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local rivalry

O'Connell caps memorable display with late equaliser for Monaghan

Thriller in Celtic Park ends with Ulster champions held to a draw in their home venue.

LAST UPDATE | May 27th 2023, 8:42 PM

Derry 0-14

Monaghan o-14

 

TRY AS YOU might, you cannot decide which side showed the greater character in a thrilling evening for championship football in the Bogside.

Derry and Monaghan had met four weeks ago, when, by Monaghan manager Vinny Corey’s admission, Derry had been “Awesome,” in Omagh that afternoon.

So much has changed. That evening they had Rory Gallagher as manager, cajoling and directing matters. He now is no longer in the post for reasons already well covered. His absence didn’t stop them defending their Ulster title a fortnight ago.

If Derry looked like they were suffering mild effects of an Ulster title hangover, they shook themselves out of it to gather huge momentum for a final barrel down the straight of this game.

What they were met with, was pure courage and character.

How did it feel? Coming after the Ulster final that had the most bizarre build-up and a game pushed into extra-time with a sickly tension all around Clones?

It felt more routine. Championship pace for sure and the shape of the game had all the modern hallmarks of an intense game played in late May. But despite the huge crowd for Celtic Park standards, things only truly got going from midway through the second half.

Monaghan were two points clear when Derry goalkeeper Odhran Lynch played Gareth McKinless goalward with a clever reverse handpass. As the Ballinderry man steamed towards the Brandywell end, his heels were clipped by retreating Monaghan midfielder, Gary Mohan.

Free in. And, correctly, a black card. Shane McGuigan stepped up and steered over.

From the next kickout, they went after Monaghan like a fresh boxer hounding a groggy opponent. But then Ryan McAnespie – returned from his travels with his traditional buzzy value – was fouled by Ciaran McFaul and Rory Beggan came over to slot it over.

Niall Toner replied with a free, but then Monaghan’s defence and Beggan thought their way out of a period of sustained pressure to run the ball eventually into open spaces, Shane Carey pointing at the end of a period of astonishing ball-playing.

Then Stephen O’Hanlon was upended by McKinless, Michael Bannigan pointed that free. The vital stats at that stage had Monaghan back to 15 players, three points to the good, with just ten minutes left.

A few years ago when Derry were playing a league game against Waterford in Dungarvan, the Oak Leaf support was actually counted as just two dozen souls. Here, Celtic Park was almost full, even allowing for a strangely small Monaghan support.

The faces change. The figureheads even can leave. And yet the spirit of Derry in their greatest times has been restored as the home crowd urged them back into it.

Up popped Shane McGuigan on the loop for a point. Up he came again to punish a foul on McKinless. Ethan Doherty then swung a difficult effort over to open his account and level matters before McGuigan iced a long-range free from almost beside the Sean Mellon Stand. Derry one up.

With the game almost up, just seconds remaining, Monaghan kept ball around the fringes of the Derry defence, tried to make an incision or two. The ball was almost lost once or twice, but eventually they got it to Karl O’Connell. He cross the 45 metre mark, took another couple of steps out of it and kicked into a calm breeze, over the bar with plenty to spare.

Draw. Breathe. Phew. What a contest.

If they are going to do something further down the tracks, then Derry were fully aware they needed more quality. Ciaran McFaul started his first game here since he had been arraigned in America on assault charges.

In a tight first half, there was never more than a single point in it, and the scoreboard was level six times.

After a typically formulaic settling-in period, some flashes of superb football broke out with both teams delivering slick scores based on interplay and support runners materialising from a bewildering array of angles.

If it felt a bit helter-skelter, it is based purely on emotion. Derry have a number of strengths and play well to them. But other teams are getting wiser to how to play them.

Marking on the outside from kickouts, driving at certain players to draw frees, it felt like Monaghan had covered off a few bald patches in their gameplan the last time they played them.

Derry might only have been off by a couple of percent, but that creates an enormous effect at this level.

They now go to Ballybofey this coming weekend. It will be back to porridge for them. There is a lot of football yet to be played and watched.

Scorers for Derry: Shane McGuigan 0-9 (5f, 1 x mark), Niall Toner 0-2 (1f), Ciaran McFaul, Ethan Doherty, Lachlan Murray 0-1 each

Scorers for Monaghan: Conor McCarthy 0-3 (1f), Michael Bannigan 0-3 (1f), Shane Carey 0-2, Rory Beggan 0-2 (1f, 1x 45), Karl O’Connell, Conor Boyle, Dessie Ward, Gary Mohan 0-1 each

 

Derry

1. Odhran Lynch (Magharefelt)

2. Christopher McKaigue (Slaughtneil), 3. Eoin McEvoy (Magherafelt), 4. Conor McCluskey (Magherafelt)

5. Conor Doherty (Newbridge), Gareth McKinless (Ballinderry), 7. Padraig McGrogan (Newbridge)

8. Conor Glass (Glen), 9. Brendan Rogers (Slaughtneil)

18. Ciaran McFaul (Glen), 11. Paul Cassidy (Bellaghy), 12. Ethan Doherty (Glen)

10. Niall Toner (Lavey), 14. Shane McGuigan (Slaughtneil), 15. Niall Loughlin (Greenlough)

Subs:

13. Benny Heron (Ballinascreen) for Toner (55)

20. Lachlan Murray (Dersertmartin) for Loughlin (57)

23. Padraig Cassidy (Slaughtneil) for McGrogan (59)

 

Monaghan

1. Rory Beggan (Scotstown)

2. Ryan O’Toole (Scotstown), 3. Kieran Duffy (Latton), 4. Ryan Wylie (Ballybay)

5. Karl O’Connell (Tyholland), 6. Conor Boyle (Clontibret), 7. Conor McCarthy (Scotstown)

8. Karl Gallagher (Emyvale), 9. Killian Lavelle (Clontibret)

10. Stephen O’Hanlon (Carrickmacross), 11. Michael Bannigan (Annaghmullen), 12. Dessie Ward (Ballybay)

19. Shane Carey (Scotstown), 14. Gary Mohan (Truagh), 15. Ryan McAnespie (Emyvale)

Subs:

20. Darren Hughes (Scotstown) for Mohan (62)

24. Darren McElearney (Drumhowan) for Carey (64)

13. Jack McCarron (Scotstown) for Gallagher (69)

23. Kieran Hughes (Scotstown) for Lavelle (69)

18. Conor McManus (Clontibret) for Ward (74)

 

Referee: Noel Mooney (Cavan)

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