Monaghan finish strongest to advance to U20 semi-final

Ulster U20 FC quarter-final

Cavan 0-16

Monaghan 1-17

Paul Fitzpatrick

Monaghan finished strongest to advance to the semi-finals of the Ulster U20 Championship at a wintry Kingspan Breffni tonight.

The Farney lads’ form in the group stage had been up and down but the return of Max Maguire was crucial here as they overcame a slow start and, in very difficult conditions, came up with the big plays to get the better of a Cavan side who, after a tremendous result against Tyrone, exit the competition winless in their final three games.

This Monaghan side, managed by Paul O’Connor and containing a strong core from the team which reached the All-Ireland minor final in 2023, showed their quality down the stretch, while Cavan, under Ulster SFC medallist Chris Conroy, had their chances but could not halt the visitors’ late surge.

The match was closely-contested throughout; both sides enjoyed some brief periods of dominance during which they scored heavily but for the most part it was relatively even, with both gaining joy on the opposition’s kick-out.

However, when the game was there to be won, it was Monaghan who were able to rise it, dominating the final quarter.

Cavan playing with the wind in the first half, opened the scoring when Dylan Edwards - who would go off injured in the first half - tapped over after Donnacha Connolly was turned over coming out from a kick-out.

Darragh Noonan, who impressed for Cavan, did well before popping the ball off to the towering Joe Dugdale, who squeezed over a two-pointer from the edge of the arc under pressure, a lovely strike, to make it 0-3 to 0-0 after six minutes.

Matthew Finn, who was lively early on, got Monaghan’s first score with a point off his left after eight minutes but, despite sustained pressure from the visitors, Cavan defended well before Finn added another patient score to leave the minimum between them.

Good work from Monaghan goalkeeper and team captain Jamie Mooney led to Max Maguire curling over an equaliser from space but Cavan continued to press hard on Monaghan’s kick-out and, from one turnover, Noonan ran at the defence before Nathan Quigley threaded over a nice point off his left to restore the lead in the 16th minute.

Ben Tully then curled over off his left and the next kick-out was intercepted by Luke Mulvaney, who quickly laid off to Jack Dobson and he split the posts with a two-pointer off his left as Cavan surged 0-7 to 0-3 ahead after 17 minutes.

Another incisive move saw Dugdale pick out Dobson, who slipped the ball to Noonan off the shoulder and he pointed to stretch the lead to five.

Maguire responded with a superb score, beating Dugdale and striking with the outside of the boot, but Cavan replied through a free engineered by Noonan after excellent ball-winning in the corner.

Further good work from Dugdale and Dobson created the opening for Shane McCabe to snipe a point off his left and Cavan led 0-10 to 0-4 after 25 minutes.

However, Monaghan hit back in dramatic fashion when Maguire drove through the heart of the Cavan defence and blasted a rocket to the roof of the net. The next kick-out was intercepted by Tom Doherty and Finn added another point within 30 seconds to leave it 1-5 to 0-10; suddenly, Monaghan were very much back in it.

Cavan responded well and, after Dugdale again stole a Monaghan kick-out, Noonan broke clear to point off his left with the last kick of the half, leaving it 0-11 to 1-5 at the interval.

Superb play by McCabe in the full-back line launched a Cavan attack and Dugdale slotted over early in the second half but Monaghan replied instantly through Finn, who landed his third point on the turn.

A neat pass from Connolly then set up the excellent Tom Doherty to dink over as the pitch began to cut up badly in front of the Cavan goal. Doherty followed with another excellent effort from the right corner to close the gap further.

Luke McKenna added another point for Monaghan before substitute John McCrystal burst through on goal but blasted over when a goal looked likely, leaving the minimum between the sides after 42 minutes.

Noonan then broke away and was hauled down, with Quigley converting the free, before Cavan turned over possession at midfield from their next attack and Jamie Clarke blasted over to restore a three-point cushion.

The game continued to ebb and flow, with both sides enjoying spells of dominance. McCrystal responded with strong work to set up Max McGinnity for a point off his left as Monaghan continued to apply pressure entering the final quarter.

Monaghan then struck decisively when Maguire landed a massive two-pointer with a snap shot and, from the next kick-out, Doherty clipped over to push the Farney men three clear in the space of half a minute.

They finished the stronger, then, with Thomas Kearns laying off for Doherty to add another point in the 58th minute as Cavan were guilty of conceding possession cheaply in the closing stages.

Maguire’s block on Aaron Shekleton typified Monaghan’s spirit late on but Cavan, although looking gassed at times on the home stretch, didn't give up, goalkeeper Cian McConnell converting the resulting 45 to keep the hosts in touch.

But Monaghan were clinical when it mattered. Senan Carolan tore forward to strike a fine two-pointer which effectively sealed the result before sub Thomas Gilsenan blasted over late on for Cavan.

In the final analysis, Monaghan deserved their win after a very physical, rough-and-tumble clash in heavy rain and tough underfoot conditions in which both sides emptied the tank.

To rub salt into Cavan's wounds, Tyrone defeated Derry in the other quarter-final to march on to the last four.

See next week's print edition for full coverage.