Monaghan 2-17; Tyrone 1-18
Word that we were about to see a Tyrone resurrection two seasons after winning Sam Maguire appear to be wide of the mark as the Red Hand was given a dream start but ultimately lost out to a sensational finish by the playing side of the Farney Army at Healy Park on Sunday.
The winners can now look forward to another go at Ulster champions Derry in a few weeks bolstered by the fact that they are one of the few teams that can take Tyrone on in their own patch and come out victorious.
The game was in the melting pot to the very end when defender Ryan O’Toole lashed home a great winning goal to shock the red and white followers in the big crowd.
Most would have thought he would opt for a fisted point to tie the game and force extra time but the championship debutant showed great bravery in pulling the trigger for a green flag option.
It was particularly hard to fathom as moments earlier Darren McCurry had lofted over his fifth point to edge Tyrone ahead in the dying embers of the game.
McCurry with an early point and Darragh Canavan, with a splendid goal and point had settled the hosts despite a fine point from O’Toole who was up from his defensive duties.
Mattie Donnelly had just edged Tyrone into a two-point lead when they struck for a goal on 10 minutes with Canavan arriving at pace to receive McCurry’s lay-off and smash his shot past Rory Beggan.
Ageless talisman Conor McManus was something of a one-man band in that first half when he kicked six of his side’s points to keep them in touching distance, though they were behind by 1-10 to 0-8 at the interval. One in particular from play showed that the 35-year-old had lost none of the ability to send his pointed arrows through the bull’s eye.
With the elements in their backs on the resumption, Monaghan became a different proposition and early points by full back Kieran Duffy and Jack McCarron from a free cut the lead to manageable proportions very quickly.
There was more about Vinny Corey’s boys as they seemed to enjoy the challenge and when Micheal Bannigan’s spectacular point reduced the margin to two, you knew the result was now in the melting pot.
Tyrone were ponderous and sluggish and in fact it was 51 minutes before they got their opening score of the second moiety when Matty Donnelly punched a point, his third of the day.
Conor McCarthy with a great solo effort and big Conn Kilpatrick swapped points when the latter had a real goal chance as Tyrone maintained their two-point lead.
However all that changed in a moment of brilliance when Stephen O’Hanlon got in behind the Red Hand defense to bury the ball past Niall Morgan and give his side the lead for the first time with 13 minutes left to play.
Shane Carey added a point, but with time ebbing away Canavan, levelled matters with seven minutes to go.
Who wanted it more? It looked like Monaghan. Conor McCarthy won a free earned from hard work out the field by Kieran Duffy, Conor Boyle and Karl O’Connell, and McManus expertly converted.
The crowd were on their feet as the excitement built as Tyrone’s McCurry shot what looked like a brace of points to allow his team get their noses in front with the winning post in sight.
It was then left to O’Toole to write the headline with his brave last minute shot which ended up beating two men on the goalline for the winning score -much to the delirium of the visiting fans in blue and white.
Afterwards new manager Vinny Corey was full of praise for the way his team kept plugging away even when things were going against them. “A few wee things went against us but we weren't bringing the intensity that we needed to bring. I was happy with how the boys responded in the second half.
“It wasn't that we were doing overly bad in the first half; we were caught out a few times and conceded a goal on a kick out. In fairness the boys regrouped at half time and I thought they were outstanding in the second half.
“Young Ryan O'Toole on his championship debut went for the goal instead of fisting it over. Great composure,” he stressed.
Monaghan: R Beggan; T McPhillips, K Duffy (Capt.) (0-1), R O’Toole (1-1); K O’Connell, C Boyle, R Wylie; D Hughes, K Lavelle; S O’Hanlon (1-0), M Bannigan (0-1), K Gallagher; C McCarthy (0-2); J McCarron (0-2f), C McManus (0-9, 0-8f) Subs: S Carey (0-1) for McPhillips (33); K Hughes for Hughes (inj., 40); S Jones for McCarron (53); F Kelly for O’Toole (inj.), D Ward for O’Connell (both 76).
Tyrone: N Morgan (0-1 45); R McNamee, P Hampsey (Capt.), C Quinn; K McGeary, P Harte, C Meyler (0-2); B Kennedy, C Kilpatrick (0-1); M McKernan M O’Neill, F Burns; D McCurry (0-5, 0-3f), M Donnelly (0-3), D Canavan (1-5) Subs: Joe Oguz for O’Neill (45); Ruairí Canavan for Donnelly, Niall Sludden (0-1) for McGeary (both 61); Michael McGleenan for Burns (64); Cormac Monroe for McKernan (72).
Ref: N Cullen (Fermanagh).
Derry 3-17; Fermanagh 2-8
Derry did what Derry have to do if they want to be a real contender for Sam - they blitzed Fermanagh to pieces with their superior athleticism, technique and football know-how that left their opponents chasing shadows for most of the game in a 12-point thrashing at Brewster Park.
The quarter-final mismatch was a case of Rory Gallagher returning to a ground he knows so well and getting the job done before moving on to bigger and more formidable challenges in the province in the coming weeks, with Monaghan next in his sights.
The game was nominally still up in the air until Paul Cassidy drove through the home defense to net in the 27th minute, leaving the hosts with a 10-point mountain to climb even at that stage.
In retrospect, maybe the writing was on the wall from the moment Eoin McEvoy landed the first point with less than 60 seconds gone. It was clear the Ulster champions meant business with Padraig McGrogan and goalkeeper Odhran Lynch with a beauty and Cassidy again making it 0-4 to 0-0.
Once the clever Ethan Doherty’s long ball found the elusive Shane McGuigan he lashed the ball to the net to put Derry 1-5 to 0-4 clear as Ryan Lyons replied with two frees for Fermanagh.
Derry followed up quickly, with two points from McGuigan to leave them 2-9 to 0-5 ahead at half-time. In essence it was the three goals in four minutes that gave the crowd its biggest interest segment with cornerback Che Cullen grabbing a brace but once again Derry replied swiftly through McGuigan cooly dispatched the penalty and then a long range free from Conor McCluskey saw them jump into a 3-12 to 2-6 advantage 10 mins into the second half.
Thereafter it was a case of going on cruise control as McGuigan gave a master class of forward play as outclassed Fermanagh fought gamely to the end.
Derry: O Lynch (0-1); C McKaigue, P McGrogan (0-1), C McCluskey (0-1), C Doherty, G McKinless, P Cassidy (0-2); C Glass (0-1) B Rogers (0-1); N Toner (0-1) P Cassidy (1-2) E Doherty (0-1); E McEvoy (0-1) S McGuigan (2-5,1-0pen, 0-1f), N Loughlin Subs: B Heron for Glass (40), Pl McNeill for McEvoy (56), B McCarron for McKaigue (62), L Murray for Loughlin (68), D Cassidy forToner (71).
Fermanagh: S McNally (0-1 '45); L Flanagan, C Cullen (2-0) L Cullen; J Cassidy, S McGullion, L Cullen; R Jones (0-1), B Horan; J L Ellis, R Lyons (0-2f) R McCaffrey; U Kelm (0-2) D McGurn, A Breen (0-1) Subs: D McCusker (0-1) and C McShea for Horan and Breen (h-t), C Jones for C McManus (47) G Jones for Lyons (60), F O’Brien for Ellis (70),
Ref: J McQuillan (Cavan).
