Scotstown returns to the summit in Monaghan

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Scotstown 1-14 Ballybay 0-7

Scotstown are Monaghan SFC champions once again after an absence of just one year after what was, in the end, a comfortable win over Ballybay in Clones today.

Scotstown was playing in its eighth consecutive county final, having won five of the previous seven. Ballybay, meanwhile, last won the senior championship in 2012, which in turn was a first title in 25 years.

This replay of the 2018 final was played in sweltering conditions at St Tiernach’s Park, but it was only significant competition in an absorbing first half.

While the quality of the football was somewhat lacking, the closeness of the exchanges caused the teams to even out three times before Scotstown took a two-point lead at the half-time break.

At the restart, they could have finished this game at the end of the third quarter, but they were unusually wasteful in their completion, both from free practice and from play.

As they gained momentum in the second half, Ballybay’s challenge faded.

Ballybay opened much smarter and had three points on the board in seven minutes through Tiernan McSkeane after just thirty seconds, Christopher McGuinness and then Paul Finlay from free, the latter becoming his team’s top scorer with four points, all free. .

Scotstown opened their account through Matthew Maguire in the ninth minute but Finlay converted another free, to keep three between them in the first half of the water break. Paul Sherlock cut the deficit to two and in the twentieth minute Scotstown was back on equal terms with points from Conor McCarthy and Shane Carey, both free.

Scotstown went on to take the lead for the first time in the twenty-first minute with a point from a Conor McCarthy free-kick, but Ballybay soon re-equalized thanks to a Thomas Kerr free-kick. Paul Finlay brought Ballybay back to the lead with a free point in the 26th minute

But at halftime, Scotstown had taken a two-point lead with three unanswered touchdowns from Kieran Hughes with excellent solo effort, Conor McCarthy from the resulting kick and Rory Beggan from forty-five in injury time.

Scotstown finished the first half with fourteen players after Frank Caulfield received a black card in the first minute of injury time, but that didn’t deter them as they started the second period well.

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Ballybay was under pressure, but the eventual winners released them early on, kicking five wide in the first ten minutes. Ballybay, however, could not find the target either despite a couple of chances.

By the second-half water break, though Scotstown had opened a four-point lead with points each from Conor McCarthy and Shane Carey, both free.

With eight minutes remaining in regulation time, Paul Finlay recorded Ballybay’s lone score in the second half when he scored a free kick with Scotstown and then used all his experience to control the play and thwart Ballybay’s best efforts.

They were also able to keep the score going, as Conor McCarthy, Rory Beggan with two long-range shots and Shane Carey all posted scores to put Scotstown seven points ahead.

Try as they might, Ballybay was unable to generate a response and Conor McCarthy put the icing on the cake with a brilliant solo goal two minutes into injury time when he broke free from coverage of Ballybay, the Ballybay keeper on the wrong foot. Adam Counihan slid the ball home with his right foot to leave Scotstown comfortable winners with ten points to spare at the end.

Scotstown: Rory Beggan 0-3 (2f, ’45), Jack McDevitt, Damien McArdle, Donal Morgan, Michael Meehan, Ryan O’Toole, Frank Caulfield, Darren Hughes, Kieran Hughes 0-1, Conor McCarthy 1-5 (0- 3 free), Shane Carey 0-3 (2f), Paul Sherlock 0-1, Matthew Maguire 0-1, Orin Heaphey, Francis Maguire.

Subs: Brendan Boylan for F Caulfield, Seanie Mohan for O Heaphey, Ross McKenna for F Maguire, Emmet Caulfield for M Maguire, James Hamill for J McDevitt.

Ballybay: Adam Counihan, Michael Hannon, Drew Wylie, Eoin McCarney, Brent Wylie, Colum Lennon, Ryan Wylie, Ciaran Galligan, Desmond Ward, Tiarnan McSkeane 0-1, Shane McGuinness, Thomas Kerr 0-1 (f), Patrick O’Neill , Christopher McGuinness 0-1, Paul Finlay 0-4 (4f).

Subs: Darragh Drury for D Wylie, Tommy O’Neill for P O’Neill, Darragh McCann for S McGuinness, Shane McQuillan for B Wylie, Aaron toner for C Galligan.

Referee: Pat McEnaney (Corduff).



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