Ulster U21 FC final: Monaghan 0-13 Tyrone 0-11
MIGHTY Monaghan toppled the All-Ireland champions to win their first Ulster U21 Football title since 1999 in a gripping final at the Athletic Grounds on Wednesday.
A heroic effort from the Farney lads carved out a deserved victory as they lifted the Irish News Cup for only the third time. Ciaran McBride’s intimate knowledge of Tyrone football was a key factor, and the Monaghan manager and former Red Hand star got his match-ups just about spot on an important evening for the county. His players succeeded in stifling the effectiveness of Frank Burns and Cathal McShane, both giants of last year’s successes, and Barry McGinn’s incisive finishing led them to victory.
The hand of recent history pressed firmly on the shoulders of both teams as they took on a hefty challenge. Three years ago, these same sets of players met in the Ulster Minor Championship final, when Monaghan came from eight points behind to score a stunning victory. And on an evening of affirmation in Armagh city, they took down the Red Hands once again to strike a telling blow for the future of Farney football.
Tyrone found their feet early on with scores from Shea Hamill and Brennan, and Monaghan needed a terrific double save from Conor Forde, who showed agility and razor-sharp reflexes to twice deny Sean Fox.
The Red Hands retreated in a familiar defensive pattern, opting to break at pace and finding outlet men in Mark Kavanagh and David Mulgrew, but once Barry McGinn and Fearghal McMahon began to run directly at Tyrone, Monaghan started to enjoy some success on the scoreboard. The pair landed their side’s first three points, and it was Conor McCarthy who slotted over the lead score at the end of the opening quarter.
Michael O’Dowd revelled in the thankless but utterly effective job of stifling the role of Tyrone sweeper Frank Burns, making it almost impossible for the team captain to spread ball from deep in his customary assured fashion.
But Tyrone found other ways to get the job to the brilliant Brennan, and he did the rest, hitting delicious scores from frees and play, every one of them a spectacular effort, whether from sideline balls of long range punts from play. But the Red Hands were struggling to secure possession from their own kick-outs, and Monaghan punished with two points in the space of 30 seconds, from McGinn and Conor McCarthy.
Dessie Ward and Mikey Murnaghan defended heroically for the Farneymen as they closed down the danger and broke themselves for Aaron Lynch and McGinn, from a free, to bring them level at 0-6 each on 23 minutes.
Lynch and Niall Loughman grew into the game as an effective midfield partnership, but the Farney men suffered a blow late in the half when one of their key defenders, skipper Kevin Loughran was forced out of the action by a black card. Brennan’s fifth sent Tyrone in with a 0-7 to 0-6 lead, but McGinn brought his tally to four, from a free, to level the game for the sixth time.
Ryan McAnespie’s work-rate and willingness to sacrifice his own attacking instincts helped Ciaran McBride’s side helped Monaghan win the frees from McGinn and McCarthy opened out a two points lead within three minutes of the restart.
McCarthy showed his true class with a magnificent long range effort, inspiring his side to a sustained spell of pressure, but the Tyrone defence, with Burns and Colm Byrne standing tall, held out to break for a Mark Kavanagh point.
Centre-back James Mealiff made a few telling surges from deep, while Lynch dropped deep to make a couple of important interceptions, and substitute Aodh Curran made a vital interception as Tyrone frustration mounted. Monaghan still led by two as the game pushed into its final ten minutes, and they were looking good when McGinn curled over another placed ball.
Cathal McShane and David Mulgrew pulled back late points, but Monaghan forced a series of turnovers in the face of massive pressure, with full back Murnaghan performing heroics in a desperate but triumphant last stand, with substitute Adam Treanor kicking the insurance point.
MATCH STATS
Tyrone: S Fox; C McCann (0-1), M McKernan, S Hamill (0-1); C Byrne, F Burns, M O’Neill; C McShane (0-2, 0 1 free), S Loughran; M Flanagan, M Kavanagh (0-1), D Mulgrew (0-1); L Brennan (0-5, 0-3 free), R Coleman, S Fox; Subs: D Gallagher for Coleman (h-t), S O’Donnell for McCann (39), R McGlone for O’Neill, B McDonnell for Flanagan, P McGirr for Byrne (60)
Monaghan: C Forde; B Kerr (0-1), M Murnaghan, K Loughran; D Ward, J Mealiff, N Rooney; N Loughman, A Lynch (0-1); R McAnespie, B McGinn (0-6, 0-5 frees), D Meegan; M O’Dowd, C McCarthy (0-3, 0-1 free), F McMahon (0-1); Subs: F Maguire for O’Dowd, B McBennett for McMahon, A Treanor (0-1) for Lynch (60); Black card: Loughran (27) replaced A Curran
Referee: N Cullen (Fermanagh)
Munster U21 Football Championship final: Kerry v Cork (Thursday, Austin Stack Park, 7.30pm)
MONAGHAN will discover their All-Ireland semi-final opponents on Thursday as Kerry and Cork battle for supremacy in Munster.
Under new manager Jack O’Connor, Kerry won their first match at this level since 2012 in March’s quarter-final clash against last year’s Munster champions Tipperary. Laden with members from their back-to-back All-Ireland minor-winning squads in 2014 and 2015, Kerry accounted for Limerick in the semi-final and are bidding for a first U21 title since 2008.
Cork, meanwhile, have registered emphatic wins over Clare and Waterford on their way to Thursday night’s decider and manager Sean Hayes can call on an relatively experienced panel.
