FonaCAB St Paul’s Ulster Minor Football Tournament, quarter-final
Four Masters 3-07-3-06 Scotstown
Kevin Herron reports from Shaws Road
2023 Ulster Minor holders Four Masters survived the first assault on their crown as they saw off Monaghan Champions Scotstown 3-07-3-06 in Sundays quarter-final clash on the Shaws Road.
The Donegal kingpins settled into their stride when Callum McCrea broke out of defence and switched to Turlough Carr- he returned a pass to McCrea and in turn feed late replacement Thomas Lenehan to slam home inside of two minutes.
Scotstown replied through a 4th minute Sean Og McElwain free and the sides then traded scores through Kevin Muldoon and Tommy Mallen.
The Monaghan outfit hit the front on the 12th minute when Max Maguire fisted the break ball at midfield and play was switched into the path of Darcy Foy to burst forward and fire low into the corner past Lewis McCaughan to make it 1-02-1-01.
Mallen doubled his sides advantage and his personal tally for the half moments later, but the Carr brothers Tomas and Turlough both sent high efforts between the posts to restore parity.
Scotstown regained the less temporarily thanks to an Ellis Foy shot that dropped between the posts, though Tomas Carr converted a free from the deck.
Having opened the game with a goal, Four Masters closed the half out on the front foot.
Alan McHugh carried the ball forward and laid it off with Tiarnan McBride picking up possession and powering to the net with Turlough Carr adding a point in the aftermath to give the holders a 2-05-1-04 lead at the interval.
Scotstown clawed their way back into things within two minutes of the restart.Darcy Foy flighted a fine crossfield pass that Darragh Keenan intercepted and he bore down on goal before picking his spot to reduce the deficit to the bare minimum.
Parity was restored for the third time when Max Maguire produced a tremendous angled point on the 36th minute.
The Monaghan Champions forged back ahead when Sean Og McElwain converted his second free of the contest to make it 2-06-2-05.
Although it was shortlived as Four Masters hit the net for the third time and late replacement Thomas Lenehan claimed his second with a low shot that squeezed underneath Jimmy McKenna’s reach.
Lenehan shot over his first point of the
afternoon and a converted Tomas Carr free from the ground had Masters 3-07-2-06 ahead and surely into the last four.
A grandstand finish was on the cards though as Scotstown battled back and hit their third goal on the 53rd minute.
Darragh Keenan bustled his way into a shooting position and sent a bullet of a shot to the net to reduce the deficit to the bare minimum again.
They were unable to fightback for a third time though as the holders hung on to book their place in the St Stephens Day semi-final against the winners of next weekends Mayobridge and Fr Rocks quarter-final clash.
FOUR MASTERS: L McCaughan, A McHugh, D McGinty, E O’Neil, C Gavigan, C McCrea, A Quinn, T Carr (0-3, 0-2f), T Colhoun, P McGonagle, T Carr (0-2), K Muldoon (0-1), T Lenehan (2-1), T McBride, O Doherty. Subs: D Griffin for A McHugh (60+1).
SCOTSTOWN: J McKenna, C Gallagher, D McMeel, D Feeney, E Prunty, M McCaffrey, D Foy (1-0), M Maguire (0-1), J Foley, E Foy (0-1), T Mallen (0-2), D Keenan (2-0), D Connolly, S Og McElwain (0-2f), C McElwain. Subs: N McCabe for T Mallen (42), S MacCinna for D Keenan (59).
REFEREE: Paul Falloon (Down)
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