ESB Ulster Minor Football Championship First Round          

Monaghan 2-10 Antrim 1-2                          27/5/12

Monaghan produced an impressive second-half display to sweep aside the challenge of Antrim in this Ulster MFC first-round game at sunny Clones on Sunday. Monaghan got off to a flying start with two goals in the first ten minutes, but they lost their way and led by just a point at the interval, before kicking nine unanswered points after the restart to run out comfortable winners. Captain Pádraic Keenan, goal-scorers Conor McCarthy and David McAlister, full-forward Fergal McGeough and defenders Ryan Wylie and Barry Hanratty were in fine form for Monaghan and despite the best efforts of Dermot McAleese and Ronan McCafferty, Antrim were outclassed.

Antrim were first off the mark with a point by Mark Cummings in the second minute, but Monaghan responded in style when Conor McCarthy fired to the net after good work by Pádraic Keenan and Fergal McGeough. Keenan added a point from a 25-metre free after a foul on McCarthy, before Monaghan scored their second goal when David McAlister got on the end of a great cross from Ryan McAnespie to drill the ball into the bottom corner. Dermot McAleese got a point back for Antrim after catching a Paddy McAleer free and after 16 scoreless minutes, the Saffrons got right back into the game when a foul on Declan Trainor allowed Eoin Fleming to convert a penalty, which left just two points in it at half-time: Monaghan 2-1 Antrim 1-2.

Monaghan almost added a third goal within a minute of the restart when Keenan raced onto an Adam Treanor pass, but his shot was saved by Antrim keeper Tiernan Hughes. A brace of frees by Keenan and a well-taken point from play by James McElroy ended Monaghan’s scoreless run and they opened the floodgates, as Treanor, McGeough, McCarthy and McAlister all quickly added scores from play. McGeough’s second point, at the end of a length-of-the-field counter-attack led by Ryan Wylie and Keenan, continued the one-way traffic, before Conor Lavelle got in on the act with his first touch after coming on. Monaghan’s defence held firm in the closing minutes to prevent Antrim getting anything to show for their second-half efforts, so the Farney men had 11 points to spare in the end. Monaghan will play Down or Fermanagh in the Ulster semi-finals.

Monaghan: D Kirk; F Malone, M Magee, R Wylie; S Conlon, B Hanratty, S Buckley; J McElroy (0-1), B Greenan; R McAnespie, C McCarthy (1-1), P Keenan (Capt., 0-3f); D McAlister (1-1), F McGeough (0-2), A Treanor (0-1).

Subs: K Rudden for McAnespie (52 mins), D McElroy for Buckley (inj., 53), C Lavelle (0-1) for McGeough (54), D Ward for McAlister (57), S Mohan for McCarthy (59).

Antrim: T Hughes; C Quigg, S Gorman, C O’Rawe; M Fitzpatrick, R Wilson, J Hannigan; M Cummings (0-1), R McCaffery (Capt.); D Doherty, M Lappin, D McAleese (0-1); E Fleming (1-0, pen), D Trainor, P McAleer.

Subs: J Gallagher for Hannigan (22), J Scullion for McAleer (H-T), R McCann for Lappin (37), J O’Connell for Fleming (44), C McCann for Trainor (57).

Referee: I Molloy (Donegal).