Monaghan continued their preparations for this month’s Ulster MFC game against Tyrone with a 3-13 to 1-7 win over Fermanagh in a challenge at Clones on Saturday.

Monaghan started slowly, allowing Fermanagh to take a 0-4 to 0-1 lead, with Conor Boyle getting the only score for Colin McAree’s side in the first 12 minutes. Monaghan stepped it up in the second quarter, though, with points from play by Pauric Greene, Mel Boyce and Conor Lavelle, plus four from Thomas Kerr (including two frees) to lead by 0-8 to 0-4 at half-time.

Kerr, Lavelle, Greene and Cillian Cromwell added points to help Monaghan increase their lead to five points, before the impressive Pádraic Keenan broke forward to kick the score of the game. The game became very loose in the closing stages, with four goals being scored in the final six minutes. Monaghan sub Adam Treanor got the first of those after a Thomas Kerr shot hit the crossbar and although Fermanagh hit back through Ruairí Corrigan, Lavelle replied with a cracking finish and Brian Greenan added Monaghan’s third major after he had been released by a great pass from Kerr.

Monaghan: N McShane; C McElroy, J McGuigan, D Courtney; P Keenan (0-1), P McKenna, C Cromwell (0-1); B Greenan (1-0), C Boyle (0-1); P Greene (0-2), F McGeough, K Rudden; M Boyce (0-1), C Lavelle (1-2), T Kerr (0-5, 2f).

Subs: M Galligan for McGeough (45 mins), A Treanor (1-0) for Boyce (50), F Malone for Courtney (52), P Finnegan for Rudden (54), N Greenan for Greene (55).