Composed Brigid's book place in All-Ireland decider

St Brigid's 1-16 Scotstown 1-12

St Brigid's advanced to the AIB All-Ireland senior club football final with an impressive four-point victory over Scotstown at Kingspan Breffni Park this afternoon (Sunday).

The Kiltoom based side proved more efficient when it came to taking their chances and were fully deserving winners, thereby securing their place in the All-Ireland final for the fourth time.

The game was in doubt beforehand due to the impact of the frosty weather, but it went ahead following a pitch inspection.

Brian Derwin's superbly taken goal, having availed of Ruaidhrí Fallon's perceptive pass, gave Brigid's early momentum. Jack McCarron responded by raising a green flag at the other end, making it 1-2 apiece.

By half-time, however, Brigid's led by 1-10 to 1-6, and they were still ahead by four points when the final whistle was blown, despite a late rally from Scotstown.

The Monaghan champions dominated Conor Carroll's kickouts in the closing stages but struggled to put sufficient scores on the board in order to really put Brigid's under pressure.

Yet the Connacht champions still needed a truly heroic block from defender Sean Trundle to deny McCarron a second goal near the end. Had McCarron's shot found the net, the Roscommon side's lead would have been down to the bare minimum.

Ruaidhrí Fallon also saved a Shane Carey effort off the line, while Pearse Frost produced an excellent tackle to dispossess a Scotstown opponent in a threatening position.

A crucial factor in St Brigid's victory was their ability to execute turnovers when defending in large numbers, before hitting Scotstown with swift and incisive counter attacks. Many of those counter attacks yielded scores and Scotstown struggled to cope with the speed of the Kiltoom side's transition play.

Another highly satisfactory aspect of the St Brigid's performance was their disciplined tackling which denied Scotstown's renowned goalkeeper Rory Beggan the opportunity to score two-pointers from frees. Beggan scored 0-11 in Scotstown's Ulster final win over Kilcoo in a contest which went to extra-time, but he was restricted to a single point from a '45' against Brigid's.

Paul McGrath, who was chosen for the official player of the match award, chipped in with two points for Brigid's, again proving his worth in both attack and defence.

Bobby Nugent emerged as his side's top scorer with 0-7 (including a brace of two-pointers). Conor Hand, who was full of running as usual, was the other Brigid's player to raise an orange flag. The last Brigid's point, an insurance score, was contributed by substitute Charlie O'Carroll, who came on for his brother Ben during the last quarter.

The main post-match concern in the Brigid's camp was a rib injury suffered by Brian Stack. The inspirational captain suffered a tough fall having jumped high into the Cavan air to prevent Rory Beggan from gaining possession from a kickout.

Afterwards, Ruaidhrí Fallon quipped that Stack would be wrapped up in "bubble wrap" for the next couple of weeks to ensure he can play in the final.

St Brigid's will meet Daingean Uí Chúis in the All-Ireland final on Sunday, January 18. The Dingle outfit produced an epic comeback to overcome Ballyboden St Enda’s of Dublin in the other semi-final yesterday (Saturday). The Kerry side eventually prevailed by 1-26 to 1-24 after extra-time at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, having been ten points down at one stage in the second half.

The St Brigid's vs Daingean Uí Chúis showdown at Croke Park (throw-in 3.40pm) will form a double header with the All-Ireland senior club hurling final between Ballygunner (Waterford) and Loughrea (Gallway), 1.30pm. Both finals will be shown live on TG4.

Scorers - St Brigid’s: B Nugent 0-7 (1tpf, 1tp, 3f); B Derwin 1-0; C Hand (tp) and P McGrath 0-2 each; R Fallon, B O’Carroll, C Sugrue, E Nolan and C O’Carroll 0-1 each. Scotstown: J McCarron 1-3 (0-1f); F Maguire 0-3 (1tp); M McCarville 0-2; Max Maguire, N Sherlock, R Beggan (45) and S Carey (f) 0-1 each.

St Brigid's - Conor Carroll; Pearse Frost, Seán Trundle, Robbie Dolan; Ruaidhrí Fallon, Brian Stack, Paul McGrath; Mark Daly, Eddie Nolan; Bobby Nugent, Conor Hand, Ciarán Sugrue; Brian Derwin, Shane Cunnane, Ben O’Carroll. Subs: Ronan Stack for Daly (inj., 33 mins), Charlie O’Carroll for B O’Carroll (48), Senan Kilbride for Nugent (55).

Scotstown - Rory Beggan; Ryan O’Toole, Donnchadh Connolly, Darragh Murray; Nicky Sherlock, Damien McArdle, Kieran Hughes; Darren Hughes, Gavin McPhillips; Max Maguire, Shane Carey, Micheál McCarville; Mattie Maguire, Jack McCarron, Francis Maguire. Subs: Conor McCarthy for Sherlock (HT), Tommy Mallen for Mattie Maguire (46 mins).

Referee - Brendan Cawley (Kildare).