the only Newbridge point from play and it helped them stay in touch, 0-5 to 0-3, at half-time.
After an equally cagey opening to the second half, Glen began to push Emmett Bradley further forward and his fisted effort on the run put the champions 0-8 to 0-4 ahead after 48 minutes.
Glen kept Newbridge to four shots at goal in the second half, with Conor Doherty’s 44th minute free their only score.
Ciaran Brooks had been tracking Ethan Doherty until the ‘Bridge man’s 25th minute ankle injury. It was Doherty who make a point for McGuckian before kicking one himself to put the game beyond reach.
Then Newbridge’s world caved in. James Gribbin, who lost only four of his 19 kick-outs, saw one lead to a turnover with Tiernan Flanagan setting up Tallon for Glen’s first goal.
From the kick-out, Newbridge secured possession, but when Shea McAteer overcooked a pass Tallon played in substitute Alex Doherty, who unceremoniously hammered to the top corner of the net, with McGuckian tagging two points in the closing minutes.
“It was good enough to get over today, but no doubt whoever we meet in the final is going to be a different story,” O’Rourke said.
“That’s for another day, we are delighted to be there. As I said to the boys, any day you get to a Derry county final is a great day.”
Glen: C Bradley; R Dougan, C Carville; C Mulholland; T Flanagan, M Warnock (0-1), E Mulholland; C Glass, E Bradley (0-4, 0-2 frees); E Doherty (0-1), J Doherty, C Convery; C McGuckian (0-4); P Gunning, D Tallon (1-2, 0-2 frees)
Subs: A Doherty (1-0) for P Gunning (h-t), A McGonigle for C Convery (40), M Dixon for J Doherty (61), S O’Hara for C McGuckian (61)
Yellow card: M Warnock (44)
Newbridge: J Gribbin; D McColgan (0-1), Conor McGrogan; M O’Neill; S McGrogan, M McGrogan, C Brooks; N Rocks, Paudi McGrogan; O McGlone, C Doherty (0-3 frees), M Bateson, M Doherty; C McAteer, J Diamond
Subs: S McAteer for C Brooks (27), D McKeever for M O’Neill (37), A McGlone for O McGlone (41), Peter McGrogan for J Diamond (49), Callum McGrogan for D McKeever (54)
Yellow cards: Paudi McGrogan (46), M Bateson (48), D McKeever (54)
Referee: D Mullan (Glenullin)
