Monaghan v Fermanagh

:00:33. > :00:39.Hi. The Champion hp is back. We are back. It's good to be back. BBC

:00:40. > :00:47.Sport NI is ready and so too as it happens is the province of Ulster.

:00:48. > :00:53.This sport, it's a challenge, and unless you are going to rise to that

:00:54. > :00:57.challenge, recognise it, react to it, I don't think there is point

:00:58. > :01:05.being there. I think it's a very special competition. It does create

:01:06. > :01:09.a very unique atmosphere. There is tension, a lot at stake. It's a

:01:10. > :01:12.precious cooker environment with players and everybody involved in

:01:13. > :01:19.it. In any given Sunday, anybody can win. So, in terms of performance it

:01:20. > :01:26.goes out the window. We would be acutely aware of that. All the games

:01:27. > :01:35.are really heavily contested. And draw big crowds.

:01:36. > :01:43.It is a special competition. I know certainly from my point of view

:01:44. > :01:49.having grown up going to the championship matches as a cub. Long

:01:50. > :01:53.may it continue and everyone of the nine Counties willing going flat out

:01:54. > :01:57.to try to win this year. It's the most competitive in the country, we

:01:58. > :02:02.have always said that. Other people don't always believe it. We

:02:03. > :02:05.certainly do. You have three or four division one teams in it so it's

:02:06. > :02:12.going to be highly competitive and I think it's making for a fantastic

:02:13. > :02:18.five or six weeks. Rollercoaster, great craic. Can't wait. I don't

:02:19. > :02:23.think anybody would be brave enough to separate the runners and riders

:02:24. > :02:29.at this stage of the game. We feel we have left the last two behind us

:02:30. > :02:36.and we feel we have scores to settle and wrongs to put right. I think

:02:37. > :02:40.it's the most important time of the year for any footballer in Ulster. I

:02:41. > :02:43.have fond memories, 13 years of Ulster Championship. It's the place

:02:44. > :02:46.to be. It's something I always, whether, whatever the league form

:02:47. > :02:50.was, whoever you were playing, I always loved it, loved the

:02:51. > :02:54.atmosphere. You live off it and it's there to win it and it burns

:02:55. > :02:58.brightly in every County. The Counties who win it, they'll know

:02:59. > :03:05.they've been through the mill. They know they've won something very,

:03:06. > :03:09.very significant. It would be like finding the Holy Grail. Intense. You

:03:10. > :03:14.look at the crowds that go to it, how much it means to a team to win

:03:15. > :03:17.those championships. It's a great time of year, everybody is full of

:03:18. > :03:21.hope. So we are looking forward to getting going. There's no place like

:03:22. > :03:26.Clones on a July Sunday, no matter, Croke Park and all the other places,

:03:27. > :03:34.there's something special about it. It's the only place to be. And so

:03:35. > :03:40.they come, first a tribute, then a torrent. Two teams, two tribes. The

:03:41. > :03:47.blue of Monaghan and the green of Fermanagh. But who will prevail? The

:03:48. > :03:51.rainbow is coming. The Championship awaits.

:03:52. > :03:54.Good evening everyone. Great to have your company over the next few

:03:55. > :04:01.hours. The respective managers are ready. Clones is ready and so is

:04:02. > :04:07.BBC's championship team. From Crossmaglen and beyond to the Glens

:04:08. > :04:11.of Antrim, we have you covered. Martin and Oisin are your guides and

:04:12. > :04:15.of course in addition to their opinions, we would love to hear from

:04:16. > :04:20.you. The contact details will pop up along the screen. That should be

:04:21. > :04:24.them. Facebook, Twitter, all the social media outlets and postcodes

:04:25. > :04:28.too welcome. For that matter, both of you very welcome in order of

:04:29. > :04:33.seniority, Martin, today you expecting to begin with a bang or a

:04:34. > :04:37.whefrper? Thank you, Mark. Looking at it from an Ulster point of view,

:04:38. > :04:41.I just feel that this Monaghan team have underachieved. People might say

:04:42. > :04:44.there is 50,000 people living in Monaghan and everything else and

:04:45. > :04:47.they've overachieved, my opinion with the players they've

:04:48. > :04:50.underachieved. When you see the performance this year in the league,

:04:51. > :04:56.up to Dublin, could have beaten Dublin. Beat Kerry and Mayo away

:04:57. > :05:01.from home. I am looking forward to it. Donegal and Tyrone have

:05:02. > :05:04.overachieved. But I believe this Monaghan team, I am looking forward

:05:05. > :05:08.to seeing them, they've the best defence outside the two big in the

:05:09. > :05:14.country, they've a brilliant goalkeeper and up front now three

:05:15. > :05:18.quality forwards in the forward line. McManus and Carthy. He is

:05:19. > :05:24.probably as good as any of them. McCarthy. From that point of view I

:05:25. > :05:28.am looking forward to seeing this Monaghan team, at the age they're

:05:29. > :05:35.at, they're the same age at the time where I was myself when we won an

:05:36. > :05:40.All-Ireland. Even Donegal in 2012. It's a massive year for Monaghan.

:05:41. > :05:50.Started mind games already, hasn't he! You think he is... Talking up

:05:51. > :05:54.Monaghan. Trying to keep Donegal's duck away from turbulent waters. We

:05:55. > :05:59.will look at the teams predictions and preface that by saying it looks

:06:00. > :06:03.like there might be three teams in it if you can render us experts. How

:06:04. > :06:07.big is the gap There is a considerable gap. When I look at the

:06:08. > :06:11.top teams in Ireland, within those top six teams are three teams from

:06:12. > :06:15.Ulster. The question we are all requesting is can those three teams

:06:16. > :06:20.step up and challenge for an All-Ireland? As far as the Ulster

:06:21. > :06:26.Championship is concerned it will be competitive. Teams will take scalps.

:06:27. > :06:30.Monaghan, Tyrone and Donegal are ahead of whatever else we have in

:06:31. > :06:34.the Province. Before we get the team news let's run you through the BBC

:06:35. > :06:43.team predictions for this year's 2017 Ulster Championship.

:06:44. > :06:58.Well, a quartet of us there. For once Mark agreeing with Oisin.

:06:59. > :07:06.The immediate thing, Martin, that jumps at me there is just one going

:07:07. > :07:13.for Tyrone. Of course they're the reigning champs. Mickey will be

:07:14. > :07:17.loving that! You can't write off Tyrone. I think from their point of

:07:18. > :07:21.view they've, of the squad of players they've probably the best

:07:22. > :07:24.squad in Ulster. But maybe the thing is upfront has been their problem.

