Monaghan make it to Ulster football final

Derry 1-9 Monaghan 0-14

Monaghan qualified for their first Ulster football final in 19 years when a battling performance saw them edge out Derry at Casement Park.

And they did it without star midfielder Paul Finlay, forced to withdraw from the squad due to illness.

Seven Tommy Freeman points and four from Stephen Gollogly steered the Farney men into the July 15 final, where they will meet Tyrone.

Freeman was on fire in the early stages as Monaghan flew out of the blocks.

The corner forward hit four points from play inside the opening quarter of an hour, leaving marker Gerard O’Kane in his wake each time.

Rory Woods thumped over a long range free, but the Farney men couldn’t put daylight between the teams, allowing Derry to punish on the counter-attack.

A couple of free kicks from Conleth Gilligan kept them in touch, and while Stephen Gollogly’s 18th minute point opened out a four points gap, it was Derry who bossed the second quarter.

With Joe Diver and Fergal Doherty stepping it up in the central area, they nailed on the final three points of the half, long range efforts from James Conway and Diver, and a fine individual effort from Mark Lynch.

Inside forwards Enda Muldoon and Paddy Bradley had been snuffed out of the game by Vincent Corey and Dessie Mone, managing one single attempt between them, that late effort sliced wide by Bradley.

Nevertheless, after playing second fiddle for most of the half, they trailed by just a point at the break, 0-6 to 0-5, with wind advantage still to come.

But it was Monaghan who displayed all the heart and courage. Gollogly took over the mantle from Freeman with three superb points from play after the latter had brought his tally to seven.

Derry refused to give in, and points from Gilligan, Bradley and Conway meant that just a point separated the sides at the start of the final quarter.

Bradley plunged the game back into the melting pot, showing his predatory instincts to finish to the net from close range after Conway’s fisted effort had come back off a post eight minutes from the end of normal time.

But Corey and Gary McQuaid defended heroically as the Oak Leafers battled to rescue the game.

It was not to be for Derry, however, and late scores from Woods and Gollogly sealed it for Seamus McEnaney’s men.

Monaghan: S Duffy, D Mone, V Corey, D McArdle, D Freeman, G McQuaid, D Morgan, E Lennon, JP Mone, D Clerkin, R Woods (0-3, 1 free), S Gollogly (0-4), C Hanratty, S Smith, T Freeman (0-7, 2 frees).

Subs: C McManus for Morgan (h-t), H McElroy for Smith (45), P Meegan for Hanratty (62), D Hughes for Gollogly (73)

Derry: B Gillis, M McGoldrick, K McCloy, G O'Kane, Patsy Bradley, SM Lockhart, C McKeever, F Doherty, J Conway (0-2), Paddy Bradley (1-2, 1 free), C Gilligan (0-3, 3 frees), J Diver (0-1), R Wilkinson, E Muldoon, M Lynch (0-1).

Subs: L Hinphey for Patsy Bradley (23 mins), B McGoldrick for Wilksinson (56), C Devlin for Doherty (59), P Murphy for Gilligan (60), G Donaghy for Lynch (68)

Referee: F Flynn (Leitrim)