Brave Strokestown give way to Glenullin's greater firepower
Strokestown centre-forward, Kevin Finn, shields possession from his Glenullin opponent during Saturday afternoon's All-Ireland club intermediate football semi-final at Fr. Tierney Park, Ballyshannon. Picture: Bernie O'Farrell
Strokestown gave every last ounce of energy for their club, county and province, but they couldn't get to grips with Glenullin's firepower, as the Derry and Ulster champions scored four second-half goals to turn water into wine in bitterly cold conditions at Ballyshannon on Saturday afternoon.
Pearse McGinley's side survived a poor start and eroded an eight-point deficit to just two points with 13 minutes remaining but they couldn't get any closer as Glenullin finished with a flourish to book their place in the final in Croke Park next weekend.
The sides couldn’t be separated at the break, with Strokestown overcoming a poor start to be on level terms at the change of ends.
Michael O'Kane's well-drilled side hit the ground running, with corner-forward Ryan McNicholl netting in the fourth minute.
When 42-year-old Eoin Bradley bisected the posts soon afterwards, Glenullin , who always found scores that bit easier to come by, had a healthy four-point buffer.
But the Strokestown response was excellent as Diarmuid McGann found the net after he latched on to Ciarán Regan’s delivery in the ninth minute.
Kevin Finn brought the sides level but a mini scoring burst that saw Cillian Bradley and Eoin Bradley kick points allowed Glenullin move 1-3 to 1-1 in front after 21 minutes.
Some key turnovers allowed Strokestown restore parity through the overlapping Regan and a Shane McGinley ’45 before both sides swapped points through Neil McNicholl and McGann to leave them deadlocked, 1-4 apiece, at half time.
Glenullin introduced Fearghal Close at the break, and his first touch saw him grab his side’s opening point of the second half. A superb goal from Glenullin’s top scorer, Ryan McNicholl, followed quickly before Traglach Bradley fisted McNicholl’s point attempt to the net to put his side very much in the driving seat.
McNicholl brought his tally to 2-1 before a spirited Strokestown side launched a comeback, hitting 1-3 without reply to leave just two points it with 13 minutes remaining — the goal coming from an emphatic Shane McGinley effort in the 43rd minute.
But a couple of missed chances cost Strokestown when they had the wind in their sails as Glenullin finished with a flourish, thanks to goals from substitutes Willie John Bradley and Joe McNicholl to prevail by nine points, a scoreline that flattered the winners given the closness of the exchanges for large tracts of the contest.
Scorers: Glenullin – R McNicholl 2-1, T Bradley, WJ Conroy, J McNicholl 1-0 each, E Bradley, Dermot O’Kane (1f) 0-2 each, C Bradley, N McNicholl, F Close 0-1 each. Strokestown – D McGann 1-3 (1f), S McGinley 1-1 (1 ’45), K Finn, C Regan, D Neary, C Corcoran 0-1 each.
GLENULLIN – N O’Kane; E Boylan, Daniel O’Kane, E O’Kane; C Rafferty, J O’Kane, D McNicholl; T Bradley, N McNicholl; C Hasson, C Dempsey, C Bradley; C Mullan, E Bradley, R McNicholl. Subs – F Close for Millan (h-t), WJ Bradley for Boylan (51), J McNicholl for Dempsey (51), Dermot O’Kane for E Bradley (57), Cormac Hasson for Conrad Hasson (60).
STROKESTOWN – N Curley; D Casey, D Owens, T Gibbons; C Regan, D Neary, C Compton; F Cusack, C Neary; M Kavanagh, K Finn, S McGinley; D McGann, K Murphy, S Tighe. Subs – C Lavin for Finn (34), T Corcoran for Cusack (37), E Moran for Kavanagh (40), C Corcoran for Murphy (45), K Finn for Tighe (59).
REF – B Judge (Sligo).