:07:25. > :07:27.Maybe from their own point of view playing too defensive. Maybe it's

:07:28. > :07:35.time to do what Dublin and Kerry have done, let's open up a bit. The

:07:36. > :07:40.man who tipped Tyrone is pitside, that is Thomas Kane. We have endured

:07:41. > :07:44.almost every possible weather condition here over the last half

:07:45. > :07:48.hour. Heavy rain, thunder, and lightning about 20 minutes ago. The

:07:49. > :07:53.good news is the skies are blue. It has meant that the surface here is

:07:54. > :07:56.very, very greasy. A number of the players changed boots before coming

:07:57. > :08:02.out. Most of the squads are wearing gloves. In terms of team news, both

:08:03. > :08:06.sides are playing as selected which is very strange for Malachy

:08:07. > :08:13.O'Rourke, he normally likes to mix things up before a game. All the

:08:14. > :08:19.talk is about that Monaghan forward of Connor McManus and Jack McCarron,

:08:20. > :08:24.how will they combine? How about Fermanagh cope? Their big problem

:08:25. > :08:28.during the league was conceding goals and also not scoring enough.

:08:29. > :08:32.How will they cope with those two players? Maybe one advantage from a

:08:33. > :08:36.Fermanagh perspective, if you look up there, Darren Hughes not

:08:37. > :08:39.available for the majority of the Ulster Championship. He is out

:08:40. > :08:44.injured. Maybe around the middle sector of the pitch they'll have to

:08:45. > :08:48.play Hughes in a more fundamental midfield role and with the likes of

:08:49. > :08:51.Donnelly in there. That's one area Fermanagh feel they might have the

:08:52. > :08:57.edge. Thank you. So thunder and lightning

:08:58. > :09:02.heralding the awakening of the Ulster Championship. Let's look at

:09:03. > :09:05.Monaghan, Darren Hughes is out. This squad can absorb his loss

:09:06. > :09:10.potentially. There is a lot of experience there. Yeah, there is.

:09:11. > :09:14.When you look at them defensively they're very strong. Beggan is one

:09:15. > :09:19.of the best goalkeepers in the game. He can kick a couple of scores from

:09:20. > :09:24.long distances. It's a good fullback line. I would like to fast forward

:09:25. > :09:32.if I could to that full forward line. They can do a lot of damage.

:09:33. > :09:36.McCarron, we all see him as a young lad who has been unfortunate with

:09:37. > :09:41.injure, he is 25. He is not lacking in experience. I don't think he will

:09:42. > :09:43.be fearful of the occasion. I don't think we are talking about somebody

:09:44. > :09:49.who is new to the set-up or the game. There's been a couple of

:09:50. > :09:52.occasions he has almost come on the scene and is almost done it but

:09:53. > :09:56.always been set back with injure. I think this is his time. Unburdened

:09:57. > :10:01.by injury at the moment and has had a good league. I think the biggest

:10:02. > :10:07.thing for him is he has a run of games and never had that before. You

:10:08. > :10:11.can see his confidence growing. One question mark, can him and McManus

:10:12. > :10:15.compliment each other? Can they? So far they haven't proven they can do

:10:16. > :10:21.that. I believe they can. I just think they need big days like this

:10:22. > :10:25.and I think they need to prove that one man inside, one dropping off,

:10:26. > :10:32.get the ball into him. One of the tricks as an inside forward is you

:10:33. > :10:36.want to score. You want to get 1-6 and 1-7, if it's a day you are

:10:37. > :10:40.marked and your partner can get the scores on the board, are you willing

:10:41. > :10:44.to sacrifice your game? They've yet to prove that during the league. I

:10:45. > :10:48.think it's something that will come and it's a marriage made in heaven

:10:49. > :10:52.if you ask me. I would love to be playing inside alongside either of

:10:53. > :10:57.those players. Love your reference to... That trick of yours, you know,

:10:58. > :11:01.picking it off the ground! Fermanagh, conversely, look, we are

:11:02. > :11:08.on the cusp of Fermanagh, you could probably kick a ball into the County

:11:09. > :11:13.here. I expect about 8,000. This is an inexperienced squad. Their

:11:14. > :11:18.under-21s were hammered against Cavan. From their point of view it's

:11:19. > :11:23.disappointing. Eight players missing from the team that played against

:11:24. > :11:32.Mayo last year. Fermanagh can't afford to do that. O'Brien, he

:11:33. > :11:35.marked McManus. We look at O'Brien's gone, James McMahon has gone. From

:11:36. > :11:38.that point of view, it's disappointing the players they've

:11:39. > :11:44.lost. Ryan Jones, massive loss around that midfield area. It's a

:11:45. > :11:51.big ask for them. Upfront they've the two players in Quigley and

:11:52. > :11:55.Corrigan. We see him there, he is a leader. They become very important

:11:56. > :11:59.and leaders for Fermanagh, great talker in the dressing room.

:12:00. > :12:05.Brilliant in the dressing room. He will have them Fermanagh players up

:12:06. > :12:11.for this match. A local derby, a big performance from him. He is to lead

:12:12. > :12:14.and he has to lead from the start. A big game for Fermanagh. They've

:12:15. > :12:20.nothing to lose. They've got to go for it and go early. OK. Thank you.

:12:21. > :12:23.Now our team wants to meet your team. What's going on at your

:12:24. > :12:28.ground? Has your club an event planned? We want to shoot the

:12:29. > :12:32.breeze, contact us via Twitter and e-mail, let us know, we might pop

:12:33. > :12:45.around for a brew as we did with St James in Aldergrove on a recent

:12:46. > :12:52.cycle. St James Aldergrove has been here 50 years, with over 300 members

:12:53. > :12:56.playing Gaelic football. 14 teams between ladies football and men's

:12:57. > :13:03.football. Right through from under sixes up to senior level. Aldergrove

:13:04. > :13:07.is the main parish here. We have been in this site about 30 years. We

:13:08. > :13:11.are hoping to redevelop and keep going further and further. We are

:13:12. > :13:20.facing a challenging situation that we need a new clubhouse. That's part

:13:21. > :13:27.of the reason why today's going, it's to help raise funds. Today the

:13:28. > :13:36.club's doing a sponsored cycle of the Lough. We have at least 200

:13:37. > :13:41.cyclists on the road doing 77 miles or 10 K loop of Crumlin. Ulster

:13:42. > :13:47.football championship is brilliant. Great. Fair football. Hard draw as

:13:48. > :13:50.usual against Donegal. But sure when you are an Antrim supporter it's

:13:51. > :13:56.always a hard draw. I will be saying a lot of prayers. On any day anybody

:13:57. > :13:59.can be beaten. That's what lesser teams have to use that to their

:14:00. > :14:04.advantage. We are going to win. This is our year. Antrim this year will

:14:05. > :14:10.win. We are up against stiff competition. But we are not shy. We

:14:11. > :14:17.are not afraid. We are going to take it this year. Not sure what the

:14:18. > :14:22.smoke was there. Maybe that fan is going up in smoke! In a moment we

:14:23. > :14:29.will talk to Pete McGrath. Let's go to Thomas once more.

