Glen (Derry) 1-18 Scotstown (Monaghan) 0-12
It was one of those days where everything you could hope for from a Glen perspective went well, with everything turning to dust for Scotstown.
The Derry men might be in their first Ulster club campaign but they have Malachy O’Rourke guiding them. It was in evidence here by the way they set up against several players he intimately knew from his time managing Monaghan.
If Scotstown know Rory Beggan will pull them out of many holes, O'Rourke ensured he was in for a difficult afternoon by stringing big men right across the middle for his kick-outs, and then filling the landing zone with breaking ball merchants.
It made for a frustrating afternoon for Collie McAree's men. They had Kieran Hughes dismissed for a straight red card just after half-time, while his brother Darren also saw red just prior to the final whistle. Both men will feel hard done by.
Glen’s hard-running patterns proved troubling for Scotstown while in defence they flooded the area and made the opposition chisel each score out of granite.
By half time they were 0-11 to 0-6 up, two of those Scotstown scores arriving late in the half.
While the Monaghan men rallied and got the margin back to three points, Glen found a bit of momentum of their own after the second water break disturbed Scotstown’s momentum.
The goal arrived at the death, Danny Tallon stabbing home from close range past an exhausted Rory Beggan, who featured prominently throughout.
GLEN: 1 C Bradley; 2 M Warnock, 3 R Dougan, 4 C Carville (0-1); 5 T Flanagan, 6 C McFaul (0-1), 7 E Doherty; 8 C Glass (0-1), 9 E Bradley (0-3, two frees) ; 22 C McDevitt (0-1), 11 J Doherty (0-2), 12 C Convery (0-1); 13 P Gunning (0-3, two frees), 14 D Tallon (1-3, three frees), 15 C McGuckian (0-1).
Subs: 10 E Mulholland for Convery (12), 18 A Doherty (0-1), for Gunning (61), 17 S O'Hara for J Doherty (63).
SCOTSTOWN: 1 R Beggan (0-1, free); 2 M Meehan, 3 R McKenna, 4 D McArdle (0-2); 17 J McDevitt, 6 R O'Toole, 7 P Sherlock; 8 M McCarville, 9 K Hughes (0-2); 18 F Maguire, 11 C McCarthy (0-2), 24 M Maguire (0-1); 13 S Carey (0-4, two frees), 14 D Hughes, 15 D Morgan.
Subs: 12 G McPhillips for McCarville (25), 5 J Carey for F Maguire (40), 23 S Mohan for McKenna (47), 19 J Hamill for McDevitt (52).
Referee: Joe McQuillan
Clann Éireann (Armagh0) 2-14) Kickhams Creggan (Antrim) 0-17 (aet)
Armagh champions Clann Éireann earned a place in the semi-finals of the Ulster club SFC after a thrilling extra-time battle with Antrim kingpins Kickhams Creggan at Corrigan Park, Belfast yesterday.
There was scant indication of a Clann Éireann victory at the break with the Lurgan town side trailing by six, having managed just two points in the opening 30 minutes. Creggan were giving an exhibition in disciplined tackling and controlled patient build-up play and were good value for their 0-8 to 0-2 lead at the break.
They extended their lead just after the restart when Small fired over his third of the day but points from Conor Turbitt (2), Tiernan Kelly and Ruairí McDonald brought the Armagh side back to within three points.
And, when McDonald rounded his marker on 43 minutes and fired the ball into the bottom right hand corner of the net, the sides were level at the water break.
Creggan looked to have weathered the storm when Ruairí McCann and Jamie McCann restored a two-point gap. The Antrim men still led by two in stoppage time and it looked like being their day when McDonald missed a gilt-edged goal chance, fisting over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
However Kelly stepped up to convert at 35th minute free to bring the game to extra-time. The key score came eight minutes into extra-time when Daniel Magee scored Clann Éireann's crucial second goal. Creggan brought the arrears down to two in added time but a fine Magee point secured the Clann Éireann victory.
CLANN ÉIREANN: E Mulholland; C O'Carroll, B McCambridge, D Leathem; S McCarthy, S Heffron, A Kelly; C Bell, T Kelly (0-2, one free); D Magee (1-3), R Henderson, C McConville (0-1); D McCarthy, C Turbitt (0-4, two frees), A McConville (0-1).
Subs: R McDonald (1-2) for A McConville (h/t), J Conlon (0-1) for D McCarthy (40), O McCafferty for C Bell ((57), O Downey for S McCarthy (75), J McLaughlin for D Magee (82).
CREGGAN: O Kerr; E Carey Small, R Johnston, E McAteer; A Maguire (0-1, free), M Johnston (0-1), J McCann; K Small (0-4), C McCann; T McAteer (0-2), P Coey (0-1), S Duffin; M Rodgers, R McCann (0-5, one free, one 45), O McLarnon (0-1).
Subs: K Rice for P Coey, Conor McCann for S Duffin (both 46), F Burke (0-1) for Conor McCann (49), S Maguire for A Maguire (50), D McAteer (0-1) for M Rodgers (59), K McCann for E Carey-Small (67), T McCann for J McCann (67), K Burke for M Johnston (76).
Referee: P Falloon (Down).
