Ulster Minor Football League Group B

Monaghan 1-9 Down 1-11                            22/3/14

Monaghan’s defence of the Ulster MFL started with a two-point defeat against Down in Clones on Saturday. Monaghan lined out with just one player who started last year’s Ulster MFC Final – Mikey Murnaghan – although Barry McGinn and Dermot Gleeson, who came on in that game, were also in the team. McGinn kicked six first-half points to hand Monaghan a narrow lead, but with Down taking over in the second half, the hosts went over half-an-hour scoring just one point. McGinn, Conor Duffy, Murnaghan and sub Mustafa Gamal were best for Monaghan, while Down had good performances from Stephen Fagan and Killian McEvoy and they were also helped by substitutes like goal-scorer Kory Colgan, Seán Hardy and Gareth McDowell making an impact

Monaghan started with a point from a free by Barry McGinn, but scores by Stephen Fegan and Killian McEvoy got Down up and running. McGinn replied with a good point after a one-two with Aaron Jones and although Down pushed on with points by Fegan and Tiernan Rushe; the latter from a free after a foul on Ryan Treanor, McGinn kept Monaghan in touch from a 30-metre free after a foul on Kevin McVicar. The Doohamlet forward added a point after Dermot Gleeson had made a good catch from a rebound off a James Mealiff shot saved by Down keeper Marc Reid and he also split the posts after exchanging passes with Seán McMahon. McGinn and McMahon linked up again to create a good point for Stephen McCabe and even when a Rushe free brought Down level, Gleeson regained the advantage for Monaghan, who went in with a 0-8 to 0-6 lead after McGinn applied the finishing touch to an attack involving Mustafa Gamal and Mealiff. Down received the only black card of the game just before the interval when CJ Barr was punished for a body-check on McGinn.

McGinn hit an upright from a free in the opening moments of the second half, before a poor kick-out gave Treanor the chance to bring Down back to within a point. Treanor then had a shot at goal blocked after a McEvoy effort had come back off an upright, before McGinn played a great pass through for Mealiff to blaze a goal chance over the bar. McEvoy and Treanor combined to release sub Gareth McDowell to fire to the net from close range for Down and Treanor converted a brace of frees, before McDowell raced through to tag on a point. Down were five points clear at this stage, but Monaghan gave themselves some hope when a counter-attack involving Gamal, Francis Hughes and McMahon ended with sub Michael Bannigan cutting through to fire past Reid. It turned out to be too late, however, for Monaghan, who are away to Armagh next Saturday.

Monaghan: S Grimes; C Vernon, E McKearney, C Duffy; R Berg, M Murnaghan, C McElwain; F Hughes, S McMahon; K McVicar, J Mealiff (0-1), A Jones (Capt.); D Gleeson (0-1), B McGinn (0-6, 2f), S McCabe (0-1).

Subs: M Gamal for McElwain (23 mins), J Beatty for McVicar (43), M Bannigan (1-0) for Mealiff (46), F Maguire for McCabe (54), R McDonald for Jones (57).

Down: M Reid; S Fegan (0-2), C Fitzpatrick, L Byrne; N Rafferty, C McCartan, K McEvoy (0-2), CJ Barr, R Millar; P Lively, P Óg McCrickard, J Morgan (0-1); R Treanor (0-3, 2f), S McConville, T Rushe (0-2f).

Subs: K Colgan for Barr (black card, 29), S Hardy for McCartan (H-T), R Cunningham for Rushe, G McDowell (1-1) for Lively, A Magee for McConville (all 36), JP Farrell for Morgan (44).

Referee: J Lewis (Fermanagh).