Hughes strikes to earn final spot for Monaghan

Down 0-13 Monaghan 1-12

The sides were level five times in the second half but Down made all the running and must have thought they’d done enough to snatch a win when Danny Savage pointed a 68th minute free.

Monaghan were almost solely reliant on the scoring power of Conor McManus, who kicked a superb 1-7 in the Athletic Grounds, and he landed the equaliser in the 69th minute when Down coughed up possession. Then Darren Hughes stepped up with two late long-range scores and it looked as though extra-time was a certainty.