14-man Derry claim All-Ireland MFC title with win over Monaghan

Derry made light of a second-half sending off-to claim a second All-Ireland minor title in just four years and frank their status as one of Gaelic football’s modern heavyweights

CHAMPIONS: The Derry team celebrate with the Tom Markham Cup after their All-Ireland MFC final win over Monaghan at Box-IT Athletic Grounds in Armagh. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

All-Ireland MFC final

Derry 1-13 Monaghan 0-9 

Derry made light of a second-half sending off-to claim a second Electric Ireland All-Ireland minor football title in just four years and frank their status as one of Gaelic football’s modern heavyweights.

Damian McErlean’s side came to Armagh as the heaviest of favourites, and with the potential millstone of being the county’s best ever hanging around their necks, but they made light of all that expectation by clocking in with this convincing win.

Their seniors will look to build on this next weekend when they face Kerry in an All-Ireland semi-final in Croke Park. For Monaghan it is an imperfect end to a first decider at this grade since 1939. Their seniors face the Dubs at HQ next Saturday.

Another tough assignment.

This Oak Leaf side had put all-comers to the sword this summer. This was their fourth defeat of Monaghan over the course of the season and it was far more emphatic than the Ulster final when only penalties separated the pair of them.

The surrounds were as suitable as they were ideal. Taking an All-Ireland minor decider out of Croke Park was always going to rankle with the traditionalists but the modern and sleek BOX-IT Athletic Grounds made for the perfect, and perfectly-sized backdrop.

The weather played ball, too, the sun coming out in the hour before throw-in to illuminate the scene and a crowd made up in the main by Monaghan supporters eager to take in this rare shot at national silverware.

They started slowly and edgily, though, and they were far more profligate in front of goals than the winners with a good 15 shots landing wide or short over the afternoon. Derry’s could have been counted on one hand.

JOY: Oisín Doherty of Derry celebrates kicking a point during the All-Ireland MFC final against Monaghan at Box-IT Athletic Grounds in Armagh. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Damian McErlean’s side franked their pre-game status as favourites by dominating the first quarter and their star man Johnny McGuckin was the orchestrator-in-chief as they looked to penetrate a solid defensive system.

McGuckin is small and quick and absurdly talented and he used all those attributes to torment the opposition with his runs from deep and eye for a pass. His fingerprints were all over at least six of Derry’s eight first-half scores.

Three of Ger Dillon’s four frees in that period emanated from fouls on the lynchpin and Derry were cruising into a four-point lead by the start of the second quarter and, it seemed, poised to pull away at any moment.

Monaghan weren’t having that. Matthew Finn had kept them in touch with two super show-and-turn points, his second launching an impressive second quarter spell that took them into the break just two points adrift and with everything to play for.

Derry pulled away again with the first two points on the restart but they reopened the door with Conall Higgins missing a straightforward mark and then wing-back Cahir Spiers picking up a silly red card after leaving his leg in on a prone Tomas Quinn.

A point from Donnachadh Connolly followed to squeeze the gap to three and stir up the Monaghan crowd yet again, but this Derry side powered past the Dubs in the semi-final when reduced to 14 men at half-time. There was no panic.

Oisin Doherty steadied the ship with a point and then the corner-forward broke from midfield to set Sargent up for a palm into the net. It was five minutes since the red but, with 15 to go, the game was done.

Scorers for Derry: G Dillon (0-6 frees); C Higgins (0-3, J Sargent (1-0), O Doherty (0-2); C Spiers and E Young (both 0-1).

Scorers for Monaghan: M Finn (0-4, 0-1 free); M McGinnity (0-3 frees); D Connolly and S Og McElwain (both 0-2).

Derry: K Campbell; F McEldowney, F Murray, L Grant; C Spiers, K Sargent, O Campbell; T Rogers, C McKaigue; E Young, G Dillon, J McGuckin; R Small, C Higgins, O Doherty.

Subs: KB Mullan for Doherty (56); J Boyle for Higgins (58); D McGuckin for Rogers (62).

Monaghan: J Mooney; D Connolly, C Greenan, C Meehan; A Stuart, T Mallen, J Lynch; M Carolan, S O’Connell; C Jones, M McGinnity, S Og McElwain; T Quinn, M Finn, L McKenna.

Subs: C Clerkin for Lynch (17); C Murphy for O’Connell (41); E McCaffrey for Stuart and M Maguire for Jones (both 50); J McCaughey for McGinnity (62).

Referee: S Lonergan (Tipperary).