Inter-County Senior Football Challenge

Monaghan 0-13 Armagh 1-11                      6/5/12

Monaghan lost by a point to Armagh in a challenge match at the opening of Oram’s new pitch on Sunday evening. An early goal by Marc Cullen proved decisive in a closely-contested game, where both sides emptied their benches in the second half after starting with strong line-ups at Páirc Phádraig. Monaghan were without Darren Hughes, Colin Walshe and Gary McQuaid, but Conor McManus made his first start of the year for the county team and he marked it by scoring five points. Kieran Duffy, Dessie Mone, Karl O’Connell and Donal Morgan also showed well for Monaghan, but the game was marred by injuries to Mone, Owen Lennon and Kieran Hughes, who Eamon McEneaney will hope have not done too much damage ahead of the championship. Tony and Aaron Kernan, Andy Mallon and Aidan Forker led the way for Armagh.

Monaghan took the lead in the first minute when Tommy Freeman fisted over, but Donaghmoyne native John Kingham brought Armagh level before getting on the end of a high ball to set up Marc Cullen for the game’s only goal. A defensive reshuffle which saw David Hughes switch to full-back on Kingham and Kieran Duffy move to half-back strengthened Monaghan, who hit back with a point from Conor McManus and a 20-metre free by Paul Finlay, following a foul on Freeman. Kingham did get his second point on 13 minutes, but he was quiet thereafter, and Monaghan quickly replied through Dessie Mone after he had played a one-two with Christopher McGuinness. Cullen and Aidan Forker tapped over frees for fouls on Jamie Clarke and although McManus responded in kind for the hosts, Clarke fisted over at the end of a strong run, before his Crossmaglen club-mate Tony Kernan landed a good point. Monaghan hit the next four points to draw level – the first two coming from frees by McManus, after fouls on McGuinness and Dick Clerkin. Finlay added a well-taken score after a strong run by Karl O’Connell, before Turley, McGuinness and Matthew McKenna combined to set Finlay up for the equaliser. A Jamie Clarke cracker hit the crossbar at the other end before Forker converted another free, but McManus kicked a nice point from play to level it up at 0-10 to 1-7 at half-time.

Mone went on a great run at the start of the second half, but his shot was saved by Armagh keeper Niall Geoghegan and the Clontibret man injured himself in the process. Owen Lennon soon followed him in a nightmare start to the second half for Monaghan, before Ryan Rafferty got the first point of the half for Armagh. Kieran Hughes got on the end of a Kieran Duffy pass to kick a good point for Monaghan, but Brian Mallon kept Armagh ahead. A brace of frees by debutant Stephen Smyth, after fouls on fellow subs Shane Smyth and Owen Duffy, put Monaghan a point up for the first time since the opening minute, but the only two scores of the last 15 minutes went to Armagh, courtesy of frees by Paul Carvill and Forker, following fouls on Kingham and Mallon. That was enough to give Armagh a one-point win. Monaghan now have just under three weeks to prepare for their Ulster SFC opener against Antrim on May 27.

Monaghan: R Beggan; R McNally, K Duffy, D Morgan; K O’Connell, D Mone (0-1), David Hughes; O Lennon, D Clerkin; J Turley, P Finlay (0-3, 1f), M McKenna; C McGuinness, C McManus (0-5, 3f), T Freeman (0-1).

Subs: K Hughes (0-1) for McGuinness, S Gollogly for McKenna (both H-T), C Galligan for Mone (inj., 37 mins), Shane Smyth for McManus (38), P Dooney for Lennon (inj., 40), Stephen Smyth (0-2f) for Freeman (47), O Duffy for Finlay (53), B Turker (Capt.) for Beggan (60), J Bellew for O’Connell (61), P McArdle for Turley (62), P Finlay for K Hughes (inj., 64).

Armagh: N Geoghegan; M Shields, C McKeever (Capt.), A Mallon; A Kernan, D McKenna, N Rowland; K Toner, J Hanratty; M O’Rourke, T Kernan (0-1), A Forker (0-3f); J Clarke (0-1), J Kingham (0-2), M Cullen (1-1).

Subs: B Mallon (0-1) for O’Rourke, C Rafferty for Forker, S Campbell for Hanratty, R Rafferty (0-1) for Cullen, P Carvill (0-1f) for Clarke (all H-T), A Forker for A Kernan (48), J Hanratty for A Mallon (inj., 68).

Referee: P McEnaney (Corduff).