Monaghan squeezed through to the second round of the All-Ireland SFC Qualifier series with a nervy four-point win over a dogged Fermanagh side at Clones.

Cavan sprang a shock with a four points Ulster SFC quarter-final victory over neighbours Monaghan at Kingspan Breffni Park.

The sight of thousands of Mayo young supporters on the field at MacHale Park after yesterday’s win over Monaghan was a timely reminder of just how popular the county’s footballers have become in recent years.

Another rousing finish, another league win.

Tralee may have provided the antidote on Saturday night but the poison that exists in Gaelic football isn’t going away on the basis of what transpired in Inniskeen yesterday.

Anthony Cunningham hailed his side’s courage and heart as the 2017 Connacht champions surprised Monaghan at Dr Hyde Park.

Rory Beggan’s converted free in the fifth minute of stoppage time sealed a dramatic comeback for Monaghan champions Scotstown and put them through to the AIB Ulster club SFC final.

His name was at the centre of this week’s frivolous All-Star arguments, but newly-crowned All-Star goalkeeper Rory Beggan is keeping himself at the top of the agenda by scoring an audacious point from play in Scotstown’s Ulster club win over Burren on Sunday.

Conor McManus has insisted that fellow All-Star Rory Beggan didn’t need to apologise for going for glory during their narrow All-Ireland semi-final defeat.

All-Star nominee Rory Beggan has admitted he suffered a ‘rush of blood’ and ‘immediately regretted’ his decision to take a pot shot at glory against Tyrone.

Goalkeepers of the Year

The modern Monaghan success story is down to careful husbandry of resources and a club structure that delivers games, according to goalkeeper Rory Beggan.

Michael Murphy gave us a glimpse of his past brilliance on Saturday. Past brilliance as one of the best Number 14s in GAA history. He has dominated hundreds of ‘squares’ for the best part of a decade.

Newbridge or nowhere? That’s how it’s shaping up again for Kildare only this time they’ll have nowhere left to turn in the championship if they don’t beat Galway in Newbridge next weekend.

Smiles all round after this encounter even if Kerry’s were more of the wrier variety having been on the wrong end of a harsh penalty call.

Monaghan 0-12 Mayo 0-13: One point sourced from a disputed free was all that separated Monaghan and Mayo in Clones yesterday and Malachy O’Rourke was of the opinion that his men may have edged it had the crest on their chests been different.

An injury-time point from Paddy Durcan earned Mayo a hard-earned two league points in Clones on Sunday against a Monaghan side that ended the afternoon with just 12 players on the pitch.

Ireland send an 11-strong team to the European U23 Rowing Championships in Kruszwicka, Poland, this weekend.

Monaghan 1-9 Kerry 1-17: This is March but this is also progress for Kerry.

Scotstown (Monaghan) 2-9 Trillick (Tyrone) 2-7: Darren Hughes fired Scotstown into their first Ulster Club SFC final since 1989 with a two-goal salvo at Brewster Park.

Behind Stephen Cluxton, they are the best in the business. Just how vital will Rory Beggan and Paul Durcan be in tomorrow’s Ulster final?

Donegal 1-4, Monaghan 0-9: At half-time yesterday at O’Donnell Park in Letterkenny, the stadium announcer informed the crowd that Mark English had won silver in the 800m at the European Indoor Athletic Championships in Prague.

Donegal 1-4, Monaghan 0-9:

Sylvester Hennessy crunches the numbers from the weekend’s big Allianz League games.

Allianz FL Division 2 Round 2: Monaghan 1-16 Cork 2-14:

Another awesome attacking master-class from the Dubs blew Monaghan away at Croke Park.

Monaghan 2-16 Kildare 2-14 (aet)

Monaghan 1-18 Armagh 1-13

Armagh 0-14 Monaghan 0-14

Super-cool substitute Rory Grugan rescued Armagh with a free deep into stoppage time, earning a replay for his side and another chance to shock Ulster champions Monaghan.

Donegal moved back to the top of Division 2 this afternoon as they defeated Monaghan 2-11 to 0-10 in a repeat of last year's Ulster final in Letterkenny.

Ulster 2-26 Leinster 3-21 (aet)

Monaghan 0-13 Donegal 0-07

Monaghan 2-16 Meath 3-8

Christy Ring Cup champions London began their Allianz Division 2B campaign with an impressive 0-21 to 0-14 win over Armagh at the Athletic Grounds yesterday.

St Michael’s, Enniskillen produced a superb second-half performance to come from behind and win the Ulster Colleges MacRory Cup at the Morgan Athletic Grounds in Armagh yesterday.

DISGRACED banker Michael Fingleton has branded as “slander” claims that he operated the now defunct Irish Nationwide Building Society as his personal bank.

THE former chief executive of Irish Nationwide, Michael Fingleton, operated special loan facilities for “unlimited amounts of money” for his friends in the media, government and social circles, an Employment Appeals Tribunal heard yesterday.

FORMER Irish Nationwide chief executive Michael Fingleton continued to authorise several loans for one of his branch managers even though repayments on existing loans were in excess of the official’s salary.

WOMEN aged over 35 are to be targeted in a job placement scheme to get them back to work.