:14:30. > :14:38.If you think there are debates going on in the studio, this is where the

:14:39. > :14:47.banter and fun takes place. We are alongside a Monaghan man, what is

:14:48. > :14:55.your name? Frank McKenna. Not far from the town. Why will Monaghan

:14:56. > :15:01.when? They are stronger team, coming off like that very strong national

:15:02. > :15:05.league performance and Fermanagh will not be easily beaten but

:15:06. > :15:12.Monaghan is good enough. Who should we look out for? Around the middle

:15:13. > :15:18.of the field, Conor McManus. Thank you. That is a Monaghan viewpoint,

:15:19. > :15:24.all of the fans said they would not appear on camera, they were scared!

:15:25. > :15:31.Especially this month! We will make our way across to get the Fermanagh

:15:32. > :15:40.viewpoint. What is your name and what do you think will happen? Mary

:15:41. > :15:46.Cullen, I have two boys on the team. They will put in 100% in the

:15:47. > :15:53.training and we hope today that they give 100% over 70 minutes and who

:15:54. > :16:02.knows? We perhaps can have a good result. Are you proud to have twins

:16:03. > :16:09.playing here? I am very proud of the boys, they have always given 100% to

:16:10. > :16:14.everything. I am hoping they will put in a good performance and

:16:15. > :16:19.collectively, as a team, full team performance, they get a good result.

:16:20. > :16:26.Quiet optimism amongst the Fermanagh fans, but Monaghan think they could

:16:27. > :16:35.win the Ulster title. Man of the people! Both of you, Pete McGrath

:16:36. > :16:40.was in a media storm, he was endorsing a candidate in the local

:16:41. > :16:47.elections, as managers, will he be able to handle the destruction and

:16:48. > :16:52.focus on today? He has more problems to worry about than that, the amount

:16:53. > :16:56.of players missing, but he is experienced, that will not worry him

:16:57. > :17:00.and he will want to get the team ready in the dressing room and of

:17:01. > :17:09.all the tests he has had, this is one of the biggest. He has seen it

:17:10. > :17:15.all and done it all, the other night he said he never loses sleep before

:17:16. > :17:26.games, only afterwards. He does not get perturbed. Thank you. The

:17:27. > :17:33.commentary team, Paddy Bradley and Thomas Niblock. Have a good one!

:17:34. > :17:38.The fans getting ready for the start of the Ulster Championship, on a

:17:39. > :17:45.Saturday night for the first time ever. Pete McGrath, a lecturer in 94

:17:46. > :17:51.said Gaelic football is a reflection of life- good times, bad times, and

:17:52. > :17:54.when the tough gets going, you dig in. And we will pause for the

:17:55. > :19:16.opening of the Ulster Championship. APPLAUSE

:19:17. > :19:19.The Saint Michaels band of Enniskillen with the pre-game

:19:20. > :19:24.festivities. The club referee from Tipperary, shaking hands with the

:19:25. > :19:27.Fermanagh players, his first time as a referee in the Ulster

:19:28. > :19:31.Championship, we wish him the best of luck. The Monaghan players

:19:32. > :19:37.getting ready, overwhelming favourites, are you expecting them

:19:38. > :19:41.to win comfortably, Paddy Bradley? They are the favourites with the

:19:42. > :19:49.bookies and after that league campaign, they were lucky not to get

:19:50. > :19:53.to the league final and Fermanagah. Relegated to Division Three and

:19:54. > :19:58.missing players, you feel that Monaghan should have won this. Both

:19:59. > :20:02.of these teams' first games was anaemic handicap and this is the

:20:03. > :20:14.opening game of the Ulster Championship. -- the McKenna cup.

:20:15. > :20:19.Fermanagh, straight up the field. We will be to see what game we can

:20:20. > :20:25.expect. Eoin Donnelly. Playing that short. Paul McCusker in possession,

:20:26. > :20:36.decides to go back. Ryan McCluskey, the left-hand side, Aiden Breen,

:20:37. > :20:44.Ryan Lyons. Ryan McCluskey spreading the play, Monaghan have everybody

:20:45. > :20:50.back inside their own half. Conor Murphy, on his debut, giving that

:20:51. > :20:57.the Barry Mulroney. The ball, the full forward line. Monaghan come

:20:58. > :21:02.out, Drew Wylie, Colin Walshe and Monaghan building from the back. Can

:21:03. > :21:09.he keep that in play? The referee says yes, here is Eoin Donnelly,

:21:10. > :21:14.injecting some impetus into this. Looking for somebody off the

:21:15. > :21:20.shoulder, the column. Tries to take the bounce. And he has done enough

:21:21. > :21:25.to win the free kick. Decent build-up from Fermanagh, both teams

:21:26. > :21:34.playing very defensively, lots of bodies behind the ball, pretty soft

:21:35. > :21:40.free kick, interesting to see that again, you would expect Tomas

:21:41. > :21:44.Corrigan to knock this over the bar. He had a fantastic season last year,

:21:45. > :21:49.some of his free taking was mesmerising, missing large parts of

:21:50. > :21:56.the league because of a calf strain, unique setup taking the free kick,

:21:57. > :22:01.regimented. Playing club football in Dublin with Saint Oliver Plunkett.

:22:02. > :22:09.Almost like Jonny Wilkinson in another sport. The run-up, right

:22:10. > :22:16.foot. And we have the first score, three minutes gone, Fermanagh

:22:17. > :22:19.living. That will settle them down. He missed large parts of the league

:22:20. > :22:26.and that was one of the main reasons Fermanagh were relegated, they

:22:27. > :22:32.relied very much on Sean Quigley. The passing side was from Karl

:22:33. > :22:40.O'Connell. Ryan Brierley. Dessie Ward. Tackled by two Fermanagh

:22:41. > :22:47.players. McCarron getting his hands on the ball for the first time. Long

:22:48. > :22:56.ball inside, Kieran Hughes. He turns, on a sixpence. That is sheer

:22:57. > :23:03.class. He drifts into the full forward line, brilliant score.

