2020 Ulster Minor Football Championship: Derry v Monaghan (tonight, Healy Park, 7.30pm)
TONIGHT'S showdown is a million miles away from last February's league meeting of these teams in a season opener.
Derry's 0-10 to 0-4 win in horrendous conditions at Clones needed a back-to-the-wall performance and a penalty save from Kian McGonigle.
It's so long ago, it holds little or no significance. The season has stopped and started twice since then.
Monaghan earned a narrow preliminary round win over Cavan, 1-8 to 1-7. After trailing by six points at half-time, Stephen Mooney's late goal was the difference between the teams.
Mooney also found the net in their 2-17 to 0-8 win over Antrim, with defender James Slevin scoring the second.
Slevin also added a goal in the opening seconds of their 3-10 to 2-10 semi-final win over Fermanagh, but Monaghan still needed an injury time goal from substitute Dylan O'Reilly to edge them into another final.
Derry manager Martin Boyle has also had to deal with the lay-off since their first round win over Armagh in December when Dan Higgins' goal clinched a 1-7 to 0-8 victory.
Higgins ruled the skies in their 3-10 to 2-12 semi-final win over Tyrone, a game Derry looked in control of despite almost being dragged into extra time had Red Hands nailed an injury-time '45'.
In a game where the pendulum swung for 40 minutes, a penalty from skipper Matthew Downey put Derry on the final steps to victory.
“It is going to be a massive task with Monaghan going for three in-a-row,” Boyle outlines.
A third successive title isn't something Monaghan manager Mark Counihan is getting caught up in.
“It is Derry's fifth final in six years and if you are getting to latter stages of these championships, it is a good achievement for all the structures within your county,” he said.
Both managers kept in regular contact during lockdown and after the lengthy lay-off, Boyle is just happy to be back playing football.
“We are in different territory now, with both teams coming in off hard championship matches, so hopefully players are up to the pitch of champ at this stage.”
Derry have progressed to the minor grade after winning the Brian McLernon (U15) and Buncrana (U16) Cups at development squad level.
While the winning run with the core of the same group of players helps bring togetherness, Boyle said it is something that is 'irrelevant' to the minor grade and hasn't been mentioned in the Oak Leafers' camp.
“It is a totally different level of intensity, it's on a different planet,” Boyle stressed.
Monaghan have reported a clean bill of health ahead of tonight's final.
“We have a few boys with cramp and were sore, but we had a few days to get the bodies right,” said Counihan, who was in charge of the Farney county's 2019 winning team.
Derry were still waiting to see if Lavey's Calum Downey can play a part. A groin injury curtailed his involvement to the second half against Armagh and he was an unused substitute in Saturday's win over Tyrone.
In his absence, Derry will be hoping for Lachlan Murray, Charlie Diamond and Niall O'Donnell to contribute to their attack, while keeping an eye on the attacking prowess of Ethan Graham and Jamie Kirk from defence.
Monaghan hit Fermanagh with an early goal in the semi-final and with tonight's clash expected to go down to the wire, an early score will be seismic in the shape of the game.
Goalkeeper Darragh Croarkin and how the management team engineer his kick-out strategy will be an interesting sub plot, giving Derry's dominance at midfield and Dan Higgins will be a marked man.
On the other side, the battle between Eoin McEvoy and Stephen Mooney will be an intriguing prospect, with the prospect of extra-time needed to decide the destination of the Fr Murray Cup.
Derry: K McGonigle; A McGonigle, P McGurk, C Shiels; M Doherty, E McEvoy, L Brady, D Higgins, P O'Kane; D Gilmore, M Downey, J McDermott; C Diamond, L Murray, N O'Donnell
Subs: C Hazlett, K Doherty, J Moore, N Duggan, R McEldowney, P McCullagh, N McGonagle, D Wade, C Downey
Monaghan: TBA
