Bradley proves a real handful

Ulster SFC/ Derry 1-17 Monaghan 2-8: It was a bit like running up a down escalator for Monaghan in a one-sided first-half that basically decided this Ulster senior football championship match in favour of a Paddy Bradley-inspired Derry at Clones yesterday.

A crowd of 16,140 watched in awe as Bradley notched up a 1-10 personal tally. Tyrone manager Micky Harte, on a spying mission at the Co Monaghan ground was impressed. "It was simply a one-man show," he said.

Derry only trailed briefly, after four minutes, when big threat Tommy Freeman had the opening score of the game.

The story of an absorbing match was to soon unfold. Bradley, with one of his two pointed frees and his midfield almost-namesake Patsy Bradley put the physically stronger Derrymen in front before captain Bradley scored a stunning goal off an Enda Muldoon delivery.

There was no looking back for Derry after Bradley's brilliant strike which sparked off a complete monopoly of play for the winners.

By this time the irrepressible midfield duo of Fergal Doherty and Patsy Bradley had made their mark, but they also picked up a yellow card apiece from Sligo referee Martin Duffy.

Duffy had a difficult end-to-end match to control, but not everyone would agree with a number of his decisions which too often went against the home side, By half-time, Derry had largely crushed Monaghan's confidence, leading by 1-8 to 0-4.

It took Monaghan 16 minutes to add their third point, while being led a merry dance, with captain Bradley proving too much of a handful for Monaghan full back Vincent Corey.

Corey was later switched off the mighty Derry captain, but nothing was going to curb Bradley in such form.

Before the first half had run its course he hit the crossbar and Shane Duffy in the Monaghan goal had to be alert to clear the danger.

Bradley took up where he left off after the break when he stretched Derry's lead, this time off his left foot. The home side somehow partly succeeded in digging deep to make it quite difficult for Derry and interesting for the charged crowd in an improved second-half performance.

"We were slow to get out of traps and looked dead and buried at half-time" admitted Monaghan coach Séamus McEnaney. "We could have got it down to one or two points, had we taken our second-half chances."

Derry manager, Micky Moran agreed: "Monaghan are not a passing ship in the night. They are here to stay for some time with that team."

Moran, though, offered the main reason for his side's failure to retain midfield control in the second half: "Our two midfielders Feargal Doherty and Patsy Bradley were on yellow cards and this had an intimidating effect on their displays."

Monaghan injected real excitement into the exercise with second-half goals from substitutes Shane McManus and James McElroy. Bradley took much of the sting out of these shock goals, described by Muldoon as soft, by replying with points.

Derry felt the pressure exerted by a resilient Monaghan in the last quarter. The difference was Monaghan lacked a score poacher of the calibre of Bradley. Freeman missed a sitter for a goal and wing back Dermot McArdle did no better.

In addition, Monaghan's pacy second-half showing created a number of chances for points, but they too often appeared to have left their shooting boots behind them in Croke Park and that the dramatic National Football League Division Two success over Meath.

McEnaney was confident his team will be able to pick themselves up for the qualifiers. "Already we are looking forward to getting back into it on Wednesday night," he said.

DERRY: B Gillis; K McGuckin, K McCloy, G O'Kane; P Wilson, SM Lockhart, P Kelly; F Doherty, Patsy Bradley (0-1); J McBride, M Lynch, P Murphy (0-1); Paul Bradley, Paddy Bradley (1-10, two frees), E Muldoon (0-4, three frees). Subs: E Bradley for McBride (11 mins), C Devlin (0-1) for Paul Bradley (ht); M Kelly for E Muldoon (70 mins)

MONAGHAN: S Duffy; G McQuaid, V Corey, C Fanagan; D Freeman, J Coyle, D McArdle; F Duffy, E Lennon; S Gallogly (0-1), P Finlay (0-3, frees), N Corrigan; T Freeman (0-3), R Ronaghan, D Clerkin. Subs: H McElroy for D Freeman (40 mins), S McManus (1-1) for Duffy (41 mins), F Smith for McQuaid (48 mins), D McKernan for Corrigan (51 mins), J McElroy (1-0) for Gallogly (58 mins).

Referee: M Duffy (Sligo).