Ryan Johnston’s goal sends Kilcoo clear in Clones

Kilcoo (Down) 1-8 Scotstown (Monaghan) 0-9

A sharper, more focused Kilcoo advanced to the Ulster Club senior football quarter-finals at the expense of Scotstown in this tough, hard-hitting encounter that was played in very difficult, wet and windy conditions in Clones.

Scotstown started well and registered the first two scores but once Kilcoo came to grips with the Scotstown dangermen they took an increasing grip on proceedings, with their astute support play and more accurate passing.

Kilcoo led at half-time by 0-5 to 0-4 having trailed by two points after seven minutes but they then reeled off five points without reply to open a three point lead. Scotstown ended a barren 21-minute spell with a point from a free by Shane Carey and Rory Beggan converted another free in stoppage time to leave the minimum in it at the break.

Scotstown levelled within a minute of the resumption and the sides were level again five minutes later but the game changer came in the seventh minute when Kilcoo substitute Ryan Johnston crashed to the Scotstown net for a lead they never subsequently relinquished.

Scotstown did everything they could to retrieve the situation but they just could not engineer the vital breakthrough and it then finished badly when they were reduced to 13 players in stoppage time, Francis Caulfield on a second yellow and substitute Brian McGinnity on a straight red.

KILCOO: N Kane; N McEvoy, D O'Hanlon, N Brannagan; D Brannagan, Aidan Brannagan, Aaron Brannagan (0-1); J McClean, JJ McLoughlin; C Doherty, A Morgan (0-1), D Kane (0-1, free); M Devlin (0-2), P Devlin (0-3, two frees), C Laverty.

Subs: R Johnston (1-0) for Aidan Brannagan (half-time), D McEvoy for D Kane, F McGreevy for J McClean ( both 57 mins), C Laverty for C Doherty, G McEvoy for M Devlin (both 59 mins).

SCOTSTOWN: R Beggan 0-1 (free); P Sherlock, M Duffy, D McArdle; F McPhillips, K Hughes, E Caulfield; F Caulfield, J Turley; R McKenna, D Morgan (0-1), S Mohan; O Heaphey, D Hughes (0-1), S Carey (0-6, four frees).

Subs: P Keenan for F McPhillips (51 mins),B McGinnity for O Heaphey (55 mins), B Boylan for S Mohan (56 mins).

Referee: S Hurson (Tyrone).