Football

Glen learn the hard lessons to end eternal wait

Danny Tallon sweeps the ball past Antoin McMullan for the only goal of yesterday's Derry SFC final. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin
Danny Tallon sweeps the ball past Antoin McMullan for the only goal of yesterday's Derry SFC final. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin Danny Tallon sweeps the ball past Antoin McMullan for the only goal of yesterday's Derry SFC final. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin

O’Neills Derry SFC final: Glen 1-13 Slaughtneil 0-7

OF all the dreams Glen people have dreamt since winning a Féile na nÓg title 13 years ago, they wouldn’t have allowed themselves to consider a day like yesterday.

A first ever senior championship in which they dethroned the county champions, a three-time Ulster-winning opponents, the men from across the fields, and they did it with a panache that will make the province sit up and take notice.

The nine-point margin was carved out in a first half in which Malachy O’Rourke’s side cut through the wind and the Slaughtneil defence to go in 1-6 to 0-1 ahead.

It was the personification of having to lose one to win one. All the mistakes they made in their first final against Magherafelt two years ago were learned from and corrected. Slaughtneil simply had no answers.

“I would say the whole club probably learned lessons about it as well,” said O’Rourke.

“Maybe things – and I don’t mean anything disrespectful to the management that was there, but sometimes the first county final is hard. There is a lot going on around the occasion of it and it can easily sidetrack players.

“This year we were lucky in that it was only a week since the semi-final so there wasn’t much time for that, just a case of business as usual, down playing, getting prepared and that’s what we did.”

Glen had been posted as the county’s coming force for a decade, having won four consecutive Ulster minor club titles between 2011 and 2014, but as captain Connor Carville described it in his speech, by trying to win at senior level they were trying to shake an elephant off their backs, not a monkey.

“I suppose they are all different in a way and it was a mental challenge for the boys in a way,” said O’Rourke.

“They had never won and having won a lot of success at underage level. To lose a couple of years ago when there was a lot of expectation on them.

“You have to deal with all these things as well. But as soon as we started working with them, we knew there was a lot of quality there, but also a lot of leadership, a lot of hunger there.

“All those things combine. We knew we could have a great chance if all those things came together for us.”

Slaughtneil made a greater fist of the second half but the combination of the lead, the wind and the way Glen were playing was Vesuvius and Everest together.

Paul Bradley has been on every side of the coin in Celtic Park, and he was magnanimous, making sure he got around every single Glen player to shake hands before he went home.

And with the freedom to speak, Slaughtneil’s hometown manager talked up his neighbours’ chances of continuing their run deep into winter.

“Aw they’ll take beating. They’ll definitely take beating.

“I wouldn’t have said it outwardly but I would have felt today was a big game in Ulster, it wasn’t just a big game in Derry. Albeit Derry have the hard run but Glen will take beating.

“We were second best from very early. They came out of the blocks a lot sharper than we did and we were chasing thereafter. Hats off, we were absolutely second best today.

“Heartiest congratulations to Glen. They’re parish rivals but listen, this one was coming. I just hoped it wasn’t this year, but it was coming.”