:23:04. > :23:07.Playing at midfield today, no changes in terms of personnel before

:23:08. > :23:10.throwing but he was moved straight into the edge of the square and that

:23:11. > :23:15.has worked for Monaghan, the kick out for Fermanagh and after four

:23:16. > :23:23.minutes, into the middle of the field... Monaghan picking up the

:23:24. > :23:34.dirty ball. Carl O'Connell winning it. Conor McManus. Here is Walsh,

:23:35. > :23:45.football Star. He left foot. -- football Star. Fantastic. And off

:23:46. > :23:48.his left foot. Monaghan rotating the full forward line. An important

:23:49. > :23:54.touch from Thomas Treacy. Under serious pressure and Fermanagh come

:23:55. > :24:00.away with this. Monaghan pushed on the kick out and the forced Thomas

:24:01. > :24:11.Treacy to go long, he went short and that could be costly. Here comes

:24:12. > :24:15.Ryan McCluskey. Wylie using his body strength very well. And the first

:24:16. > :24:22.battle of the day at the edge of the square goes for Drew Wylie. Sean

:24:23. > :24:28.Quigley is very physical but Wylie is just as strong and well done to

:24:29. > :24:36.him. And his brother, Ryan Brierley, to the left-hand side. Vinny Corey,

:24:37. > :24:44.from Contra Brit. No sense of urgency. Incredibly patient

:24:45. > :24:52.build-up. Monaghan still in possession. Looking for space, they

:24:53. > :25:01.have found two of them, the referee says play on. That is a free out to

:25:02. > :25:10.Fermanagh. Ryan McCluskey. The longest serving Gaelic footballer

:25:11. > :25:14.playing the sport. Eoin Donnelly. Just bouncing over the head of

:25:15. > :25:22.someone. That is a free for Fermanagh. We will see Sean Quigley

:25:23. > :25:26.having a pop, 55 yards, difficult kick given the slippy conditions.

:25:27. > :25:33.What about the opening five minutes? It started the way we would expect,

:25:34. > :25:35.both teams very patient in their build-up, Fermanagh have the

:25:36. > :25:40.potential to make things difficult for Monaghan, they have been very

:25:41. > :25:45.strong in defence under Pete McGrath, this year they have been

:25:46. > :25:49.looking too many goals in the league and are missing key personnel,

:25:50. > :25:54.Monaghan will have to be patient, but just a case of winning this in

:25:55. > :25:59.the first half, they will have to go quite -- right to the second half.

:26:00. > :26:10.Sean Quigley taking his time. Taking the run-up. With his right boot.

:26:11. > :26:15.Over the bar. Fantastic strike, that is something Sean Quigley can do and

:26:16. > :26:22.that will settle him, Fermanagh will need the free kick checking of him.

:26:23. > :26:27.Seven minutes gone. Monaghan coming out of defence, in the hands of Ryan

:26:28. > :26:35.Brierley. Referee says infringement from Corrigan and that is a free

:26:36. > :26:39.kick for Monaghan. Dessie Ward. Switching the focus of the played

:26:40. > :26:47.down the left-hand side. Kieran Hughes. Dessie Ward, the referee is

:26:48. > :26:53.blowing for an off the ball incident, he is straight in. It does

:26:54. > :27:01.look like Kieran Hughes, he could be in trouble. Talking to him. The

:27:02. > :27:07.referee says, come over, the first black card of the Championship and

:27:08. > :27:11.what a blow for Monaghan! They are already missing Darren Hughes. You

:27:12. > :27:20.can see that other side of the camera. Trip? Yes. It did look like

:27:21. > :27:25.a late tackle on Hughes but he reacted and tried to trip the

:27:26. > :27:34.Fermanagh player and you cannot argue? He will say it was Ryan Lyons

:27:35. > :27:40.but you cannot argue that, in the rule book that a black card. We have

:27:41. > :27:46.the first wide two-day from Fermanagh and Aiden Breen. That is a

:27:47. > :27:54.big blow Monaghan. And with Darren missing midfield, but they have

:27:55. > :27:59.others who can do the job. If Monaghan make it into the

:28:00. > :28:08.quarterfinal they will have to do this with none of the Hughes

:28:09. > :28:14.brothers. Kieran Hughes black card. That turn from Conor McManus, Karl

:28:15. > :28:21.O'Connell, penetrating the defence. He finds the green Jersey, McCluskey

:28:22. > :28:29.getting his hands to that. Mulrone switching play. Fermanagh have

:28:30. > :28:34.started well. That is something that Ryan McCluskey does very well, with

:28:35. > :28:42.his experience, Fermanagh on the attack. The black card means that

:28:43. > :28:46.the player can come on to replace them and the person who has replaced

:28:47. > :28:53.Kieran Hughes is Brian McGuinness be. He has seen a lot of play in the

:28:54. > :28:58.last number of years. He will play around the half forward line. Ryan

:28:59. > :29:06.McCluskey passing Mr Conor Murphy. One of three debutants for

:29:07. > :29:14.Fermanagh. Cian McManus and Kieran Connor being the other two. Kieran

:29:15. > :29:25.Breen, the 24-year-old. The body of front. -- nobody up front. Some

:29:26. > :29:34.encouragement from the crowd. Mulrone has found help, Donnelly has

:29:35. > :29:40.good feet. Passes into the running Breen and that is a very well worked

:29:41. > :29:45.free kick. Fermanagh have started well, keeping the ball, not forcing

:29:46. > :29:52.things. They could put the ball on to Sean Quigley. But they are

:29:53. > :29:58.keeping the pace and the build-up. And with Tomas Corrigan and Sean

:29:59. > :30:04.Quigley on form, why not? Free kick for Fermanagh. And an opportunity to

:30:05. > :30:05.take the lead for the first time today. He closes his eyes and

:30:06. > :30:11.composes himself. It's easier than the one he hit

:30:12. > :30:23.earlier that floated over the bar. 11 minutes gone. The opportunity to

:30:24. > :30:27.take the lead for the first time. Right-footed. Never really in

:30:28. > :30:32.question, was it? No, bread and butter stuff, he will be delighted,

:30:33. > :30:36.two from two. That's a nice start from him.

:30:37. > :30:41.Monaghan, two points, Fermanagh three. The ball goes long straight

:30:42. > :30:44.into the hands of Dessie Ward. The referee blew the whistle because the

:30:45. > :30:55.mark has been introduced. We will see what impact that has later.

:30:56. > :31:00.Fermanagh come out of defence yet again. McCluskey has seen a lot of

:31:01. > :31:08.possession in the opening 11 minutes.

:31:09. > :31:11.Here comes Pete McGrath's side. McCluskey again, seems to be

:31:12. > :31:20.operating as a sweeper during the first half.

:31:21. > :31:30.Looking for an opening, doesn't arrive so goes back. Donnelly has

:31:31. > :31:37.found space. Will he be tempted to go for the score? He is not, he

:31:38. > :31:51.passes it to Corrigan. Up against two Monaghan players. So does Ryan

:31:52. > :31:57.Lyons. Will Monaghan foul? They don't, they stand off. One tackling

:31:58. > :32:04.at a time and they strip Cullen out of possession. Good defence from the

:32:05. > :32:08.Monaghan team. Here is McAnespie who replaced

:32:09. > :32:11.Hughes for that black card. Dessie Ward making a Championship

:32:12. > :32:19.debut today. The only one in the Monaghan team. Score from distance.

:32:20. > :32:23.The umpires look at one another. Two points from Walsh. A man you rarely

:32:24. > :32:29.would have seen scoring up until about two years ago. He started as a

:32:30. > :32:33.kwarterback. You see his qualities there, one with the left and one

:32:34. > :32:39.with the right. There is that black card again. Kieran Hughes, just

:32:40. > :32:42.slides out of vision. But he tripped him after that and that was the

:32:43. > :32:44.reason. If you go over the letter of the

:32:45. > :32:53.law, I suppose he had to Fermanagh on the attack. The crowd

:32:54. > :33:06.strangely very quiet. Three points each.

