Monaghan 1-10
Cavan 0-12
MONAGHAN DEFEATED CAVAN by a single point in this evening’s Ulster SFC semi-final in Clones.
The teams played the opening nine minutes without a single score but Cavan will feel they should have had a penalty after a goalmouth scramble saw the ball pushed off the line illegally.
Eugene Keating then came deep and curled over with his left foot for the first point of the day and David Givney added a second for the visitors after a fine run from Killian Clarke.
Goalkeeper Conor Gilsenan gifted Monaghan a goal on 13 minutes as Christopher McGuinness finished superbly but Cavan responded with another Givney score and Cian Mackey then put them back in front from distance.
Nial McDermott was the next Cavan name on the scoresheet, then Ciaran Hughes wriggled away from two defenders and sent over Monaghan’s second score after 21 minutes.
21-year-old Hughes had the chance to double his personal tally moments later but sent a fairly routine free off target for Monaghan’s fourth wide.
Down the other end, Martin Dunne didn’t have any problems from a similar dead-ball situation.
Conor McManus brought it back to a single point game but seconds later James McEnroe came up from right half back to fire over brilliantly.
The sides exchange points through McManus and a great team point finished off by Dunne. On the stroke of half-time however, Darren Hughes stormed through the midfield to make it all-square at the interval.
Solid defending meant we had to wait some time for a score of any kind in the second half and when it did eventually arrive, McManus was the man to get it.
On the 50 minute mark, Dick Clerkin, left out of the starting line-up due to injury, was brought on in place of Gavin Doogan.
Niall McDermott was successful with a free after a foul on Mackey and, once again, there was nothing between them. Next to try his luck was Damien O’Reilly, whose strike crashed off the crossbar and came back out.
McManus was immense and scored fifth and sixth scores of the evening either side of frees from Paul Finlay and Martin Dunne.
Gilsenan came out of his goal to score a free and bring it back to a one-point game in injury time but the whistle went seconds later and Monaghan progress to the Ulster final, where Donegal await on July 21.
