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Conor McManus of Monaghan and Kevin O'Boyle of Antrim will be in action this Sunday. INPHO/Presseye/Andrew Paton
Team news

Dessie Mone returns for Monaghan but Tommy Freeman misses out

The Antrim side has also been named for Sunday’s Ulster championship quarter-final.

DESSIE MONE RETURNS to the Monaghan side for Sunday’s Ulster senior championship tie against Antrim but Tommy Freeman is not named in the starting line-up after recovering from injury recently.

Mone comes into the team at right half-back in the only change from the side that defeated Meath in the Division 3 football league final in Croke Park in April.

The experienced Mone replaces Drew Wylie in a Monaghan team that sees goalkeeper Rory Beggan from Scotstown and full-back Fintan Kelly from Clones make their championship debuts.

Freeman is not named to start after resuming training recently following the broken jaw he sustained in a league game against Wicklow in March.  Monaghan are captained by Owen Lennon who partners Dick Clerkin in midfield.

The Farney county defeated Antrim by 1-12 to 1-9 in last summer’s Ulster championship and there are eight survivors from the team that started that game.

The newcomers to the team are Beggan, Kelly, centre-back Neil McAdam, wing-back Darren Hughes (who missed last year’s game with a serious leg injury), centre-forward Dermot Malone, wing-forward Eoin Duffy and full-forward Kieran Hughes.

MONAGHAN: Rory Beggan (Scotstown); Kieran Duffy (Latton), Fintan Kelly (Clones), Colin Walshe (Doohamlet); Dessie Mone (Clontibret), Neil McAdam (Monaghan Harps), Darren Hughes (Scotstown); Dick Clerkin (Currin), Owen Lennon (Latton); Paul Finlay (Ballybay), Dermot Malone (Castleblayney), Eoin Duffy (Latton); Christopher McGuinness (Ballybay), Kieran Hughes (Scotstown), Conor McManus (Clontibret).

Antrim have named two debutants in left half-back Patrick McBride from the St John’s club and right corner-forward Michael Pollock from the St Gall’s club.

40 year-old goalkeeper Sean McGreevy is named as the back-up netminder on the bench to first choice goalkeeper Chris Kerr.

From the Antrim side that lost out to Monaghan by three points last year, there are eight new faces in their team.

Andy McClean, Sean Kelly and McBride have all been drafted into their defence. Former London captain Sean McVeigh, who played for the Exiles against Antrim in last year’s All-Ireland qualifiers, is now back playing for his native county and partners Marty Johnston at midfield.

In attack Michael Pollock, Kevin Niblock and Brendan Herron are the new faces in the side. One of the players Antrim have to plan without this season is James Loughrey, who is now in action for Cork having moved to the Rebel county over the winter.

ANTRIM: Chris Kerr (St Gall’s); Kevin O’Boyle (Cargin), Ricky Johnston (Creggan), Andy McClean (St Gall’s); Sean Kelly (St Gall’s), Justin Crozier (Creggan), Patrick McBride (St John’s); Sean McVeigh (Ballymena), Marty Johnston (Creggan); Anthony Healy (St Gall’s), Paddy Cunningham (Lamh Dhearg), Mark Sweeney (St Brigid’s); Michael Pollock (St Gall’s), Kevin Niblock (St Gall’s), Brendan Herron (Lamh Dhearg).
Subs: Sean McGreevy (St Paul’s), Paul Doherty (Rasharkin), Conor Murray (Lamh Dhearg), Michael Herron (Lamh Dhearg), John Carron (Creggan), Ryan Murray (Lamh Dhearg), James Laverty (Creggan), Niall Delargy (Portglenone), Liam Carland (St Paul’s), Brendan Bradley (St Gall’s), Dermot McAleese (Portglenone).

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