:33:07. > :33:13.Here comes Lee Cullen. Mulrone looking for help. Has found

:33:14. > :33:22.corrigan. Possession is snatched back again.

:33:23. > :33:25.Conor Murphy did well. He is on the ground and eventually McAdam, not

:33:26. > :33:31.for the first time this season, in winning the dirty ball.

:33:32. > :33:44.Is it kept in play? Just about. McCarthy did well to keep that in

:33:45. > :33:49.play. McAnespie finds McCarthy. Here is

:33:50. > :33:56.McManus. Goes for the score. Uncharacteristically it goes to the

:33:57. > :34:00.left and goes wide. When you saw that passage of play, all of a

:34:01. > :34:03.sudden you realise there is lots of real point-getters and goal scores

:34:04. > :34:11.in the Monaghan team. A poor kick out! Chance of a goal! It's scored

:34:12. > :34:15.by Connor McManus and just as we mentioned a litany of attacking

:34:16. > :34:20.threat, and there he is, Connor McManus, the goal scorer. From a

:34:21. > :34:24.Fermanagh perspective, an absolute disaster. That came about from a bad

:34:25. > :34:29.kick out, they had a lucky escape earlier, not this time. A real blow

:34:30. > :34:33.for Fermanagh. They started this game really well.

:34:34. > :34:39.They've started well but find themselves three points behind with

:34:40. > :34:42.a quarter of an hour gone. On these moments Championship games can be

:34:43. > :34:49.won and lost. Tried to make an immediate response. Referee says no

:34:50. > :34:56.foul. Ryan Lyons saying he was fouled.

:34:57. > :35:20.McManus goes for a score. Off the outside of the boot, goes to

:35:21. > :35:24.the right and goes wide. Similar to the last shot from nearly exactly

:35:25. > :35:29.the same position. The goal here, a fantastic finish. Kept kept it low

:35:30. > :35:35.and hard and that's a hammer blow for Fermanagh who started really

:35:36. > :35:39.well. They need to respond. It's obviously a policy to work on the

:35:40. > :35:42.short kickouts and I suppose every team does that, on a night like

:35:43. > :35:44.tonight with conditions slippy you cannot afford to give away mistakes

:35:45. > :35:56.like that. Donnelly. Just glides with the ball

:35:57. > :36:04.in the middle of that field. Tried to play it inside but Wylie out in

:36:05. > :36:09.front, what a battler he is. Referee gives a free out eventually.

:36:10. > :36:17.Monaghan on the attack. Again building from the back. Here

:36:18. > :36:21.is Ryan Wylie. One of three fullback players who

:36:22. > :36:25.played every single game of the League this year. Very well

:36:26. > :36:29.experienced fullback line. Very used to playing with one another. Very

:36:30. > :36:33.settled fullback line and probably one of the best in the Ulster

:36:34. > :36:38.Championship. Definitely have the measure of this Fermanagh forward

:36:39. > :36:44.line in the last four or five attacks. Keiry gets the score. Well,

:36:45. > :36:49.that was the name we didn't mention in the attackers who were involved

:36:50. > :36:54.in the leadup to that goal. Maybe we should mention him. Did well, showed

:36:55. > :37:01.the dummy and knocked it over the bar. He was effective as a

:37:02. > :37:05.centre-half forward. If a picture paints 1,000 words, perhaps that's

:37:06. > :37:08.it. Five minutes into the Ulster Championship and sitting with a

:37:09. > :37:14.black card, it's not what Hughes had planned for the day. He will be back

:37:15. > :37:19.for the quarter-finals, should they get there. Ryan McCluskey wins the

:37:20. > :37:27.breaking ball. The referee says... Gets a free and it's taken quickly.

:37:28. > :37:33.McManus makes his championship debut today.

:37:34. > :37:43.And rather by luck than design, that ball finds its way into the hands of

:37:44. > :37:46.Corrigan. Just whacks it inside. Quigley does well to keep it in

:37:47. > :37:50.play, but he doesn't, that was very tight. There is a real difficulty

:37:51. > :37:54.for Fermanagh, they're trying to get the ball into the full forward line

:37:55. > :37:58.but ever time they do it, the man, particularly Quigley, is crowded and

:37:59. > :38:03.they can't get possession. Quigley is a very physical player and can

:38:04. > :38:07.hold off most men but not Drew Wylie and he started well today. And

:38:08. > :38:10.Thomas corrigan is being pushed further from goal, that's not what

:38:11. > :38:18.you want, you want him closer to the post.

:38:19. > :38:25.Walsh, already scored two points today.

:38:26. > :38:30.Cory missed some of the league because of injury, so people weren't

:38:31. > :38:33.sure if he was going to make it in time for The Championship, but he

:38:34. > :38:40.does. Rock solid at the heart of that defence. But it's the attack

:38:41. > :38:44.that sparkles. Shane Carey has been one of those players.

:38:45. > :38:49.Dessie Ward, almost lost it. Did enough.

:38:50. > :38:58.Walsh. Tried and failed to find Vinnie Corey. Fermanagh have set up

:38:59. > :39:02.well, they're making things difficult for Monaghan. Pushing them

:39:03. > :39:05.side to side. Another Fermanagh attack here.

:39:06. > :39:14.Fermanagh still on Will he go for a score? Might hang

:39:15. > :39:18.in the air. Quigley may have shrugged off Wylie

:39:19. > :39:25.but unable to do the same with Beggan. A serious mistake! Chance of

:39:26. > :39:28.corrigan coming in. Chopped down. The referee might have another black

:39:29. > :39:36.card. Interesting to see the decision here. The Monaghan players

:39:37. > :39:41.are surrounding... Independenting it's McAnespie. He is pleading his

:39:42. > :39:44.innocence. It's going to be a free from the 13, but perhaps more

:39:45. > :39:48.importantly is it going to be another plaque card? He seems to be

:39:49. > :39:53.making contact with some of his officials. He has pointed where the

:39:54. > :39:56.free should be taken. He is going in alongside Ryan Wylie. It doesn't

:39:57. > :40:03.look as if he is going to give a black card. He is probably factoring

:40:04. > :40:06.in the fact that Thomas Corrigan is a small player, was bending down

:40:07. > :40:12.into the tackle, maybe it looked worse from up here. A chance of a

:40:13. > :40:15.score at least for Fermanagh. Thomas Corrigan has had two frees

:40:16. > :40:19.before this, both of them from further out field. On that basis you

:40:20. > :40:25.would expect him to score this. Just about does. Yeah, just about. But

:40:26. > :40:26.they all count. Was this a black card?

