Cuala end Coolera/Strandhill's fairytale Club run

Cuala's bid to join an exclusive cohort of football and hurling All-Ireland Club champions remains intact, with Con O'Callaghan steering the Dubliners through to next weekend's football final after 0-14 to 0-09 victory over Sligo's Coolera/Strandhill.

O'Callaghan struck five points, including two particularly important ones late on following a Coolera-Strandhill rally, to help secure a Croke Park final clash against Errigal Ciarán.

Having already won All-Ireland club hurling titles in 2017 and 2018, the Dalkey outfit are now just 60 minutes from joining Cork side St Finbarrs as national senior champions in both codes.

They were just about good value for the five-point win, though they endured a nervous period midway through the second half when the seven-point lead they'd built up was suddenly cut to just two.

Coolera/Strandhill, the first Sligo team to win the Connacht title since 1983, couldn't extend their fairytale run as Cuala finished the game strongly, with brothers Con and Niall O'Callaghan sharing four points between them in the closing minutes.

Powerful midfield duo Peadar O Cofaigh Byrne and Peter Duffy impressed too for the Austin O'Malley-managed side who were backboned in defence again by nine-time All-Ireland winning Dublin star Michael Fitzsimons.

Coolera/Strandhill experienced extra time in both of their Connacht championship games, going all the way to penalties against Ballina, and winning the county final after a replay.

So they were well used to showing patience and biding their time in testing conditions, a characteristic that was evident in their first-half display.

Their attacks were patient and deliberate, often containing lengthy sequences of hand-passing and regularly bringing goalkeeper Ryan Scollard