Monaghan 2-12
Cavan 0-11

A more potent, skilful Monaghan side deservedly claimed the Ulster MHL Division Two title at Drumhowan’s well-appointed, pristine HQ on Saturday last.
The hosts were much the better team and their ability to take scores under pressure and their success in bagging two goals were crucial in forging what was a wholly deserved victory.Monaghan won the majority of breaking ball and their striking and passing was far superior to their opponents.Cavan couldn’t match Monaghan’s efficiency in front of goal or their ability to cash in on scoring opportunities and it was notable that the visitors recorded 14 wides, as opposed to Monaghan’s seven, over the hour.Cavan also went down to 14 players with almost 10 minutes left to play in the second half when their top scorer Cormac Wall received a second yellow card.

The signs were good for Monaghan from early on with a goal from the impressive Aidan Burns after 19 minutes helping to steer the hosts into a decisive 1-3 to 0-1 lead.Burns, aided and abetted by team-mates Cathal Power, Luke McKenna and Nathan O’Donoghue were to play forceful roles in Monaghan’s capacity to engineer and convert the major percentage of their scores.In fairness, an injury to impressive ball-winner Rory Farrell in the 23rd minute meant that Diarmaid Carney was asked to shore up things in the middle third of the field, thus diluting the pressure that might have been exerted on Monaghan’s full-forward line.
For all that, Monaghan always looked like they had things in hand. They were more mobile, seemed to have more time on the ball and they had artillery in the last third that Cavan’s couldn’t match or indeed muffle.Apart from the killer wides’ tally, Cavan also shot themselves in the foot when they had their captain and top scorer Cormac Wall dismissed in the 52nd minute.Fact is though, Monaghan were ahead by 2- 10 to 0-9 at that juncture and appeared to have another gear in them had the need been there to engage it in the perfect conditions at the resplendent mid-county venue.

Monaghan’s purposeful start gave them an early cushioned lead that was never seriously threatened thereafter although their 1-6 to 0-6 interval lead was far from marble-solid. That solidity was underpinned though less than one minute after the restart when good work by Luke McKenna saw Pádraig McGahon ghost in at the far post and bat the ball head high from point-blank range past Cavan ‘keeper Clerkin.
Just three minutes into the second half, Monaghan had one eye on the silverware as they led by 2-7 to 0-6 Cavan would close the gap to two goals with 11 minutes left to play but the dismissal of top scorer Wall was a big blow. Monaghan seemed to take their foot of the pedal somewhat but they never looked like tripping themselves up. The hosts duly sealed the deal by out-scoring their opponents by three points to two in the run-in.

Monaghan:
Patrick Bermingham; James Carville, Dylan McAree, Patrick Mitchell; Conor Gernon, Cathal Power (0-3, two frees), Anthony Greenan; Oran Kiernan, Luke McKenna (0-1); Aidan Burns (1-4, two frees), Stephen Watters, Nathan O Donoghue (0-2); Pádraig McGahon (1-1), Matthew Donnelly, Aaron Boyle (0-1).
Subs; Kieran McQuaid for M Donnelly; Josh Mohan for A Boyle; Peter Clinton for J Carville; Ethan O’Gorman for N O’Donoghue.

Cavan:
Niall Clerkin; Conor O’Reilly, Conor P. O’Reilly, Oisin McDonald; Mark Moffett, Niall Fitzpatrick, Peter Galligan; Shane Finnegan (0-1), Shane Clerkin; Rory Farrell, Cormac Wall (0-5, three frees), Jack Barry; Diarmaid Carney (0-1), Adam Crowe (0-4), Peter Devine.
Subs; Killian Watters for R Farrell (inj); Kyle McGuinness for K Watters; Jack Kerrigan for Conor O’Reilly; James McKay for S Clerkin; Eoghan McGrath for P Devine.

Ref; Niall Clifford (Armagh)