Ulster Under 20 Football Championship
Antrim 0-10 Monaghan 1-14
Antrim suffered late heartbreak at a cold and blustery Dunsilly as a spirited performance ultimately yielded to a late Monaghan surge in round 3 of the Ulster Under 20 Football Championship. The young Saffrons appeared to be in with a genuine chance of getting their first points of the campaign when they drew level with just seven minutes left to play. However, a cruel turn of momentum saw Monaghan finish strongly, adding a goal and four points without reply to flatter the final scoreline and secure their first win of the campaign.
The home side gave the Antrim support plenty to cheer about early on. Backed by a swirling breeze, Antrim raced into a well-deserved two-point lead courtesy of the impressive full forward Dare Higgins. The Antrim defence stood resolutely as well, highlighted in the 13th minute when goalkeeper Jack Ireland pulled off a brilliant block to deny Monaghan’s Killian Kerans a certain goal. Though Monaghan managed to convert the resulting free and eventually drew level through Matthew Finn, Antrim kept pushing. Higgins quickly replied at the other end to keep the pressure on. Despite a subsequent flurry of scores from Kerans, Finn, and Tom Doherty that temporarily edged the visitors ahead, Antrim’s Padraig Murray pulled one back. Following another exchange of points between Higgins and Finn, a fiercely competitive Antrim trailed by just a single point at the break.
As the second half commenced, the Farney men managed to extend their lead to three, threatening to pull away. However, Antrim showed tremendous character to fight their way back into the contest. A massive two-pointer from a Higgins free breathed new life into the Saffron challenge, and a thrilling upset looked entirely on the cards when Antrim bravely surged into the lead with only ten minutes remaining.
The climax of the game, however, proved bitterly frustrating for the home side. After Matthew Finn managed to draw the sides level, Antrim were still very much in the hunt for a result heading into the final seven minutes. Unfortunately, the introduction of Monaghan substitutes Matthew Carolan and Max McGinnity swung the tie. In a desperately unlucky moment for the otherwise superb Antrim keeper, a lost ball coming out of defence allowed McGinnity to pounce for a goal. That unfortunate concession took the wind out of Antrim’s sails and gave Paul O’Connor’s side breathing space. Empowered by the break, Monaghan ruthlessly capitalized, tagging on late points through Doherty, Luke McKenna, and McGinnity to leave Antrim with no reward for a highly commendable effort.
For the record, Monaghan’s scorers included M McGinnity with 1-1, T Doherty and M Finn with 0-4 each, K Kerans with 0-3, C Clerkin with 0-2, and S O’Connor and L McKenna adding 0-1 each. Antrim’s outstanding attacking effort was led by D Higgins with 0-7, supported by C Walsh with 0-2 and P Murray with 0-1.
Antrim: J Ireland, J Og McAuley, S McAdhaimh, S Ferris, E Walsh, C O’Connell, F Jemfrey, N Hynds, I Robinson, A Mackle, J O’Neill, R McKeever, P Murray, D Higgins, C Walsh
Subs – E Sherry
Monaghan: S O’Connor, S Carolan, T Doherty, S O’Connell, K Kerans, M Finn, and J McCrystal, with substitutes S McMahon, M McGinnity, C Murphy
Referee: N McGeown – Armagh
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