:40:27. > :40:32.Probably not. When you see it up close again, probably not. A

:40:33. > :40:38.definite free kick but probably nothing more. He lunges in. You have

:40:39. > :40:42.to say the referee got that right. Yeah, a high arm but nothing more.

:40:43. > :40:46.Correct decision by the referee. Three points between the sides. 15

:40:47. > :40:55.minutes to go until the break. Monaghan on the attack yet again.

:40:56. > :41:03.McCarron tries to thread it through, gives away possession.

:41:04. > :41:10.Donnelly looking for help. Finds McCluskey.

:41:11. > :41:15.Back to Donnelly again. Such a strong player. Fantastic ball

:41:16. > :41:16.carrier. Drops it. It's won again. Fermanagh still have

:41:17. > :41:24.possession. McManus switches play. Quigley,

:41:25. > :41:28.perhaps frustrated he is not getting his hands on the ball.

:41:29. > :41:44.McManus again. Late run by McCusker. Inside! A

:41:45. > :41:47.chance of a goal! Fermanagh hit the net!

:41:48. > :41:54.It's more than what they deserve. There is a man who is really

:41:55. > :41:58.enjoying that! Perhaps the manager is more

:41:59. > :42:03.composed. But that's a big kick and a big score for Fermanagh. Fantastic

:42:04. > :42:07.goal and fantastic running. Fermanagh had pulled all their

:42:08. > :42:14.forwards out. There was space in behind. Ryan Lyons had the

:42:15. > :42:18.awareness. Great finish, down below the keeper, similar to the other end

:42:19. > :42:21.of the field. It was a brilliant run, carried the ball 30 yards. He

:42:22. > :42:26.waited until the Monaghan player approached him and popped it off to

:42:27. > :42:32.the man inside. And it was easy as you like. Beggan had little chance

:42:33. > :42:37.of saving that one. 23 minutes gone and perhaps those that feared the

:42:38. > :42:39.worst whenever that mistake led to a Monaghan goal, will perhaps think it

:42:40. > :42:48.might be a different story. That's a very poor kick.

:42:49. > :42:56.Yeah, going back to that goal, that came back from the ball given away.

:42:57. > :43:02.Somebody that scored 3-29 in the league, he has been forced out of

:43:03. > :43:04.the field today. Donnelly, who again was important in that play leading

:43:05. > :43:13.to the goal. Quigley gets the ball in his hands

:43:14. > :43:18.yet again. Gives it to the onruning player off his shoulder. That man is

:43:19. > :43:25.Conor Murphy. To Lyons. Back to Quigley.

:43:26. > :43:28.Back to McCluskey. Again this laboured, patient move. McCluskey

:43:29. > :43:33.finds space. Perhaps surprised no one is around him. Tries to give it

:43:34. > :43:39.to Thomas Corrigan. Says he was fouled, not given. Quigley wins it.

:43:40. > :43:48.Monaghan did well and forced them out the field. Donnelly goes for the

:43:49. > :43:53.shot. Right-footed. Didn't work out. Very much wide. Remains a draw with

:43:54. > :43:57.24 minutes gone. Pete McGrath folding his arms, he has been there

:43:58. > :44:01.and seen it and done it so many times before. With Down and with

:44:02. > :44:07.Fermanagh. He will be reasonably happy. Definitely. The game plan has

:44:08. > :44:11.worked. Monaghan are under pressure. Fermanagh are well on top, he will

:44:12. > :44:14.be delighted with how they've played the first half Kickout from Beggan.

:44:15. > :44:20.The referee blows the whistle because of the mark.

:44:21. > :44:32.O'Connell takes possession. You have to say Monday possession -- Monaghan

:44:33. > :44:36.can find players. Ten, 1112 men behind the ball in their own 45.

:44:37. > :44:40.When do you that one thing you can not do is give away silly frees like

:44:41. > :44:51.that. He will take this one himself.

:44:52. > :44:58.Kicking with his left foot. Difficult for his first attempt. He

:44:59. > :45:04.has had a brilliant year, scoring 1-9 against Dublin in that Man of

:45:05. > :45:08.the Match display, he has been -- everybody has been talking about him

:45:09. > :45:20.but he has not had that happening for him. He has had to come out of

:45:21. > :45:26.the field and is looking for ball. McManus, very tough, he ripped his

:45:27. > :45:30.kidney playing in the MacRory Cup and played on until the end of the

:45:31. > :45:39.match. That is a free kick for Fermanagh. And here is McManus, his

:45:40. > :45:48.kidney prepared and ready to go. Championship debut. McCluskey gets

:45:49. > :45:55.the ball to Cullen and he scores. And Fermanagh in the lead again. Leo

:45:56. > :46:01.Cullen is usually at offender, I worked with him in Boston last year,

:46:02. > :46:06.but that came about with Ryan McCluskey, orchestrating from

:46:07. > :46:11.defence. One point between the sides and nine minutes to go until the

:46:12. > :46:17.break. Long, into the hands of Wiley. That was a poor pass. Easily

:46:18. > :46:24.gathered up by Donnelly, the midfielder defending. Here is the

:46:25. > :46:38.full back. Che Cullen does well to find Aiden Breen. Conor Murphy.

:46:39. > :46:42.Finding Barry Mulroy. Sean Quigley. Every time he gets his hands on the

:46:43. > :46:47.ball he has further out the field. Eoin Donnelly, starting with that

:46:48. > :46:52.interception and in the middle of the field, familiar territory,

:46:53. > :46:57.chopped down with that high tackle. He will plead but he will not change

:46:58. > :47:02.the mind of the referee. Strong running from Donnelly, one of the

:47:03. > :47:07.top midfielders in the game and that gives Sean Quigley another chance to

:47:08. > :47:13.kick this over the bar. Nobody has seen this coming. The correct

:47:14. > :47:20.decision, that was a high challenge, Eoin Donnelly taking the bounce as

:47:21. > :47:23.another player averages, the clothesline and there can be little

:47:24. > :47:29.question that this is a free kick, although it does look worse in slow

:47:30. > :47:35.motion. It is a very dangerous tackle. He is very lucky not to pick

:47:36. > :47:42.up a yellow card. Free kick for Fermanagh. Just inside the 45, Sean

:47:43. > :47:47.Quigley taking it. His first point of the day from similar territory,

:47:48. > :47:55.it looks like he just does this with minimal effort but it floats over

:47:56. > :47:58.the bar with plenty to spare. Lovely, lazy style. Sean Quigley the

:47:59. > :48:09.top scorer for Fermanagh this year, 28 points. Already on 29 after

:48:10. > :48:18.today. Only two from play. This one is a little short. Monaghan coming

:48:19. > :48:23.away with it. Wiley. He does very well, closed down by two Fermanagh

:48:24. > :48:29.players, evading both of them, starts another attack.

