LAST UPDATE | 29 Apr 2023

Derry: 1-21

Monaghan: 2-10

DERRY HAVE MADE it back to their second consecutive Ulster final with a commanding win over Monaghan in which they never looked under significant pressure. 

While Karl O’Connell’s first half goal and two Rory Beggan frees kept Monaghan in the hunt, Derry were able to reply with a timely major from the excellent Conor McCluskey, and nine points from talisman Shane McGuigan. 

Derry goalkeeper Odhran Lynch scored from play in his second Ulster championship match in a row, a record, and he also caught three of his opposite number Rory Beggan’s restarts. 

The Oak Leaf county were able to welcome back the returning Ciaran McFaul, who had been arraigned on assault charges in America up until recent weeks. 

All in all, it was another brisk evening’s work for Rory Gallagher’s men who have the look of a team that are gearing themselves to break into the group of elite teams with a chance to win an All-Ireland title. 

The size of their squad, which is miniscule compared to the likes of Dublin, Kerry and Mayo will be something that will come under the harshest of scrutiny once the groups of four stages kick in for the All-Ireland series. But in the meantime they are making a habit of winning games and finding new facets out about themselves. 

Teams that come into the reckoning of the All-Ireland are all about balance. Derry had nine scorers in the first half here.

They have Shane McGuigan to take left footed frees and Niall Toner for the other wing. They have Odhran Lynch who terrorised the Monaghan restarts.

After one, he broke the ball away from Shane Carey. Padraig McGrogan collected in and it is a measure of how much they back themselves that he played the ball to Lynch who moved into space, and the Magherafelt goalkeeper lofted over for his second score in consecutive games.

Monaghan were slow to get to the pace of the game and they were further hampered by the loss of Darren Hughes who suffered a reoccurrence of the ankle injury that forced him off against Tyrone.

Jack McCarron, completely tied up by Conor McCluskey, was taken off with Hughes on the half hour.

Their scoring threat was meagre in the first half. While Conor McManus managed two converted frees, none of the other five starting forwards even had a shot in the opening half.

Instead, they were carried by two Rory Beggan frees from around 55 metres, and Karl O’Connell who scored 1-1.

The ageless O’Connell’s goal was a demonstration of raw pace, even at his advanced years. Darren Hughes played a handpass to Ryan Wylie, O’Connell picked the angle of his run and took it off the shoulder.

He ran through as if on rollerblades and squeezed his low shot in past Lynch.

That was Derry’s cue however to really dial down on their game. From the 25th minute they scored 1-4 with only 0-1 in reply. Just when Monaghan thought they had a good hold of them, they discovered that they might have some distance to go in terms of pace, power and understanding. 

The Derry goal arrived in the 28th minute. The play was one of those diligent passages of play when the ball moves around from wing to wing before they could get a threat on the ball up against a mismatch. 

Conor McManus is nobody’s mug, but Conor McCluskey had the run on him and pushed past the challenge. His shot came off Rory Beggan but still squeezed into the net. 

Seven points behind at half time, Monaghan might have felt they were in a similar position before when they were adrift by five points of Tyrone in the quarter-final. 

They gave themselves some hope when a delivery from Gary Mohan dropped like a meteor around the mixer. Ryan Wylie crashed it off the post and Karl Gallagher followed it up to slot it in off the crossbar. 

But that left six points in it. There was eight points in it at the close. It might have been more too only for Rory Beggan getting down well to smother a shot from Niall Toner. 

From then on, they still never indulged themselves. Ethan Doherty pinballed through the challenges to point his second. Brendan Rogers went past Monaghan sub Sean Jones in injury time to nab his own point, after reprising an old role of full-back for a period, featuring an over the head spectacular catch. 

There was just enough time for goalkeeper Lynch to make a hash of a free that went straight to Shane Carey, but his lob towards the empty net drifted wide. It didn’t spoil an immense performance and they will surely go into the Ulster final as favourites. 

Scorers for Derry: Shane McGuigan 0-9 (0-5f), Conor McCluskey 1-0, Padraig McGrogan, Conor Glass, Ethan Doherty, Paul Cassidy 0-2 each, Odhran Lynch, Conor Doherty, Brendan Rogers, 0-1 each, Niall Toner 0-1f.

Scorers for Monaghan: Karl O’Connell 1-1, Conor McManus 0-3f, Karl Gallagher 1-0, Rory Beggan 0-2f, Conor Boyle, Stephen O’Hanlon, Michael Bannigan, Kieran Hughes 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)

10. Padraig Cassidy (Slaughtneil), 11. Paul Cassidy (Bellaghy), 12. Ethan Doherty (Glen)

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

Subs

23. Benny Herron (Ballinascreen) for Padraig Cassidy (49)

18. Ciaran McFaul (Glen) for Loughlin (58)

21. Ben McCarron (Steelstown) for McGrogan (64)

22. Paul McNeil (Slaughtneil) for McKaigue (68)

20. Lachlan Murray (Desertmartin) for Toner (71)

Monaghan

1. Rory Beggan (Scotstown)

5. Conor Boyle (Clontibret) 3. Kieran Duffy (Latton), 4. Ryan Wylie (Ballybay)

7. Ryan O’Toole (Scotstown), 20. Karl O’Connell (Tyholland), 6. Dessie Ward (Ballybay)

8. Darren Hughes (Scotstown), 9. Killian Lavelle (Clontibret)

10. Stephen O’Hanlon (Carrickmacross), 11. Michael Bannigan (Annaghmullan), 12. Conor McCarthy (Scotstown)

13. Jack McCarron (Scotstown), 14. Karl Gallagher (Emyvale), 15. Conor McManus (Clontibret)

Subs

19. Shane Carey (Scotstown) for McCarron (30)

23. Kieran Hughes (Scotstown) for Darren Hughes (30)

18. Gary Mohan (Truagh) for Ward (43)

22. Conor Leonard (Eire Óg) for Gallagher (62)

17. Sean Jones (Inniskeen) for Wylie (64)

Referee: Sean Hurson (Tyrone)

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