Scotstown’s experience provides edge over Monaghan Harps

Scotstown 2-12 Monaghan Harps 0-9

Bridging a 92 years gap since the County town side last won the Monaghan senior football championship proved beyond this Monaghan Harps side as a more composed and experienced Scotstown regained the Monaghan senior football championship title that they last held in 2013.

Monaghan Harps opened the scoring in the sixth minute of a game that never rose to any great heights as a contest but that was to be the only time they were in front as Scotstown hit them with a brace of goals in the space of eight minutes, Orin Heaphey toe poking home for the first in a goalmouth scramble in the seventh minute.

Man-of-the-match Conor McCarthy crashed in their second when he fielded brilliantly before striking on the turn to put Scotstown six points in front at the end of the first quarter.

Scotstown went on to lead at half-time by 2-4 to 0-5 with Monaghan Harps missing a few chances before just the break.

They restarted well and four minutes into the second half they had the margin down to 3 with points by Shane Smyth and Gary White and looking like they might make a contest of it.

Scotstown driven on by the Hughes brothers, Kieran and Darren in particular, rallied though for points by Darren Hughes, Dermot McCrudden and goalkeeper Rory Beggan from a 45 to again open a six points gap entering the final quarter.

Response

Monaghan Harps pulled back a point through Gary White but four on the trot between the 17th and 20th minutes from Darren Hughes, Conor McCarthy, Shane Carey from a free and Orin Heaphey pushed Scotstown nine points clear and there was no way back for a beleaguered Monaghan Harps.

The latter’s misery was further compounded with the red card dismissal of Neil McAdam in the final minute.

SCOTSTOWN: R Beggan 0-2 (one free, 45), D McArdle, E Caulfield, P Sherlock, M Duffy, D Morgan, O Heaphey( 1-2), F Caulfield, J Turley, D Hughes (0-2), D McCrudden (0-2), C McCarthy (1-2), S Carey (0-1, free), K Hughes (0-1), R McKenna. Subs: P Keenan for M Duffy, B McGinnity for D McCrudden, D McCague for F Caulfield, F Caulfield for R McKenna, F McPhillips for O Heaphey, B Boylan for P Sherlock. MONAGHAN HARPS: A White, N Hahessy, D Hughes, N Scott, G Treanor, C Galligan, K Loughran, N McAdam (0-2, one free), S Driver, G White (0-3), N Treanor, M Galligan, D Hahessy (0-1, free), S Smyth (0-2), F McMahon (0-1, free). Subs: J Mulligan for C Galligan, L Hahessy for D Hahessy, A Og McAnespie for G Treanor, P Coyle for D Hughes. Referee: N McKenna (Emyvale).