Football

Monaghan SFC: Back-to-back titles for Scotstown

 Kieran Hughes scored a vital goal for Scotstown to help clinch the victory
 Kieran Hughes scored a vital goal for Scotstown to help clinch the victory  Kieran Hughes scored a vital goal for Scotstown to help clinch the victory

Greenfield Foods Monaghan Senior Football Championship final: Scotstown 2-13 Clontibret 1-12

BACK-TO-BACK goals brought back-to-back Monaghan titles for Scotstown for the first time in 23 years and sent them into an Ulster battle against Down kingpins Kilcoo.

Their two major scores inside a minute, from Orin Heaphey and Kieran Hughes (pictured), turned a tight, tense decider into a victory procession before this final had reached the three-quarter stage.

Indeed Clontibret – aka Conor McManus – had just brought matters level for the seventh time, at 1-9 to 0-12, when Scotstown hit them with that double whammy, and the blues went on to comfortably retain the trophy.

An Bhoth notched just one point in the final quarter, on a counter from defender Sean Mohan, but the damage was done, the final long won.

Despite them appearing to hold Clontibret off fairly comfortably in the final quarter, Scotstown manager Mattie McGleenan argued that this was the hardest-won title of the three he has overseen over the past four seasons.

“I’d possibly say that was the hardest victory of everything. I thought Clontibret were absolutely outstanding. Conor McManus, he is the best player in Ulster, his scoring today was absolutely immense.”

McManus is certainly exceptional, finishing with 0-11, including three points from play and some superb long range free conversions, but the problem for Clontibret is that they didn’t have much scoring support to add to ‘Mansy’.

Their only other scorers were Pauric Boyle – who snapped up an opportunistic goal – and captain Vinny Corey, although his was barely a consolation coming as the hour was nearly up.

Scotstown’s starting inside-forwards – Heaphey, Darren Hughes, and Shane Carey – all posed problems and got on the scoresheet, while the athleticism of Kieran Hughes, ranging around the field, was hard to contain.

Understandably McGleenan pointed to his team’s two goals, coming so close together, as the vital scores in this final:

“The two goals – the first, Orin’s, was maybe a wee bit fortunate, although he reckons he chipped it. Kieran’s was superb and that was a huge turning point in the game.

“The game was point for point at that stage. I always argue that after you score a goal, the next five minutes is crucial…For us to get a second one was huge. After that it was every man playing the shirt off his back.”

McGleenan suggested that half-time had been a slightly worrying time for his team, only level at 0-9 to 1-6 despite playing with a strong wind at their backs.

The opening goal was obviously a factor in the closeness of the contest. Coming in the 12th minute, McManus sent in a free which hit the left upright and Boyle reacted quickest to the bouncing ball, flicking it high to the net with his right fist.

Clontibret had suffered a pre-match blow with county star Dessie Mone ruled out, one of three changes to their programme side, with Rodney Gorman and Ryan McGuigan also absent; Donal Carragher, Martin Corey, and Paul McGuigan came in.

However, captain Vinny Corey shook off injury rumours to line out, initially at full-forward, although he soon dropped much deeper as both teams battled for possession in a congested central area.

The experienced O’Neill’s outfit showed plenty of composure, and McGleenan was not over-stating matters by much when he said afterwards: “I thought Clontibret were the better team in the first half, they moved the ball better, and every scoring opportunity they had they took.” Remarkably, there were no first half wides from Clontibret.

The scores were level six times in that first half and, with the wind at their backs after the break, Clontibret must have been hopeful of regaining the county crown, not least because the clinical McManus could still not be curtailed.

Everything changed in one minute, though, First Scotstown kicked a free cross-field to the left wing – and then Heaphey took over. Cutting in at speed, he cruised past corner-back Colin Duffy before sending a looping shot into the far side of the net.

Clontibret keeper Darren McDonnell may well have been stunned by that seemingly fortunate finish and worse was to follow immediately. His kick-out was won by Darren Hughes, who found Heaphey, and he released Kieran Hughes storming through the middle to slam the ball to the net.

Clontibret did reduce their deficit to four points as four minutes of added time approached, and were launching in some dangerous long balls, but two incidents summed up Scotstown’s all-round superiority.

Defender Mohan embarked on a long run before coolly scoring, to McGleenan’s delight: “Part of our coaching philosophy is that we want everyone to score, from corner-back we want to think about scoring.

“Seanie Mohan might have been wearing 12 but he was playing corner-back – he represented everything we want and got a crucial score right at the end to close the game out for us.”

Then, as Clontibret sought a much-needed second goal in added time, Darren Hughes, having moved to midfield from full-forward, took a superb catch to relieve the pressure on his own defence.

Scotstown will now think about trying to reach back-to-back Ulster finals – but yesterday it was clear how much holding on to the Mick Duffy Cup meant to them, as well as moving second on the Monaghan roll of honour.

MATCH STATS


Clontibret: D McDonnell; C Duffy, B Greenan, D Mooney; D Carragher, C Boyle, K Lavelle; C Greenan, P McGuigan; D Savage, K Greenan, M Corey; P Boyle (1-0), V Corey (capt.) (0-1), C McManus (0-11, 0-8 frees). Substitutes: R McGuigan for K Greenan (38); R Gorman for Duffy (46); F Mone for Lavelle (57); D Barry for M Corey (59); F Hughes for R McGuigan (62).

Scotstown: R Beggan (0-1 free); M Duffy, E Caulfield, D McArdle; P Sherlock, S Mohan (0-1), F McPhillips; F Caulfield, J Turley; R McKenna, K Hughes (1-2, 0-1 free), D Morgan (capt.); O Heapney (1-1), D Hughes (0-3), S Carey (0-5, 0-4 frees). Substitutes: P Keenan for F Caulfield (h-t); B McGinnity for McKenna (58).


Referee: Sean Gilsenan. Attendance: 3,900