Monaghan victory sends them into third Ulster final in-a-row

Monaghan 1-20 Fermanagh 0-13

Monaghan charged into a third successive Ulster SFC final with a ten points win over Fermanagh at Kingspan Breffni Park.

But it was only in the final 13 minutes, after Erne centre back Ryan McCluskey was sent off on a straight red card, that the Farney men imposed themselves on the contest.

Pete McGrath’s underdogs were just three points adrift at that stage, and threatening a major shock, but they were swamped in the closing stages as Monaghan carved out a ten points winning margin.

The only goal of the game came late on from Conor McManus, who had to wait until the 64th minute for his first score from play, such was the effectiveness of Fermanagh’s defensive system for three-quarters of the game.

Fermanagh set up with a fortified defensive formation, double-teaming danger man McManus, who never managed to escape the shackles of Marty O’Brien and Ryan McCluskey.

They did get off the mark in the seventh minute through Kieran Duffy, but repeatedly ran into walls of green shirts as Pete McGrath’s men frustrated their opponents with tenacious tackles and successful turnovers, which gave them the opportunities which Sean Quigley and skipper Ryan Jones turned into scores.

The Erne men led by 0-3 to 0-2 after 13 minutes, but the sides were level on five occasions during the fist half as Kieran Hughes and Neil McAdam traded scores with Quigley and Jones, who hit another terrific effort from distance.

Niall Cassidy and Mickey Jones made heroic interventions at the back as the pressure mounted and Monaghan committed more men to the offensive effort.

And eventually the pressure began to tell.

Monaghan started to prise openings late in the half to reel off three points through Kieran and Darren Hughes and a McManus free to take a 0-7 to 0-5 lead into the break.

Kieran Hughes’ spectacular high fielding helped Monaghan build on the advantage in the early stages of the second half.

He fired over his third point, and win the free that McManus converted, before wing back Dessie Mone made it 0-11 to 0-7.

Fermanagh were clinging on, but crucially able to profit from the few chances they were creating, with Eoin Donnelly and Quigley hitting the target.

Monaghan went six ahead with McManus’ fourth free, but Fermanagh responded with guts and determination.

Wing back Declan McCusker pushed forward to rifle over a couple of magnificent points from wide in the right and Quigley drove a 50 metre free, into the wind, between the posts as Fermanagh narrowed the gap to three.

But centre back Ryan McCluskey received a straight red card in the 57th minute, and they were unable to cope with the handicap.

Now Monaghan had extra space to work with, and McManus, who had gone 64 minutes without a score from play, nailed 1-1 in the space of a minute.

His goal was netted at the second attempt after Thomas Treacy had kept out his initial effort

Monaghan were awarded a penalty for Tiarnan Daly’s trip on Stephen Gollogly, but Treacy saved Gollogly’s kick.

It mattered little though, and substitute Owen Duffy scored his third point, goalkeeper Rory Beggan converted a ’45, and Gollogly got his name on the score-sheet.

Monaghan also finished with 14 men following the late dismissal of Darren Hughes on a second yellow card.

Monaghan: R Beggan (0-1, ’45), C Walshe, V Corey, R Wylie, D Mone (0-1), F Kelly, K O’Connell (0-1), N McAdam (0-1), O Lennon, K Duffy (0-1), D Hughes (0-1), S Carey, D Malone, K Hughes (0-3, 1f), C McManus (1-6, 0-5f).

O Duffy (0-3) for Carey, C McGuinness (0-1) for Malone, D Clerkin for Lennon, S Gollogly (0-1) for Kelly, P Finlay for K Hughes, C Boyle for Mone.

Fermanagh: T Treacy, M Jones, N Cassidy, M O’Brien, D McCusker (0-2), R McCluskey, B Mulrone, R O’Callaghan, E Donnelly (0-1), R Jones (0-2), C Flaherty, P McCusker, T Corrigan (0-2), S Quigley (0-5, 4f), T Daly.

Subs: R Corrigan for Flaherty, C Jones for O’Callaghan, A Breen (0-1) for M Jones, D Kille for P McCusker.

Referee: P O’Sullivan (Kerry).