'These opportunities don't come around too often and you have to grab them!'

Glen 1-13

Magherafelt 0-7

Glen’s glory days continue to roll and Sunday saw them join Bellaghy, Ballinderry and Slaughtneil in Derry’s three-in-a-row club on the base of the John McLaughlin Cup.

A look at their winning margins…1-13 to 0-7 in 2021, 1-12 to 0-7 last year and Sunday leads you into a trend. And that’s true. Malachy O’Rourke and Ryan Porter have been able to get their side to peak on Derry football’s biggest day.

With the intermediate final going to extra-time, preparations for the senior game were moved back 30 minutes but it made no difference to Magherafelt.

Their energy was the reason why they deservedly led 0-5 to 0-2. Their problems began from not pushing on enough. To Glen’s credit, they did get a handle on the game.

Like they did in the semi-final, Glen’s half-time interval was well used. A look in the mirror told them of the need to up the ante.

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“We wouldn’t have been happy with the performance in the first half,” said Glen manager Malachy O’Rourke.

“We had plenty of possession but when we didn’t use it well enough, Magherafelt were able to get possession and they held it and they were able to get runners coming through. 

“That was something we had to look at half-time and in the second half we were a lot better.

“We had a lot more urgency all over the field. We lifted our level of performance and that’s what told in the end.”

The dressing room solace allowed the breathing space to rejig the marking arrangements and hatch a plan to limit the areas of grass Conor McLarnon was able to find with his kick-outs before the interval.

Glen’s plans were helped by winning the throw-in that led to Warnock making a point for Emmett Bradley.

Then came the moment that changed the shape the game and there was a slice of luck attached to it.

Ryan Dougan humped an up and under that would’ve looked at home in the rugby World Cup. Emmett Bradley impeded Dan Higgins enough to see him spill the ball in the goalmouth.

Conor Convery hoovered up the break before going to ground. Referee Quinn waved away any penalty appeals and when Convery hoked the ball out of a sea of ankles, Cathal Mulholland poked it to the net.

Like Stevie O’Hara’s goal against Magherafelt in the quarter final last year, Mulholland’s goal – followed by his trademark jump in the air celebration – gave Glen the cushion that made the rest of Sunday a comfortable sit.

Frees from Shane Heavron and Shea McGuckin were all Rossa could muster after the break whereas Glen took their list of scorers into double figures with goalkeeper Connlan Bradley and skipper Connor Carville also getting in on the act.

Glen’s prize is a home tie with Antrim champions Cargin in the Ulster series and Malachy O’Rourke’s mind wandered back to last year’s semi-final between the teams when a late Danny Tallon goal clinched victory.

“Cargin would feel they were unlucky not to win that game last year,” he said. “It was a tight game and it’s going to be another massive game this year. 

“You have to perform on the day and that’s what we’ll be intending to do. The lads are really hungry, they know these opportunities don’t come around too often and you have to grab them.”

Glen: Connlan Bradley (0-1); Ryan Dougan, Connor Carville (0-1); Michael Warnock; Danny McDermott, Ciaran McFaul (0-1), Cathal Mulholland (1-0); Eunan Mulholland (0-3); Conor Glass (0-1), E Bradley (0-3, 2f), Ethan Doherty, Conleth McGuckian (0-1), Jack Doherty (0-1m); Conor Convery, Danny Tallon (0-1f)

Subs:  Tiarnan Flanagan for C Mulholland (36), Jody McDermott for C Convery (47), Stevie O’Hara for D Tallon (60)

Yellow card: M Warnock (49)

Magherafelt: Odhrán Lynch; Johnny McErlain, Guiseppi Lupari; Conor McCluskey, Simon McErlain, Eoin McEvoy (0-1); Conall Heron; Danny Heavron, Dan Higgins; Shea McGuckin (0-2f), Ronan Walls, Paddy McLarnon (0-1); Ryan Lennox; Cormac Murphy (0-1), Shane Heavron (0-2f)

Subs:  Conor McLarnon for O Lynch (INJ 25), Conor Kearns for R Walls (37), James Murray for S McGuckin (47), Emmett McGuckin for R Lennox (55), Fergal Duffin for G Lupari (57)

Yellow card: S McErlain (60)

Referee: Benny Quinn (Lavey)

Attendance: 5, 350