AIB All-Ireland Intermediate Club Football Championship semi-final: Glenullin 5-8 Strokestown 2-8
FOUR second-half goals and a major impact from their bench paved Glenullin’s path to next Sunday’s All-Ireland final showdown with An Gaeltacht.
Ryan McNicholl hit two goals but it was Willie John Bradley’s shot to the net that turned the final corner against a Strokestown team snapping at their heels.
The Roscommon side, senior champions in 2022, had a scoring average of 2-16 coming into Saturday’s All-Ireland semi-final. Glenullin shaved that back to 2-8.
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Goalkeeper Niall O’Kane made an important late block to deny Roscommon senior star Colm Neary late on. Diarmuid McNicholl made a breathtaking last-ditch block in the first half.
Eunan O’Kane rolled back the years to make important interceptions and Conor Rafferty did what he has been doing all year. He ran showed for ball, broke lines and then ran some more.
While Strokestown were without key man Seán Mullooly who was on his travels with Glenullin having lost Donal O’Kane to a hamstring injury.
Eoin Bradley started his first game of the year but it was the overall impact from the squad that tipped the scales.
Eoin ‘Skinner’ Bradley made a big impact coming off the bench for Glenullin against Strokestown as the Derry and Ulster champions sealed their place in the All-Ireland final. PICTURE: MARGARET MCLAUGHLIN (MARGARET MCLAUGHLIN COPYRIGHT / )
Dermot O’Kane has been a leading scorer for many years but came on to nail two vital scores, his first of the season.
It was a time when they were wobbling and composure was the magic word.
When his brother John fielded a dangerous dipping ball, Glenullin began a sweeping move that ended in Joe McNicholl hitting a fifth goal.
That was the story of Glenullin’s day. It wasn’t pretty, they didn’t kill off the game but there was always someone on hand to plonk their shoulder to the wheel.
Glenullin’s Ryan McNicholl scored two of the John Mitchell’s club’s five goals in their semi-final win in Ballyshannon. PICTURE: MARGARET MCLAUGHLIN (MARGARET MCLAUGHLIN COPYRIGHT / )
“I thought we played very poorly in transition and we probably kept them in it because of that,” Glenullin manager Michael O’Kane said.
“We gave the ball away more today than we did in the whole of our Ulster campaign, which is mindless stuff from us.
“There was probably a bit of nerves in that. We looked a bit nervous on the ball and a wee bit afraid of doing the wrong thing but we’re just over the moon at the minute.”
Ryan McNicholl’s first goal got them off the best possible start after four minutes, a move involving Eoin and Cillian Bradley.
Glenullin were clean on their own kick-outs with someone always showing.
In the key Néill McNicholl edged the battle with Colm Neary that dampened Strokestown with Mullooly already missing.
The sides were level at 14 minutes when Ciarán Regan’s diagonal ball to the square was fielded before it was transferred to Diarmuid McGann who bundled home from close range.
With four minutes to the break, an overload on the right flank saw Strokstown in for goal but when Colin Compton squared to Shane McGinley.
The Glenullin house was down but Diarmuid McNicholl didn’t buy his dummy before denying him with a full-length block.
The sides were level at half-time, 1-4 each, but Fearghal Close had the ball over the bar with his first touch as Glenullin took root in the Strokestown half.
Eunan Boylan and Chrissy Dempsey then made a second goal for Ryan McNicholl who went for the jugular before applying the finish.
“We tell our players to back themselves,” Michael O’Kane pointed out the killer instinct that has taken them to Croke Park.
“The best sides need people who can do a wee bit of extra, a bit of magic and Ryan McNicholl’s magic.”
It got even better for Glenullin seconds later when McNicholl’s high ball was then flicked to the net by Traglach Bradley for a 3-5 to 1-4 lead after 33 minutes.
Strokestown got themselves back into contention with a Shane McGinley goal in the 42nd minute.
The Roscommon champions began to get a hold in the game until Néill McNicholl played Willie John Bradley in for a the vital 54th minute goal.
The Derry champions forced Strokestown to play around the edges at the other end before Joe McNicholl put the icing on the cake with a fifth goal.
Glenullin: N O’Kane; E Boylan, Daniel O’Kane, E O’Kane; C Rafferty, J O’Kane, D McNicholl; T Bradley, N McNicholl (0-1); Cathal Hasson, C Dempsey, C Bradley (0-1); C Mullan, E Bradley (0-2), R McNicholl (1-0)
Subs: F Close (0-1) for C Mullan (HT), WJ Bradley (1-0) for Boylan (51), J McNicholl (1-0) for Dempsey (51), Dermot O’Kane (0-2, 1f) for E Bradley (56)
Strokestown: N Curley; D Casey, D Owens, T Gibbons; C Regan (0-1), D Neary, C Compton; F Cusack, C Neary; M Kavanagh, K Finn (0-1), S McGinley (0-1 45), D McGann (1-1), K Murphy, S Tighe
Subs: C Lavin for Finn (35), T Corcoran for Cusack (37), E Moran for Kavanagh (41), C Corcoran for Murphy (45), K Finn for Tighe (60)
Referee: B Judge (Sligo)