Crossmaglen Rangers need extra-time to shake off Scotstown

Crossmaglen 2-17 Scotstown 2-12 after extra-time (1-10 to 1-10 after normal time)

Nothing plays on tradition more than the club championship. Only it took tradition and a lot more for Crossmaglen to win this Ulster football title for the 11th time since 1996.

It took extra-time, for starters. Scotstown might well have landed their first title since 1989 by the end of normal time, only for some slight hesitation and a potentially match-winning free from goalkeeper Rory Beggan that dropped short.

With that the game was taken into extra-time and Crossmaglen made their great tradition count. The five-point winning margin was somewhat flattering, although they certainly flexed their muscles either side of extra-time.

Better still it maintained Crossmaglen’s incredible record of never actually losing an Ulster final. Indeed when Armagh and All-Ireland finals are included, they’ve now won 36 of the last 37 (the one loss being the All-Ireland final of 2009).

In the end they celebrated as if it was the first, roars coming out of their dressing room long after the final whistle sounded.

Scotstown had certainly given themselves every chance of victory, yet it felt like thorough defeat. By the end they had also lost their two central players, the Hughes brothers Kieran and Darren, two of four players sent off during the game: Kieran was first to go, five minutes into extra-time, for a trip on Johnny Murtagh; then, just before the final whistle, Darren was also red-carded, although by then the contest was over.

Crossmaglen’s James Morgan joined him for a second yellow card in the same incident, and they also lost Danny O’Callaghan with five minutes to go in normal time (before being restored to the full complement for extra time).

Momentum

Overall it was an excellent contest played out on a tightrope, in front of a large attendance of 8,694. Momentum swung back and forth, first-half goals from Darren Hughes for Scotstown and Tony Kernan for Crossmaglen reflecting that action.

It was tight through the second half too, before Kyle Carragher’s goal in the second period of extra-time finally opened a gap for Crossmaglen. The goal came after a Scotstown botched kick-out.

Scotstown did hit back with their second goal from Brian McGinnity, but two late scores from the Armagh champions – from Tony Kernan and brother Aaron – kept them at bay.

“Don’t ask me about anything that happened in the first 60 minutes, because I don’t have that good a memory,” said Crossmaglen joint manager Oisín McConville, who played a part in seven of their previous 10 titles. “We were certainly very poor in the second half, and we almost paid the price.

“But I have to say in extra-time we were very, very good. We were tuned in and really got a grip at the end of the game. I never had any doubt we would win it. It’s easy for me to say now, I know, but I thought we were a lot more focused.

“Although it was some battle. It was frenetic stuff towards the end of the game. You get lost in how frenetic it is, and it almost feels as if you are playing, when you are running up and down the sideline.

“So we were clinging alright at the end of normal time, and when Rory Beggan had the free, he is liable to kick that over the bar. And if he kicks it over the bar, you are gone. It took everything we had, but I tell what we have: a great bench. We brought Garvan Carragher on in extra-time and he was phenomenal. There was a real sea-change moment.”

Phenomenal performance

Still, Scotstown had some phenomenal performance of their own, particularly in the Hughes brothers, along with captain Donal Morgan and midfielder James Turley. Shane Carey was also a perfectly solid free-taker, hitting the last score in normal time which forced extra-time. By then, the momentum appeared to have swung in their favour, but perhaps a little inexperience cost them in the end.

“We came up against a great Cross team, who have done this all before, so it is nothing new to them. It is 29 years since Scotstown were in an Ulster club final. They showed serious character out there and that’s all we asked of them, that they would come and try their very, very best,” said Scotstown manager Mattie McGlennon.

The advantage of an extra man for the last five minutes of normal time also gave Scotstown the edge in that closing few minutes, but they just couldn’t make it count on the scoreboard.

Indeed, having also won a 19th county title in the last 20 years, there are few clubs around that can rival the tradition of Crossmaglen. Next up in February are Connacht champions Castlebar, although there is a sense Crossmaglen can improve again.

Jamie Clarke, back again from his travels to the US and who appeared in the second half, has promised to stick around for as long as their campaign remains, and with Tony and Stephen Kernan still playing fantastic football, and the likes of Kyle Carragher  and Michael McNamee growing in stature, they will be very difficult to stop in their quest to add a seventh All-Ireland club title to the long list of honours.

The red card shown to Kieran Hughes on 65 minutes was also a late setback that Scotstown couldn’t bear. “I didn’t see at any point where there needed to be a red card in that game,” said McGlennon. “It was a huge turning point in the game. There’s no doubt about it because 14 men against Crossmaglen, in extra-time, it is a tough ask.”

CROSSMAGLEN (ARMAGH): P Hearty (capt); P McKeown, J Morgan, P Hughes; A Kernan (0-1, a free), M Aherne, A Rushe; J Hanratty, R Kelly; S Kernan (0-1), M McNamee (0-1), T Kernan (1-6, five frees); K Carragher (1-2), J Murtagh (0-3), O O'Neill. Subs: D McKenna (0-1) for Hanratty (h-t), S Finnegan for Rushe (37 mins), J Clarke for O'Neill (40 mins), C Cumiskey (0-1) for Kelly (45 mins), D O'Callaghan for Aherne (51 mins), A Cunningham for McNamee (53 mins), P Stuttard (0-1) for O'Callaghan (red-carded, replaced at extra-time), G Carragher for Cunningham (extra-time), K Brennan for Murtagh (70 mins), D McConville for S Kernan (75 mins), Cunningham for Carragher (75 mins).

SCOTSTOWN (MONAGHAN): R Beggan (0-1, a 45); M Duffy, K Hughes, P Keenan; E Caulfield (0-1), D McArdle, F McPhillps; F Caulfield, J Turley; D Morgan (capt) (0-1) , S Carey (0-6, five frees), R McKenna; C McCarthy (0-2), D Hughes (1-0), O Heaphey (0-1). Subs: B Boylan for McPhillips (30 mins), D McCague for McKenna (44 mins), B McGinnity (1-0) for Heaphey (48 mins), B McNeal for Caulfield (75 mins), D McNally for McArdle (78 mins).

Referee: Barry Cassidy (Derry)