Football

Monaghan Harps have burning desire to upset Scotstown

Darren Hughes lifts the Mick Duffy Cup after Scotstown’s Monaghan SFC final win over Clontibret in 2013. After losing last year’s decider to Clontibret, Scotstown are favourites to reclaim the title against a Monaghan Harps side seeking the club’s first SFC win in 92 years
Darren Hughes lifts the Mick Duffy Cup after Scotstown’s Monaghan SFC final win over Clontibret in 2013. After losing last year’s decider to Clontibret, Scotstown are favourites to reclaim the title against a Monaghan Harps side seeking the cl Darren Hughes lifts the Mick Duffy Cup after Scotstown’s Monaghan SFC final win over Clontibret in 2013. After losing last year’s decider to Clontibret, Scotstown are favourites to reclaim the title against a Monaghan Harps side seeking the club’s first SFC win in 92 years

WHEN Scotstown and Monaghan Harps meet tomorrow at St Tiernach’s Park, Scotstown will be appearing in their third Monaghan SFC final in-a-row, seeking their 16th senior title and their first since 2013. Harps will be trying to bridge a 92-year gap since they last won the title in 1923 and appearing in their first final since 1991. 

That cursory glance at the championship statistics of both clubs could give the impression that this is a David versus Goliath affair, but nothing could be further from the truth. 

There is no doubt Scotstown are going into the game as favourites given they are the more experienced team at this level, but against that Monaghan Harps have hunger on their side and a burning desire to end their 92 years in the Monaghan SFC wilderness. 

Every member of the Scotstown panel has a senior football championship medal and that gives them an edge, but it is an edge they will have to capitalise on fully against the challengers who have absolutely nothing to lose. 

Scotstown will want to avoid a repeat of last year’s final when they started like a whirlwind only to fade and allow Clontibret to dominate the remainder of the game and take the title. 


Scotstown captain Donal Morgan says the disappointment of that final loss has driven the team on in 2015.

“It has been a motivating factor all year and has helped get us this far. We have worked hard all year and last year’s defeat has spurred us on to do whatever we thought we would have to do – or what we needed to do – to get us back to this stage.”

Scotstown have already defeated Harps in this year’s championship, but Morgan doesn’t feel that will be a factor tomorrow.

“No, I don’t think it will at all and I don’t think anyone else does because that’s water under the bridge now,” he said.

“There is always the side of it that if any team is going to learn from a game like that it’s the team that came out on the wrong side of the result, so perhaps the Harps maybe learned a bit more from that match than we did.”

Monaghan Harps essentially go into the game with nothing to lose and everything to gain, but if they are to win the senior championship they will need their key players to perform to the top of their ability.

They will go into tomorrow’s final knowing the only game in the competition when they’ve failed to do themselves justice so far was against Sunday’s opposition. 

They did, however, recover from that loss to defeat both Magheracloone and reigning champions Clontibret, the latter in the semi-final with a very studied, disciplined performance. Their five-point winning margin didn’t in any way flatter them.

There will be a number of key battles but the one Scotstown player Harps have to be wary of is Darren Hughes. 

He is Scotstown’s leader on the field and is always capable of pulling off something special to rally his troops. 

Harps manager Cathal McAnenly reckons his team holds their fate in their own hands. 

“People might say that there could be a psychological barrier for the Harps players in that it is 24 years since they were last in the final but I don’t think so because you just have to take it year on year.

“We are playing Scotstown and we all know Scotstown. They are a club steeped in championship tradition and they possibly could be looking at it that they should be going for three titles in-a-row at this stage. 

“We don’t underestimate the task that is ahead of us but, at the end of the day, all we can really look after is ourselves and whatever happens after that we don’t know. 

“All we can do is give it one hell of a battle and hope that will be enough.”