Eirgrid Ulster Under-21 Football Championship Quarter-Final

Monaghan 0-15 Derry 1-8                                        18/3/15

Monaghan booked an Ulster U-21 Football Championship semi-final place with a four-point win over Derry in Inniskeen on Wednesday night. Conor McCarthy hit four points in both halves for Monaghan, who hit seven unanswered points between the 29^th and 50^th minutes to take control. Derry were gifted the only goal of the game, poked home from close range by Niall Loughlin after a James Kearney free dropped short, but they suffered a setback when midfielder Neill McNicholl was sent off in the 22nd minute and they also saw Ciarán McFaul shown a second yellow card just before full-time. McCarthy’s accuracy and pace was the main difference between the teams, while Fergal McGeough and substitute Dónal Meegan also chipped in with a few scores to send Monaghan safely through. Monaghan’s semi-final will be against Donegal, who pipped five-in-a-row-chasing Cavan with a late Ryan McHugh goal, on Wednesday, April 1 at a venue yet to be announced.

Monaghan: D Kirk; R Wylie, M Murnaghan, K Loughran; D Ward, M Murnaghan, F Malone; C Lavelle, B Greenan (Capt., 0-1); R McAnespie, D Freeman, P Keenan; C McCarthy (0-8, 6f), F McGeough (0-3), F McMahon (0-1f).

Subs: C Meegan for Freeman (34 mins), D Meegan (0-2) for McMahon (36), S Conlon for Lavelle (53).

Derry: B McKinless; A Hargan, M Sweeney, D Brown; C Carville, L McGoldrick, P McElroy; N McNicholl, C McAtamney (Capt., 0-1); C McFaul (0-3, 1f), D Tallon, J Kearney; N Loughlin (1-3, 0-2f), C Murphy (0-1), N Toner.

Subs: R McDonnell for McElroy, J Bradley for Tallon (both H-T), T O’Brien for Carville (43), D Mullan for Loughlin (55).

Referee: N Cullen (Fermanagh).