Monaghan 1-12 Antrim 1-9:EVEN THE best of summer Sundays can do with fairytales happening now and then and Tommy Freeman certainly provided the happy ending for Monaghan.
The man who spent much of last year working in America while the team was flailing with defeats to Tyrone and Offaly, made a dream return to the Ulster championship at Clones yesterday.
Not risked from the start because of a hamstring injury, Freeman came on for the last quarter and simply turned this match on its head.
The game had livened up considerably after a terrible first-half but, in a game of small margins, it still needed something – or someone – to make a dramatic intervention. Freeman was the man to provide it.
Badly missed by Monaghan last year, his first introduction to championship football since 2010 was clinical. He scored with his first touch of the ball at a time when Monaghan were rocking, three points down following James Loughrey’s goal in the 46th minute which had brought Antrim right back into the game.
Antrim, soaring in the Clones heat, got themselves into a winning position at 1-8 to 1-5 ahead with 51 minutes gone. However, they failed to capitalise on Loughrey’s goal, only scoring one point in the remainder of the game.
Monaghan sensed their opportunity. Freeman scored again to put them in front as their experience came to the fore in the last quarter.Eamonn McEneaney’s side had suffered relegation for the second successive season and confidence was low. It would not have taken much to push them over the edge, but Antrim went into their shells.
Monaghan lost captain Paul Finlay to a shoulder injury after 20 minutes but it was the old war horses of Clerkin, Mone and Freeman who steered them to a first championship win in two years.
Clerkin in particular had a fine game, more than making amends for his early red card against Tyrone 12 months ago which had contributed to Monaghan’s defeat.
Antrim had a lot of men behind the ball, as well as playing a sweeper, but they were right in this game with 10 minutes to go.
The first-half was a turkey of a game, the little spat between Dick Clerkin and Michael McCann just as the teams were about to head for the tunnel was one of the more lively episodes.
The second-half more than made up for the drabness of the first with scores aplenty as the game started to open up.
Monaghan led 1-4 to 0-5 at the break, the goal coming after 32 seconds from rookie Karl O’Connell who showed electric pace to surprise Antrim right from the off.
He carried the ball from deep and got right in on the Antrim goal, having the presence of mind to drill home the rebound after his initial shot was blocked.
Antrim got themselves right back in it with a goal from James Loughrey in the 46th minute. It was a brilliant finish, as he cut the ball across goalkeeper Mark Keogh and into the far corner.
Antrim’s tails were up. They scored an unanswered 1-3, with points from Aodhan Gallagher, Michael McCann and Mark McAleese to lead by three, 1-8 to 1-5, after 51 minutes.
They should have kicked on, but a combination of the saffrons going into their shell and Monaghan’s greater experience coming to the fore, meant that the home side gradually clawed their way back into it.
Antrim captain Aodhan Gallagher was clearly not match fit after a recent injury scare and he started at full-forward, an experiment which back-fired badly.
Once he moved into midfield just before half-time, he was a more dominant figure although the battle between Clerkin and Michael McCann – who both scored 0-2 from play – was a pleasure to watch.
Kieran Hughes did brighten things up when he came on for the injured Finlay – a direct replacement at full-forward – and scored a point from a seemingly impossible angle.
Monaghan were just about deserving of their two-point lead at the interval but the second-half was when the game came to life.
Monaghan were struggling to make anything stick up front, Conor McManus clearly not yet match sharp after his long injury lay-off although he scored two important frees in the last quarter.
Freeman’s introduction seemed to inspire the rest, especially after he scored from range with his left-foot with his first touch, almost like he had never been away.
Dessie Mone and Dick Clerkin had huge second-half performances and Mone scored an inspirational point to put Monaghan ahead 1-10 to 1-9 with five minutes to go.
It was a decisive blow and Antrim couldn’t recover, as Dooney and McManus sent over late insurance points.
MONAGHAN: M Keogh; C Walshe, V Corey, D Morgan; K Duffy, D Mone (0-1), K O’Connell (1-0); O Lennon (0-1), D Clerkin (0-2); J Turley, S Gollogly, M McKenna; C McGuinness, P Finlay (0-1, free), C McManus (0-2, two frees). Subs: K Hughes (0-2, one free) for Finlay (20 mins), T Freeman (0-2) for McGuinness (47mins), P Dooney (0-1) for McKenna (47mins), D Wylie for Duffy (67mins). Yellow cards: D Mone (23 mins), O Lennon (35 mins), K O’Connell (42 mins).
ANTRIM: C Kerr; R Johnston, J Crozier, K O’Boyle; A Healy, T Scullion, M McAleese (0-1); C Murray, M McCann (0-2); J Loughrey (1-0), M Sweeney, T McCann; P Cunningham (0-4, two frees), A Gallagher (0-1), M Magill (0-1). Subs: O Gallagher for Scullion (59 mins), C Kelly for Murray (60), B Neeson for Magill (65). Yellow cards: T Scullion (39mins), A Healey (56 mins), B Neeson (66 mins).
Referee: Maurice Deegan (Laois).
RETURNING STAR PROSPERS IN SUNSHINE
RED HEADS aren’t supposed to prosper in these temperatures.
Yet, Tommy Freeman made sure he was the one basking in the summer sun with a cameo role which Monaghan badly needed to get them over the line.
Sipping on the cold fluid which poured out of a water bottle, he smiled and said:
“It’s good to be back and I am looking forward to more.’’
Freeman was in the US last year when Monaghan were struggling and, although a hamstring injury curtailed his involvement yesterday, there was no mistaking his intent. The appetite for the battle is back.
“I missed last summer, I was missing the football big time,’’ he admitted. “I would have rather been here, but work-wise I had no other choice but to go (to America).
“If you can’t enjoy your football on a day like this, you shouldn’t be here and I am delighted to be able to come on and contribute two points for the team.
“We stayed calm and stuck to the game plan. In other years we might have panicked, but we broke them down eventually.’’
Liam Bradley was left to ponder what might have been.
His team regressed into their shell just when they had carved out a winning position for themselves.
“It’s hard to take defeat here because it’s a game we should have won,’’ he insisted. “We had plenty of opportunities.
We didn’t push on from the goal. I think we only scored a point after it.
“We were thinking about an Ulster title. We felt we were on the right half to get to the final anyway. Most of the lads can hold their heads high, but Monaghan were more economical. They got a couple of wee handy ones too.
“I talked during the week about a few home town decisions and they got that.
I’m not saying anything against Maurice (Deegan) but we seemed to have to work harder for the frees than they had to.”
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