Greenfield Foods Monaghan Senior Football Championship Final

Scotstown 2-13 Clontibret 1-12

Scotstown retained the Monaghan SFC title with a four-point win over Clontibret in Sunday’s final in front of an attendance of almost 4,000 at Castleblayney. The teams were level seven times, including at half-time, but Scotstown took charge on 42 minutes with rapid-fire goals by Man of the Match winner Orin Heaphey and Kieran Hughes to claim their third county championship in four years.

Clontibret scored the only goal of the first half through Pauric Boyle, but the result was decided in the space of 60 seconds midway through the second period, as Scotstown secured their first back-to-back county championship success since 1993.

Scotstown’s greater spread of scorers, led by the Hughes brothers, Heaphey and Shane Carey, made the difference in a game where Clontibret relied on two-time All-Star Conor McManus for all but two of their scores. Scotstown will face Down champions Kilcoo in Clones on Sunday week, October 16, in the Ulster preliminary round.

Scotstown: R Beggan (0-1f); M Duffy, E Caulfield, P Sherlock; F McPhillips, D McArdle, S Mohan (0-1); F Caulfield, J Turley; D Morgan (Capt.), K Hughes (1-2, 0-1f), R McKenna; S Carey (0-5, 4f), D Hughes (0-3), O Heaphey (1-1).

Subs: P Keenan for F Caulfield (H-T), B McGinnity for McKenna (57).

Clontibret: D McDonnell; C Duffy, B Greenan, D Mooney; K Lavelle, C Boyle, D Carragher; P McGuigan, C Greenan; K Greenan, P Boyle (1-0), D Savage; M Corey, V Corey (Capt., 0-1), C McManus (0-11, 8f).

Subs: R McGuigan for K Greenan (38), R Gorman for Duffy (45), F Mone for Lavelle (56), D Barry for M Corey (58), F Hughes for R McGuigan (62).

Referee: S Gilsenan (Donaghmoyne).