:48:30. > :48:39.Shame Kerry has looked promising. Jack McCarron does well. Taking that

:48:40. > :48:45.with his boot, goes for the scorer with a left foot, and drops short,

:48:46. > :48:53.Thomas Treacy takes that with ease. Conor Murphy.

:48:54. > :49:01.Six minutes until half-time, who is the better team? Fermanagh is the

:49:02. > :49:07.better side, you are the underdogs and one point ahead, Monaghan have

:49:08. > :49:13.been quite subdued, very quiet this evening and last year Monaghan

:49:14. > :49:19.exited the Championship to Longford, that was a big blow. Monaghan have

:49:20. > :49:23.it all to do. That defeat really Hurt Monaghan, Malachy O'Rourke took

:49:24. > :49:30.several weeks to consider his position before committing to be

:49:31. > :49:33.manager, that was a bad defeat. After that you wonder if he thought

:49:34. > :49:40.he could take the team as far as he could. Three Ulster Championships.

:49:41. > :49:46.There is no doubt that he is the man for Monaghan, he is a great manager

:49:47. > :49:56.and we will see a response in the second half, just not yet. The ball

:49:57. > :50:05.is in the hands of Ryan Lyons. He goes back. Eoin Donnelly. Finding

:50:06. > :50:12.Tomas Corrigan. In the middle of the field. Donnelly taking the return

:50:13. > :50:15.pass, looking for help, he has founded, tries to make his way

:50:16. > :50:23.through, Conor Murphy is there, and the shot was wide, gathered by

:50:24. > :50:28.Beggan. Strong man. Starting another attack, the conditions causing

:50:29. > :50:44.difficulty for Ward, he maintains possession. Brian McAnespie.

:50:45. > :50:54.O'Connell, his shot earlier went wide, his second was perfect. Level.

:50:55. > :51:02.Whenever the main forward steps up, they need others to take

:51:03. > :51:08.responsibility. Thomas Treacy, hands up, that is a sign for something. We

:51:09. > :51:17.assume he will head that long. Into the path of Eoin Donnelly, he finds

:51:18. > :51:22.himself with lots of space. Passing that again, Donnelly snatching

:51:23. > :51:25.added, brilliant goal gaping. That ball was pretty much on the crossbar

:51:26. > :51:36.and Beggan cottage, keeps that in play. I've can be the difference.

:51:37. > :51:44.That goalkeeper is six Football on five. McAnespie, looking for help.

:51:45. > :51:51.Kelly. Dessie Ward finding Conor McCarthy. He played for UCD in the

:51:52. > :51:59.Sigurdsson Cup Final this year and they lost to St Mary's from Belfast.

:52:00. > :52:08.Monaghan maintaining possession. Conor McCarthy again. Tempted to go

:52:09. > :52:13.for the shot and he tries the dummy pass. He finds himself in space and

:52:14. > :52:17.goes over the bar, the best point we have seen today. Inspirational

:52:18. > :52:24.scoring, we know he has this in his mother. Fantastic player, whenever

:52:25. > :52:29.the likes of Conor McManus are not firing on all cylinders, we need

:52:30. > :52:35.other players to step up and he certainly did. Superb point, his

:52:36. > :52:41.first today, one of them have their noses in front with three minutes to

:52:42. > :52:46.go. Thomas Treacy, down the middle of the field, Donnelly getting his

:52:47. > :52:49.hands on it but McAnespie with the breaking ball, there is urgency with

:52:50. > :52:55.the Monaghan support, the passing is very tight and two Monaghan players

:52:56. > :53:04.banging into one another but both back on their feet. The football

:53:05. > :53:11.belongs in green hands, Mulrone finding McCusker. Into enemy

:53:12. > :53:16.territory, Corrigan, Fermanagh could do with scoring, the left foot. The

:53:17. > :53:24.umpires look at one another, fantastic. We talked about Conor

:53:25. > :53:27.McCarthy, that beats it, great shimmy inside, brilliant score. He

:53:28. > :53:33.was going with his right but whenever that was blocked, he

:53:34. > :53:37.quickly switched onto his left and there is an tackle off the camera in

:53:38. > :53:42.a moment, the referee might have to intervene, drop -- ball drops short,

:53:43. > :53:48.it does look like some of the players were blocking. The referee

:53:49. > :53:56.has blown the whistle. Fermanagh bench is quite animated. Here it is.

:53:57. > :54:02.Conor McManus and Ryan McCluskey and as Conor McManus is getting up, his

:54:03. > :54:07.feet seem to make contact with McCluskey, he is down, that is the

:54:08. > :54:12.fourth official speaking to the referee, Derek O'Mahoney. His third

:54:13. > :54:18.year on the Championship panel, he has had a very strong start, already

:54:19. > :54:24.issuing a black card, he is not afraid to go for the big decisions.

:54:25. > :54:28.This will be a big call. His feet definitely did make contact with

:54:29. > :54:36.Ryan McCluskey but he is not a dirty player and whether or not that was

:54:37. > :54:40.intentional remains to be seen. His last limb did seem to make contact.

:54:41. > :54:46.It would be difficult to say on the basis of that evidence that but was

:54:47. > :54:50.intentional. I don't think it was, Conor McManus would not be known as

:54:51. > :55:04.a dirty player. It was just a tangle of legs. Conor McManus, the man who

:55:05. > :55:12.scored the goal, relatively quiet, both of them wide and off target.

:55:13. > :55:17.Whenever that mistake occurs, he can take advantage, no better man with

:55:18. > :55:25.the ball in his hands. In years gone by, he has led that attack and has

:55:26. > :55:32.scored nearly 50%. He has been very well marked in the first-half and if

:55:33. > :55:36.Monaghan are to win, they will need both men to start firing on also

:55:37. > :55:42.wonders. Derek O'Mahoney stopping the play. Consulting with his

:55:43. > :55:46.officials but decides no intervention is necessary, good

:55:47. > :55:57.refereeing. I think the referee has done well. Fermanagh on the attack

:55:58. > :56:04.for too long, over carrying, the referee has brought this up another

:56:05. > :56:09.ten yards. Giving McCarron or Conor McManus another chance before

:56:10. > :56:16.half-time. One minute into injury time and a free kick Fermanagh him

:56:17. > :56:20.inside the 45. And if this goes over, that gives Monaghan and one

:56:21. > :56:24.point lead at half-time and if you were Pete McGrath watching, you

:56:25. > :56:29.would be furious, that was not in the scoring zone when free was

:56:30. > :56:36.committed and because he did not let go, the left but... Over the bar,

:56:37. > :56:41.Monaghan leading by one. His first point of the day and who would have

:56:42. > :56:51.thought we would have to wait for 37 months? Barring that goal they got,

:56:52. > :56:56.and mistakes from the Fermanagh kipper, Fermanagh should be well on

:56:57. > :57:00.top. Into the middle of the field, evading just about everyone.

