Derry 3-16 Monaghan 0-20:DURING THE week there had been rumours that Paddy Bradley had withdrawn from the Derry panel but on Saturday in Clones he scotched those rumours with a virtuoso performance that saw him finish with a tally of 2-8 to catapult Derry through to the next round of the qualifiers.
These sides met earlier in the season in the quarter-final of the Ulster senior football championship when they fought out something of a war of attrition in Celtic Park. Derry came with a late rally to clinch victory then, but on this occasion all of the negative tactics had gone as both sides served up a feast of football.
Derry moved on to the next stage in swashbuckling fashion in a match where they were never headed after Paddy Bradley opened the scoring with an opportunist goal in the opening minute.
This Derry victory was fashioned out of a hard-working performance that saw them dominate midfield and a blanket defence policy that at times restricted Monaghan to the role of spectators, but to their credit the home side fought to the bitter end and at certain stages left the competition finely enough balanced.
A second goal by James Kielt in the 17th minute of the first half put Derry six points in front and by the 25th minute they had opened up an eight-point gap. By the end of normal time in the first half, however, Monaghan had clawed their way back in as they hit five points without reply between the 27th and 34th minutes to reduce the margin to three.
An exchange of points between Gerard O’Kane and Damien Freeman in stoppage time still left three between the sides at the break, with Derry ahead by 2-8 to 0-11.
Within two minutes of the restart Monaghan had the margin down to the minimum with points by Paul Finlay and Brendan McKenna and the minimum separated the sides again three minutes later following an exchange between Paddy Bradley from a free and Damien Freeman.
That was as good as it got for Monaghan, though, as Derry moved up a gear and in a blistering 10-minute spell, they hit a goal and six points without reply to simply blow Monaghan away and effectively wrap up the result even at that stage.
Barry McGoldrick started the rush with a point from a free in the 11th minute; Mark Lynch, Paddy Bradley and substitute Christopher McKaigue put Derry six in front by the 15th minute, with the Bradley brothers then conspiring for a sublime goal.
Eoin Bradley threaded an inch-perfect pass into the path of his brother who side-footed past Padraig McBennett from close range to put Derry nine points in front.
The Bradley siblings combination continued a minute later for Eoin to stretch their lead to 10 points and victory ensured. Monaghan, to their credit, fought back to outscore Derry in the final eight minutes by five points to one but it was too little too late.
DERRY: B Gillis; D McBride, K McCloy, SM Lockhart; G O’Kane (0-1), B McGoldrick (0-1, free), SL McGoldrick; J Diver, Patsy Bradley; F Doherty, M Lynch (0-2), B Mullan; E Bradley (0-2), Paddy Bradley (2-8, 0-2 frees), J Kielt (1-1). Subs: C McKaigue (0-1) for D McBride, B McGuigan for B Mullan, E Lynn for B McGuigan.
MONAGHAN: P McBennett; D Mone, V Corey, D McArdle; D Freeman (0-2), G McQuaid, D Hughes; E Lennon, D Clerkin; S Gollogly (0-1), P Finlay 0-4 (three frees, one 45), C McManus (0-1, free); C Hanratty (0-4), R Ronaghan (0-2), R Woods (0-3). Subs: B McKenna (0-1) for S Gollogly, M Downey for D Clerkin, P McGuigan for D McArdle, P Meegan (0-2, one free) for C Hanratty, JP Mone for B McKenna.
Referee: M Duffy (Sligo).
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