Scotstown through to Ulster SFC final after penalties in tight affair with Newbridge

ULSTER FINAL SPOT BOOKED: Tommy Mallen of Scotstown finds a way past the Newbridge defence. Picture: ©INPHO/Andrew Paton

Ulster Club SFC semi-final: Scotstown (Monaghan) 2-20 Newbridge (Derry) 2-20 (Scotstown win 4-2 on penalties)

This group of Scotstown players, backboned by the likes of the Hughes brothers, Rory Beggan, Conor McCarthy and Shane Carey, crave an Ulster club SFC title.

And they have a great chance of finally getting their hands on the silverware when they return to Armagh next Saturday week to play Kilcoo in the final.

But even if they do slip up again and suffer a fourth final defeat in a decade, they will always have this win to savour. And it was some win.

Level after full-time and extra-time in Armagh city, it took eight spot kicks to eventually separate the Derry and Monaghan champions in what amounted to an epic encounter in awful conditions.

Goalkeeper Rory Beggan, Jack McCarron, Kieran Hughes and Darren Hughes slotted all four of the kicks that Scotstown took and with Newbridge twice failing to convert - Oisin Doherty and Sean Young couldn't find the net - that was that.

A week after the sides' original semi-final fixture was abandoned at half-time in Omagh due to dangerous conditions, this will go down as a landmark fixture with the teams still tied after nearly two hours of football.

Finishing on the losing side was tough on Newbridge, and captain Sean McAteer in particular, as he'd twice intervened for his team, grabbing the equalising scores that forced both extra-time and then penalties.

In all, Newbridge fought back from eight points behind with 54 minutes on the clock in normal time to force the additional 20 minutes, scoring 1-5 without response.

But four-times champions Scotstown still managed to find a way to make it through to their ninth ever final.

All of their big guns fired again with veteran Hughes, along with his brother Kieran, digging so deep on the afternoon, along with Beggan, while Micheal McCarville and Tommy Mallen registered 2-5 between them.

Newbridge's second-half comeback in normal time was all the more impressive as they were nine behind at the interval.

Scotstown registered three two-pointers in that first-half, from Mattie Maguire, McCarville and roving goalkeeper Beggan.

If the Scotstown gameplan was to get quality, fast ball down to their forwards, and to press up hard on the subsequent Newbridge kick-out, it worked a treat.

McCarville's sixth minute goal was a case in point as Scotstown won their own kick-out and quickly worked the ball down the pitch.

Mattie Maguire was heavily involved in that goal and when Scotstown won the subsequent kick-out, the ball was played to him again for their first two-pointer.

Suddenly, Scotstown held a 1-2 to 0-1 lead and were in a commanding position.

Maguire's next score, in the 20th minute, was another that came straight off the training ground; Ryan O'Tooole, back after suspension, winning a ball back in defence and launching a rapid counter-attack that ended with Maguire pointing.

Still, Newbridge looked dangerous when they did get the ball forward. They played a shorter, more intricate passing game and grabbed a vital foothold in the game when they netted in the 17th minute.

Quick hands in the danger area worked an opening for Patrick McMullan who had time to turn and shoot.

Oisin Doherty was a constant threat too and pinched two first-half points for the back-to-back Derry champions.

But Hughes, wearing number 14, made life difficult for Newbridge as an auxiliary defender.

When former Monaghan star Darren Hughes did push forward and join the attack, he made sure it was worth it, picking off points in the 10th and 34th minutes.

That latter score for Hughes left Scotstown 1-14 to 0-4 clear but it was against the run of play as Newbridge rallied.

Now the Derry men had the wind, like the first-half in Omagh a week earlier, and made better use of it this time.

Eamon Young sniped a point. Then the increasingly influential McAteer drilled a two-pointer before winning a free that Doherty converted for another two points.

Just five points stood between the teams now, 1-14 to 1-9, but Newbridge's momentum was halted by an Oisin Doherty point attempt from a routine free that dropped short.

Sensing opportunity, Scotstown pounced. Hughes, yet again, played a central role as they conjured a goal, picking out Mattie Maguire who passed across for Mallen to palm home.

Play had barely restarted when Mallen got on the ball again and stroked over a point, opening up a 2-14 to 1-9 lead for Scotstown. With six minutes to go, they were still eight points clear at 2-16 to 1-11. Surely they couldn't be caught?

But they were because Newbridge simply refused to relent, reeling them in score by score and picking off 1-5 without response to take the game to extra-time. Conor Doherty's 58th minute goal ignited the comeback, capitalising after a quick Eamon Young free was played to Oisin Doherty and across to Conor.

But it was McAteer who needed to show all his leadership in the third minute of stoppage time, curling over the equaliser to make it 2-16 apiece.

Both sides split six points evenly between them in the first-half of extra-time, leaving it tied at 2-19 apiece.

That suited Scotstown more as they had the wind for the vital last 10 minutes but they couldn't take advantage.

McCarron did curl over a beauty in the 75th minute which looked like it might be the winner but McAteer intervened yet again to fist over the leveller two minutes into stoppage time.

Scorers for Scotstown: M McCarville 1-3 (1 tp), T Mallen 1-2, R Beggan 0-4 (1 tp, 1 tpf), M Maguire 0-3 (1 tp), F Maguire 0-3, J McCarron 0-2 (0-1f), D Hughes 0-2, S Carey 0-1.

Scorers for Newbridge: O Doherty 0-6 (2 tp), S Young 0-4 (1 tp), C McAteer 0-4 (1 tp), P McMullan 1-0, C Doherty 1-0, C McGrogan 0-2 (1 tp), E Young 0-2 (0-1f), O McGlone 0-1, C MCGrogan 0-1.

SCOTSTOWN: R Beggan; D Connolly, R O'Toole, D McArdle; D Murray, S Carey, D Hughes; M McCarville, G McPhillips; Max Maguire, K Hughes, F Maguire; T Mallen, J McCarron, Mattie Maguire.

Subs: N Sherlock for Max Maguire 51, C McCarthy for Francis Maguire 53. Max Maguire for Mallen 65, James Hamill for Connolly h/t e/t, Jason Carey for Mattie Maguire 76.

NEWBRIDGE: N Rocks; Conleth McGrogan, S McGrogan, M McGrogan; P McMullan, Conor McGrogan, P McGrogan; Callum McGrogan, C Doherty; C McBride, M Doherty, E Young; C McAteer, S Young, O Doherty.

Subs: O McGlone for McMullan 45, D McColgan for McBride 47, K Burke for M Doherty 54, M Doherty for E Young 76, S McAteer for Callum McGrogan 79.

Referee: Joe McQuillan (Cavan).