Monaghan Lose In Nail-Biter

Ulster SFC Final
Tyrone 1-15
Monaghan 1-13

By Dermot Kavanagh

Monaghan's next game should be a replay of this Ulster final and not a qualifier against Donegal. Yesterday at Clones they twice allowed Tyrone build up substantial leads and yet had several gilt edge chances in the final five minutes to salvage the game.

Tyrone rolled into Clones in confident mood following their semi-final landslide win over league champions Donegal.

By the 15th minute they had built up a lead of 1-5 to Monaghan's solitary point. Tyrone's goal, from wing back Philip Jordan saw Tyrone at their best and Monaghan at their worst. Jordan was allowed solo through the Monaghan defence unchallenged before he planted the ball in the Monaghan net following a bout of inter passing with wing forward Ger Cavlan. Points flowed freely as Tyrone built up their lead with Monaghan barely raising a challenge.

Suddenly Monaghan began to realise that a severe embarrassment was inevitable on home grounds unless they demonstrated their entitlement to contest the provinces final.

Several points were scored, mainly through Lennon, Mone and Clerkin. Thus when halftime arrived Monaghan were back in the game on a score line of 1-8 to 0-7. However Monaghan's resurgence was clinically dealt with by Tyrone in the early stages of the second half. With relative ease they strolled to an eight point lead (1-13 to 0-8) and the Anglo Celt cup looked Omagh bound. Monaghan then moved for the back Vincent Corey to the attack and almost immediately the pattern of the game changed.

In the 51st minute Corey gained possession of a high ball which he laid off to Freeman who shot home from close range. Suddenly Monaghan were back in the game. With their midfield dominating the kick outs the Monaghan attack received plenty of good ball. It soon became apparent that the Tyrone defence was vulnerable under the high ball, a weakness that Monaghan exposed time and again. By the 60th minute the margin was reduced to three points and Tyrone looked toothless. To Tyrone's credit they managed to keep the lead at three points, a fact that was crucial in the end. In the 68th minute Corey credited a clear goal scoring opportunity for himself but was fouled by a brilliant save from Devine. In the final minute of injury time Monaghan forced a free and the 21 metre line. Finlay took it quickly and placed it to Woods who passed it to Corey, unmarked on the 14 metre line. Not realising that he had more space than appeared to him Corey blasted the ball over the bar, for the point that Monaghan didn't want.

On the kick out the referee called time and Tyrone were safe, but only just. When playing well Tyrone looked a class team, but their failure to close out the game on a least two occasions will trouble manager Mickey Harte. Against a more experienced team Tyrone's lapses of concentration would prove fatal.

Monaghan's never say die approach made the game a most enjoyable and in the end a nail biting occasion for the 35,000 plus capacity attendance.

If they can reproduce the better elements of their play in the qualifiers they will see plenty of football in August.