Football

Glen keep delivering on potential to dethrone Kilcoo

Glen fans celebrate at the end of yesterday's Ulster SFC final victory over defending champions Kilcoo in Armagh. Picture by Philip Walsh
Glen fans celebrate at the end of yesterday's Ulster SFC final victory over defending champions Kilcoo in Armagh. Picture by Philip Walsh

AIB Ulster Club SFC final: Eoghan Rua, Kilcoo (Down) 1-6 Watty Graham’s, Glen (Derry) 1-12

FOR a few years it was talked about as the Ulster final everybody wanted to see, and yesterday Glen and Kilcoo showed why before the Derry champions added the Seamus Mac Ferran Cup to a growing collection of silverware.

A clutch of brilliant minor sides over the past decade placed a huge burden of expectation on Glen shoulders, yet step by step this golden generation is delivering on its promise. Grown men and women wept when the county was finally conquered in 2021, but that could only ever be the beginning if potential was to be truly fulfilled.

Delivering Derry championship number two and building on that breakthrough was critical, especially in the continued absence of Ciaran McFaul. Yesterday marked the beginning of another chapter.

Since losing out to Kilcoo in last year’s Ulster semi-final, and watching Mickey Moran’s men go all the way to All-Ireland glory, Glen have had another crack at the Magpies in the back of their minds.

They had to weather a serious storm against Errigal Ciaran, grit their teeth before taking care of Cargin, while yesterday presented the greatest gut check of all as a flying start was let slip, giving way to a second half when the provincial crown remained up for grabs right until the death.

Those moments have typically been Kilcoo’s domain. Not this time, as Glen dethroned the Magpies to seal an All-Ireland semi-final showdown with Moycullen on January 7/8.

“For years people said Glen have no character, no leaders, are mentally weak,” roared captain Connor Carville from the steps of the Athletic Grounds, “well today we’re kings of Ulster.”

And it was a final that befitted the build up, even if last year’s luke-warm starter hadn’t exactly set the world alight as a spectacle.

This time around it was different. The caution, the cat and mouse stuff which might have kept the crowd captivated while viewers at home yearned for something – anything - to happen, all that was dialled down as an engrossing encounter took hold.

Glen brought far greater ambition to the table 12 months down the line, determined not to leave this one behind. They hounded the Magpies in a stunning start, going after any Niall Kane kick with a bit of air on it and forcing turnovers to sweep into a 0-5 to 0-0 lead with just 11 minutes on the clock.

The superb Conleth McGuckian was instrumental during this period, picking Jerome Johnston’s pocket to send Glen off in search of an early goal. A Ryan McEvoy stumble opened up the opportunity before Aaron Morgan got back to knock Conor Glass of his stride as he prepared to play in Danny Tallon.

Tallon knocked over the free, McEvoy won the subsequent kick-out but over-carried under serious pressure from bodies in green and gold. Emmet Bradley used the wind to send this one over.

Only two points down but already the next kick-out felt like a big one. Bradley got above Dylan Ward, eventually it was worked to midfield partner Glass and he split the posts.

Glen’s fourth unanswered score came when Paul Devlin stumbled trying to collect a Conor Laverty pass, the ball eventually ending up in the hands of McGuckian beneath the stand. The man of the moment, he made no mistake.

The Magpies were hemmed in again from the next kick-out, a sense of disbelief swirling around when Jack Doherty sent this one over. Kilcoo, though, didn’t become Ulster and All-Ireland champions by chance.

And the experience accumulated along the way saw nerves settled when Aaron Branagan burst forward to find the net in the 13th minute, barely breaking stride to fist past Connlan Bradley after Dylan Ward laid off Paul Devlin’s clever pass.

When Devlin was shown a black card for dragging down Michael Warnock minutes later, the Magpies shut up shop to ensure minimum damage. Of the 10 minute sin-bin time, there can’t have been more than two or three where the ball was actually in play as Darryl Branagan and Shealan Johnston received medical treatment.

Off the ball skirmishes were breaking out all over the field, while temperatures rose on the sidelines too. If the ground beneath their feet hadn’t fully thawed at lunchtime, it had now.

Darryl Branagan sent over a super score and when Jerome Johnston won and converted a mark just into added time, the gap was cut to one. From that slow start, Kilcoo tails were up – then they spurned a golden opportunity to flip this game before the break.

Shealan Johnston found space to flight a diagonal ball into the square for brother Jerome, who ended up in a heap after just getting there before Ryan Dougan. Clear penalty, and no other man they would want on it but Paul Devlin.

As his shot skidded off the edge of the post and went wide, though, perhaps it was a sign that this wasn’t to be their day.

Instead of being two ahead, within four minutes of the second half the Magpies were three back following a pair of frees from Bradley and Tallon.

From then, until the final moments, the game morphed into something more like what punters may have expected on the road to Armagh as an extra degree of edginess crept in.

Kilcoo cut the gap to one again when Aaron Branagan sent over. Ceilum Doherty had the chance to send the Magpies soaring into the final 10 minutes, only for Connlan Bradley to beat down his goalbound effort.

Bodies aching, legs tiring, Glen needed something from somewhere, and they needed it fast.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man as McGuckian stepped up again, this time with a wonderful piece of ingenuity to fist over Darryl Branagan’s head before racing onto his own pass and laying off to Ethan Doherty. The Derry speedster was never going to miss.

It was just the lift they needed, at just the right time. The comeback kings were tasked with summoning something extra special, but it was Malachy O’Rourke’s men who stood firm and sealed the deal when Alex Doherty found himself in acres of space, gliding around Kane before sliding into an empty net to send the Glen supporters into dreamland.

Glen: C Bradley; C Carville, R Dougan (0-1), M Warnock; T Flanagan, C Mulholland, E Doherty (0-1); C Glass (0-1), E Bradley (0-2, frees); E Mulholland, C McGuckian (0-1), C Convery, J Doherty (0-1); D Tallon (0-5, frees), A Doherty (1-0). Subs: C McCabe for Convery (57)

Yellow cards: C Carville (51), T Flanagan (60+3)

Kilcoo: N Kane; N Branagan, R McEvoy (0-1, free), A Branagan (1-1); E Branagan, D Branagan (0-1), M Rooney; Aaron Morgan, D Ward; C Doherty, R Johnston, S Johnston, P Devlin (0-2, frees); C Laverty, J Johnston (0-1, mark)

Subs: Anthony Morgan for Ward (HT), S Óg McCusker for E Branagan (56)

Black cards: P Devlin (17-27), S Og McCusker (60+1)

Yellow cards: E Branagan (13), D Ward (24)

Referee: J McQuillan (Cavan)