Nicky Rackard Cup Quarter-Final

Monaghan 5-12 Sligo 2-7                  18/5/13

Monaghan booked their place in the Nicky Rackard Cup semi-finals with a comfortable win over Sligo in Inniskeen on Saturday. In a game that was played in driving rain throughout, a hat-trick by Tadhg Campbell inspired Monaghan to victory against a Sligo team who had a man sent off in each half.

Campbell scored goals in the seventh and eighth minutes to get Monaghan off to a flyer and Seán Leonard fired home on 26 minutes, although Sligo quickly got one back through Aidan Morrison. Monaghan could afford to eight first-half wides and have a penalty from Mickey McHugh saved and still lead by 3-5 to 1-3 at the interval, by which stage Sligo were down to 14 men after Aidan Cawley picked up two yellow cards.

Substitute Conor McKenna’s goal increased Monaghan’s lead further after the restart and although Kevin Gilmartin replied for Sligo, Campbell then completed his hat-trick for Monaghan’s fifth major. Sligo suffered another blow when Colin Herity was shown a straight red card and Monaghan added a string of points to safely seal their progression to a last-four clash with Donegal.

Monaghan: H Byrne; S McNally, P Dowdall, S Loftus; K Crawley, P Treanor (Capt.), M Murphy (0-1); P Finnegan, T Hilliard; F Rafter, P Boyle, B McGuigan (0-3); M McHugh (0-4f), S Leonard (1-1), T Campbell (3-1).

Subs: C McKenna (1-1) for Boyle (14 mins), N Adair (0-1) for Rafter (inj., 52), J Lacey for Finnegan (54), S McLoughlin for McNally, J Guinan for McHugh (67).

Sligo: D Loughnane; F Coyne, R Cox, T Cawley; A Cawley, L Reidy (Capt.), E McGowan; C Herity, B Kenny (0-1, ’65); M Gilmartin, T Conneely, A Morrison (1-0); G Waldron (0-4, 3f), K Gilmartin (1-0), G O’Kelly-Lynch (0-1).

Subs: C O’Mahony (0-1) for M Gilmartin (H-T), G Ryan for McGowan, M Mulligan for Waldron (both 51), M Davey for Coyne (55).

Referee: E Hasson (Derry).