U20s bid to save Ulster hopes

Monaghan put their Ulster U-20 Football Championship hopes on the line tonight (Wednesday) when they take on Fermanagh in Tempo.

Following home losses to Donegal and Derry, Monaghan were less than convincing for long spells of last Wednesday’s meeting with Antrim, but they eventually found some form to finish with an unanswered 1-7 and clinch their first win of the group stage. Fermanagh’s results so far mirror Monaghan’s, as they also saw off Antrim, while losing out to Donegal and Derry – the latter in a one-sided rout that did severe damage to their score difference.

With Donegal already through to the Ulster semi-finals as Group A winners and Derry guaranteed to finish second, Monaghan need to avoid defeat tonight to seal a place in the provincial quarter-finals. Having made five changes to his Monaghan team last time out, Paul O’Connor could bring the likes of Max McGinnity, Matthew Carolan and Canice Murphy back in, but his options have been hit by losing Seán O’Connell to injury. The Truagh player joins Tommy Mallen, Seán Óg McElwain, Max Maguire and Conor Meehan on the injury list, which has contributed to Monaghan’s stuttering start to the season. Of the five Monaghan players who were named on the Minor Football Team of the Year back in 2023, only two have featured in this U-20 campaign – captain Jamie Mooney and top scorer from play Matthew Finn – with Jack Lynch, Mallen and McElwain being the other three.

Fermanagh, managed by former county goalkeeper Ronan Gallagher, have scored more than Monaghan to date, but their hammering at the hands of favourites Derry took their average score conceded up to 23 points. The big question is which version of this Fermanagh team will show up: the one that gave Donegal a real scare in the first round, or the one that leaked 5-20 to Derry. The Erne County have players who can cause problems, particularly Mattie McDermott and Dáire Chapman, but Monaghan should have enough quality to eke out the result they need to avoid an early exit.