Glanmire stun Douglas to reach Premier 1 Minor FC final
Glanmire's Eoin Considine hammers home his goal past Douglas goalkeeper James O'Flaherty during the Rebel Óg Premier 1 MFC semi final at The Mardyke. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
The scoreline says comfortable. The performance said the same. From the moment Billy O’Mahony clipped the opening point inside 60 seconds, Glanmire were in front and would never be caught by Douglas in the Mardyke on Thursday evening. By half-time they were 11 clear, and by the close the margin was still the same.
And yet the celebrations on Thursday night at the Mardyke told you this was no ordinary win. Hot favourites Douglas were dismantled. Glanmire are in a Premier 1 Minor Football Championship final, and no one can argue with how they got there.
Three first-half goals did the heavy lifting – the third of them laced with controversy – but it was a display that was as much about defensive steel as attacking sparkle.
Harry Browne and O’Mahony carried the fight up front, while Jack Tierney, Tom O’Flynn and Rory Higgins stitched the backline together when the rain and wind turned it scrappy.
A cagey first 20 had Glanmire in front, 0-3 to 0-1, before the first of three Glanmire majors arrived on 22 minutes.
Browne kicked a sublime ball across the square for Cathal Galvin, who gathered and blasted into the far corner. Eoin Considine added the second, forcing his way through numerous challenges and seeing his first effort saved, but blasting home from the rebound.
Then came the hammer blow. Just before the break, with Glanmire’s Cullen Condon black carded and Douglas sniffing for a way back, they were incorrectly penalised for having only three defenders in their own half.
Glanmire went quick, Browne went high to the top corner, and the half ended 3-4 to 0-2.
As deflating a concession as Douglas could have imagined, the timing detrimental.
The second period brought driving rain and slippery football, but Glanmire were ruthless in the muck.
Three without reply from Ruaidhri Dennehy, Higgins and Browne pushed them 14 clear after 35 minutes. When Browne converted a two-point free at the beginning of the final quarter, it lifted Glanmire to their highest advantage of 15 points, 3-11 to 0-5, the game long settled.
Douglas belatedly stirred. Oscar Doherty was denied a certain goal by an excellent Isaac Barrett stop, and forced to settle for a white flag.
In the 54th minute, they finally cracked Glanmire open – Liam Kelleher’s effort saved, Sam O’Keeffe recycling, Jack O’Brien finishing.
By then it was consolation, though O’Brien nearly had another in injury time, his rasping shot only denied by the post, summing up their fortunes.
Instead, it was Glanmire who would have the last word – Darragh Barrett bending one over off the outside of the boot on the hour to cap a night they will savour for a long time.
For Douglas, misery in the rain. For Glanmire, a special night.
H Browne 1-3 (1 tpf), C Galvin 1-1, B O’Mahony 0-3 (0-2 f), E Considine 1-0, H Cogan 0-2, D Barrett, R Dennehy, R Higgins 0-1 each.
J O’Brien 1-0, T Murray 0-2, O Doherty, B Herlihy, M O’Brien, E Gibson, P McGrath 0-1 each.
I Barrett; R Boyle, C Condon, J Tierney; F O’Donovan, T O’Flynn, C Fennessy; E Considine, R Higgins; H Browne, H Cogan, R Dennehy; B O’Mahony, F O’Connor, C Galvin.
D Barrett for Galvin (37), G Grandon for Dennehy (40), D McSweeney for O’Mahony (53).
J O’Flaherty; E Kilbride, T Curtin, D O’Donoghue; J Mouret, L Kelleher, J Gordon; D O’Connor, J O’Brien; B O’Keeffe, M O’Brien, R Sweeney; B Herlihy, E Gibson, T Murray.
C O’Donoghue for O’Connor, P McGrath for Gibson (both HT), O Doherty for O’Keeffe (42), P Rudden for Herlihy, S O’Keeffe for Sweeney (both 49).
A O’Regan (Kilbrittain)
App?
