Emmet Óg (Monaghan) 4-10
Dunedin Connollys (Scotland) 1-9

Alan Gunn reporting in Aghabog

GOALS WIN GAMES and Emmet Óg’s four majors were the difference as the Monaghan and Ulster champions booked their place in next month’s All-Ireland intermediate club final.

Monaghan star Ellen McCarron was in inspirational form, finishing the tie with 2-3, while Chloe McBride netted the other two goals as Emmet Óg took control in the second half of a thoroughly entertaining game in front of a big crowd in Aghabog.

British champions Dunedin Connollys, based in Edinburgh, were still in the game at half-time but an unanswered 1-5 from the home side in the third quarter opened up an insurmountable gap — 3-9 to 0-8 — that they just could not chase down.

Two goals in the final minutes of the first half from McBride and McCarron gave Emmet Óg a 2-3 to 0-6 half-time lead.

The home side found themselves 0-4 to 0-1 down after the first quarter, a run from Connollys that included a brace from Susan O’Sullivan, but the visitors were dealt a blow on 22 minutes when captain and Donegal native Karen Feeney was sin-binned.

Mairead Vaughan did stretch the Dunedin lead out to three, 0-6 to 0-3, in the 27th minute but the game turned approaching the break.

In a frenetic finish to the half, Emmet Óg pounced for two superb goals, the first from McBride to level proceedings and one from McCarron right on half-time to give her side a crucial three-point interval cushion.

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Not every day you get to see an all Ireland semi final in your home ground #FullHouse #HonEmmetOg @AghabogGFC @monaghangaa @LadiesFootball pic.twitter.com/22pPpf9Avi

— Paulclerkin57 (@Paulclerkin57) November 17, 2018

Laura Boylan stretched it out to four immediately after the restart before Dunedin cut Emmet Óg’s lead back to two, 2-4 to 0-8.

A ten-minute purple patch followed for Emmet Óg, as McCarron contributed 1-2 in a spell that saw her side register 1-5 without reply.

Susan O’Sullivan did grab a goal for the visitors when she reacted quickest to fire to the back of the net after Caoilfhionn Deeney’s free crashed off the crossbar – and she followed it up with a point to reduce the deficit to six.

Ht #EmmettOg 2-3 @DunedinCGFC 0-6 #LGFAClubs pic.twitter.com/bJy3DHVFWe

— Alan Gunn (@AlanGunn2429) November 17, 2018

But McBride made sure it was going to be Emmet Óg’s day with their fourth goal in stoppage time, to put the icing on the cake.

Emmet Óg will take on Clontarf from Dublin or Galway outfit St Brendan’s in the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Final on 8 December.

Scorers for Emmet Óg: E McCarron 2-3, (0-1f), C McBride 2-1, L Boylan 0-5 (0-3f), B Tierney 0-1

Scorers for Dunedin Connollys: S O’Sullivan 1-3, M Vaughan 0-3, K Feeney, C Deeney, R Heeney (0-1f) 0-1 each

Emmet Óg:

1. D Morgan

2. R Hughes
3. A McQuaid
4. K Nolan

5. N Rooney
6. M McCaville
7. A Newell

8. M Monaghan
9. E Daly

10. E Leonard
11. E McCarron
12. B Tierney

13. F Monaghan
14. L Boylan
15. C McBride.

Subs:
M Newell for Leonard (50)
C McMenamin for Nolan (61)

Dunedin Connollys:

1. S Loftus

2. E Hutson
3. S McEvoy
4. A Rogerson

5. K Reidy
6. J McCormick
7. E Kelly

8. R Heeney
9. M Crowley

10. K Feeney
11. S O’Sullivan
12. M Harper

13. A.M. Leen
14. C Deeney
15. M Vaughan

Subs:
L Sinnott for Vaughan (51)

Refereee: B Rice (Down)

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