‘We’re not here to entertain’
GAA chiefs are set to review video replays of the hard hitting clash as football discipline finds itself under the microscope after the second weekend of the championship.
Cassidy’s side claimed victory by three points (1-10 to 0-10) however the win was overshadowed by a series of controversial incidents. Referee Jimmy White of Donegal flashed nine yellow cards and one red in an explosive encounter in front of 10,380 vociferous followers at the new-look Celtic Park while RTÉ cameras picked up several off-the- ball incidents in the quarter-final.
Though football as a spectacle may have suffered, Cassidy insisted that the result was what mattered most to Derry squad and their fans.
“It was a battle but it was not going to be anything else,” he said.
“People sitting at home may be complaining about the quality of football but we are not in the business of entertaining people.
“This is an amateur game – you sacrifice your working life and your family life.
“And we don’t get paid for entertaining people.
“We showed the football we can play in the last 15 minutes but up until then it was a physical game and that’s what we expect.
“All we care about is the result and that’s all that matters in this game.”
He said of some of the bruising clashes on and off the ball: “You want to go to any club championship game in Ireland, you’re going to get that type of physicality in the game.
“We didn’t have any choice. We had to stand up to the physical test that I feel we had bowed down to the past two years.”
But he stressed: “I’m not suggesting for one minute that it was Monaghan’s fault. That’s just what we needed to do to get a result out of this game. I’m proud of my lads – I’m proud of the way they stood up and showed the guts that had to be shown. We were down to 14 men in the last 15 minutes and we really showed our character as we grabbed the game and pulled away to claim a victory.
“Monaghan had been our bogey team so we will cherish this result.”
Derry captain Fergal Doherty’s was the sole dismissal 12 minutes from time, picking up his second yellow card as he clashed with Gary McQuaid after the whistle blower had given the Bellaghy clubman a free.
Cassidy thought the decision was harsh. He said: “I don’t think Fergal should have been sent off. Someone was holding the ball and he put the shoulder in him and that’s part of the game.”
Doherty’s first card had come as he clashed with Dick Clerkin on the ground, the Currin man one of three Monaghan players to enter the referee’s notebook. Raymond Ronaghan and Tommy Freeman were the others, while allied to two for Doherty were cards for James Kielt, Brian Mullan, Paddy Bradley and Barry McGoldrick for the hosts.
Others might have followed Doherty down the tunnel. The inevitable red card was one of countless off-the-ball incidents in a fiercely competitive encounter in which the Oak Leafers prevailed despite Doherty’s dismissal.
It came at a time when the sides were level, 1-7 to 0-10, but scores from James Kielt, Joe Diver and Paddy Bradley edged Damian Cassidy’s men into a semi-final meeting with Tyrone or Armagh.
As with his manager, Derry defender Ciaran McGuckin downplayed the manner or victory.
He said: “It was a real Ulster battle but we knew it was going to be like that. Monaghan are a real tough physical side and after the last few years people were questioning Derry’s appetite for battle. There is great relief in the dressing-room. We couldn’t leave Celtic Park without a result. When Fergal went off, we knew we had to dig in. It was do or die.”
For the visiting Farney men, the real talking point was missed chances. Eight wides when playing with a strong wind in the first half saw the sides go in level at 1-3 to 0-6, and Seamus McEnaney’s men added four more to the list in the second period.
McEnaney rued the poor finishing of his team as he plans for the All-Ireland qualifiers.
“We created 28 or 29 chances in the game so it’s very disappointing that we’ve come out with a defeat. We fought tooth and nail to the end and I’m very proud of the players as it was always going to be tough getting a win at Celtic Park.
“We played as well if not better than Derry in the first-half but didn’t get enough from it. We will regroup – there is great spirit among the players and we will give the All-Ireland Championship a serious run.”
McEnaney was diplomatic when quizzed on the physicality of the clash.
He stressed: “We knew coming here that Derry would be physical, we knew what to expect, and we matched Derry’s physicality.”
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