Bradley the star for Derry

Monaghan 0-20 Derry 3-16

Headline grabber Paddy Bradley hit 2-08 as Derry ousted their Ulster rivals Monaghan from the All-Ireland race in Clones this afternoon.

After a tumultuous week, during which Bradley allegedly left the Derry panel only to rejoin it 24 hours later, the Glenullin clubman let his football do the talking in a superb individual display of shot-taking and general forward play.

Bradley operated in a two-man full-forward line alongside his brother Eoin and by the time Monaghan had figured out how to cut off the supply of ball to the pair, Derry were 2-07 to 0-05 ahead.

Suspensions, injuries and talk of Bradley’s walkout had dominated the build-up to this game, the sides’ first meeting since that ill-tempered Ulster quarter-final clash of seven weeks ago.

However, memories of that controversial fixture were banished by today’s offering, which was full of direct, fast-paced football and the first half was arguably the best of this year’s Championship.

The 8,171 spectators were treated to some excellent play and Derry, three-point winners of that Ulster quarter-final, hit the front in the first minute when Bradley snuck home his opening goal.

Monaghan goalkeeper Padraig McBennett failed to gather a high ball and Bradley was the quickest to react, left-footing the loose ball to the net as he fell to the ground.

It was the perfect response to the media speculation surrounding Bradley’s commitment to the side and his working relationship with manager Damian Cassidy.

Filing in at right corner forward, the goalscorer gave the Monaghan defence a torrid time in the opening quarter.

Fergal Doherty was moved in to full-forward initially, before being withdrawn back out-the-field and Bradley soon made it 1-1 to 0-1, replying to a Ciaran Hanratty score.

There had been doubts about Hanratty’s participation in the game but he proved his worth with an energetic display in the right corner, finishing the first half with four points.

Monaghan missed a goal-scoring chance when midfielder Dick Clerkin squeezed a close range shot to the right and wide after a breathless attack and while Monaghan were having the better of the possession, Derry were defending well.

Points from Hanratty and Raymond Ronaghan were replied to by the Bradley brothers, Paddy and Eoin, who dovetailed well in a two-man full-forward line.

Eoin Bradley gobbled up another dangerous high ball in, on 17 minutes, to lay off for the inrushing James Kielt to fist home Derry’s second goal and Paddy Bradley followed up with an excellent point off his left.

Hanratty, who had three different markers in the opening 20 minutes, tried to rouse his side with a well-taken point but Derry were now taking every scoring chance that was coming their way.

Hanratty set up a point for Stephen Gollogly, only for Derry to respond with three on the bounce from Kielt, Mark Lynch and Paddy Bradley.

Still, Derry were only hitting such a high level in fits and starts and Monaghan seized their chance to gain ground before half-time.

Seamus McEnaney’s side hit six of the first half’s final seven points, with Ronaghan, Paul Finlay, Hanratty, the increasingly-influential Rory Woods and Damien Freeman all on target.

The Farney men pushed their defenders up-field, forcing Derry into mistakes and making the pressure count on the scoreboard. Gerard O’Kane stopped the rot, just before half-time, with Derry’s eighth point.

Having been eight points ahead at one stage, Derry were only 2-8 to 0-11 ahead at half-time. For opposing fans and neutrals, this was a fantastic shot in the arm for Ulster football and with just one of the 21 scores coming from a free, both sides were clearly thriving in open play.

Monaghan continued to eat into Derry’s lead on the restart. Finlay and substitute Brendan McKenna drew roars of approval from their supporters with two further points, making it a one-point game.

Cool as you like though, Paddy Bradley found his range from a free and added another from play, after Damien Freeman had split the Derry posts again.

The scores were coming thick and fast and a profitable spell for Derry, coming up to the hour mark, really put them out of sight.

Barry McGoldrick stepped forward to convert a free, Lynch added to his tally and Bradley took his own haul to 1-7, bending a free over off the left upright.

The strong-running Chrissy McCaigue added his name to the scoresheet and then, 16 minutes from the finish, Bradley beat McBennett with a first-time shot for his second goal, fastening onto a lovely centre off the outside of his brother Eoin’s left boot.

Eoin added a point off the next attack to make it 3-15 to 0-14 and although Woods, Finlay and substitutes Mark Downey and Paul Meegan kicked Monaghan back to within five points, the damage had been done over the opening hour.

As they got closer towards the end, what Monaghan would have done for a forward of the quality of Tommy Freeman, who was suspended for the game, but it is all ifs and buts and this defeat spells the end of a forgettable summer for Monaghan and of, perhaps, McEnaney’s five-year managerial reign.