:57:01. > :57:16.McAnespie has been very good since coming on. Neil McAdam 's' path was

:57:17. > :57:22.blocked up. McCarron. Superb block. Timed to perfection, Donnelly got

:57:23. > :57:28.it. Paul McCusker regains possession yet again for Fermanagh, he slips

:57:29. > :57:34.and is not the first person to do that. There was a small thunderstorm

:57:35. > :57:44.just before throw-in, the referee says an infringement, free again for

:57:45. > :57:50.Monaghan. 38 minutes gone. And you mentioned Brian McAnespie, he has

:57:51. > :57:55.had a great game, very fit, his stats are through the roof in terms

:57:56. > :58:04.of his ability to cover the ground. Free for Monaghan, taken by Conor

:58:05. > :58:12.McManus. Looking at the target. He takes a deep breath. And that looks

:58:13. > :58:18.good from here. And it is. And all of a sudden, you are talking about

:58:19. > :58:22.Fermanagh leading at half-time and the very worst, drawing. Instead,

:58:23. > :58:29.Monaghan leading by two as the referee blows his whistle. Malachy

:58:30. > :58:35.O'Rourke, he does not look happy. Neither does Pete McGrath, that goal

:58:36. > :58:40.they gave away and the fact they missed some chances, I thought that

:58:41. > :58:49.Fermanagh were the better side. Monaghan living. Owen Lennon is

:58:50. > :58:56.alongside me. He Monaghan selector. The head by two, what is your

:58:57. > :59:01.assessment? It is one of those given its, it is slippy, Fermanagh is up

:59:02. > :59:06.for it, defensive game, it is hard to break down, not hubby with

:59:07. > :59:12.aspects but we will try to rectify some of these things. What

:59:13. > :59:17.particularly? The first touch basics, disappointed with the goal

:59:18. > :59:22.that we linked, we want to get on with matchups, man-to-man hopefully

:59:23. > :59:26.improve for the second half. What about the black card? I did not

:59:27. > :59:28.really see it. I was disappointed to lose a main player. We meant Johnson

:59:29. > :59:41.is here. Your assessment? Disappointed there the last two

:59:42. > :59:46.scores we gave to Monaghan. We conceded. They got easy turnovers.

:59:47. > :59:49.We have taken a couple of pot shots from silly positions and that's cost

:59:50. > :59:52.us because Monaghan are good at going forward. A frustrating goal to

:59:53. > :59:58.give away, but how impressed were you with the way the team bounced

:59:59. > :00:03.back? We gfted them the goal. A mishap by the keeper. But we showed

:00:04. > :00:06.great resilience and good comeback and got back on level terms. It's

:00:07. > :00:10.been nip and tuck. So, hopefully we have to push on now in the second

:00:11. > :00:14.half and get the result. Will that edge benefit you? Yes, you know, we

:00:15. > :00:17.worked hard now in preparation for this game. The boys are really up

:00:18. > :00:21.for it. We are going to do everything in our power to get a

:00:22. > :00:24.result here. How much have you benefitted from bringing Sean

:00:25. > :00:27.Quigley out to field, you ran in after one of the scores and ushered

:00:28. > :00:30.him to the centre half forward position, do you feel you are

:00:31. > :00:33.reaping rewards of that? A couple of balls went into Sean early on and

:00:34. > :00:38.defenders were getting the upper hand. By him coming out, it's

:00:39. > :00:42.released space in behind him. We executed that with good pace for the

:00:43. > :00:45.goal. If the space is in there hopefully we can exploit it more.

:00:46. > :00:50.Thank you very much, I will let you get to the dressing room. That's the

:00:51. > :00:55.view from both camps after a hugely competitive first half. Thank you,

:00:56. > :00:59.right up to the speed. Before we hear, there's much to mull over and

:01:00. > :01:00.something to exercise you over the half-time break, can you identify

:01:01. > :01:48.our mystery player? Well apparently I called Oisin

:01:49. > :01:52.Jarlath there! My apologies to Jarlath! Much to mull over. Let's

:01:53. > :02:02.get straight into it. Monaghan of course start and they start very

:02:03. > :02:04.well on the shape of Colin Walshe. Considering underfoot conditions,

:02:05. > :02:09.and we talk about leaders and on about it before the match and he is

:02:10. > :02:12.captain of Monaghan. The way he gets forward with blanket defence play

:02:13. > :02:17.in, that's what you need. Particularly with Hughes now off the

:02:18. > :02:21.field and Fermanagh are winning the midfield battle. One off his left

:02:22. > :02:25.foot and one off the right. We are seeing a lot of this here. Players

:02:26. > :02:29.are good footballers now being moved out and going forward like that.

:02:30. > :02:32.Maybe when they get older they're back into the back line. A lot of

:02:33. > :02:37.players don't like the full back line because you are not allowed to

:02:38. > :02:41.express yourself. Heard a good story, I think one of the Donegal

:02:42. > :02:45.lads, I think when you get a chance in the game get forward and kick

:02:46. > :02:50.that point, it gives you a chance of getting an All Star, looks better

:02:51. > :02:57.when you kick from corner back. Walshe started really well. It's not

:02:58. > :03:08.all about All Stars. The black card and Owen said he saw little. We will

:03:09. > :03:16.look at that. Hughes is a big loss. He looked sharp early on. It wasn't

:03:17. > :03:20.a pre-prepared move or anything. He is synonymous with that sort of

:03:21. > :03:24.thing, getting the ball early. He is also, unfortunately, for him, his

:03:25. > :03:28.reputation goes before him. When it comes to silly things. It's usually

:03:29. > :03:33.his discipline we are talking about. That's not necessarily discipline,

:03:34. > :03:38.that's just silly. That's just... He will be absolutely kicking himself.

:03:39. > :03:45.He will be enraged at how he was sucked into that. He is a massive

:03:46. > :03:50.miss. A lesson he has to learn, you can't retaliate. Teams are going to

:03:51. > :03:57.fire him up and do that to him. He is a fabulous footballer but he has

:03:58. > :04:00.to get the discipline because he is too important to Monaghan. He is

:04:01. > :04:03.letting teammates down and everything else. The fact Darren

:04:04. > :04:09.wasn't there and then Keir isn't out there. Midfield is gone. Yeah. It's

:04:10. > :04:14.hard to get... This might be a good lesson for him. Squabble on there! A

:04:15. > :04:19.couple of other black card questions, let's look and see if you

:04:20. > :04:26.are in agreement with the referee. Nothing in it he said. The Corrigan

:04:27. > :04:30.incident. The black card, you have to have downward pressure or a kick.

:04:31. > :04:34.He stops his hand. I thought it was definitely a yellow. Not a black

:04:35. > :04:41.card but you see it here. I thought it was good play from Corrigan. As

:04:42. > :04:47.soon as he seen the hand he got into it and went down. This one, was

:04:48. > :04:51.there potential for black issued? McCluskey and McManus. I think

:04:52. > :04:55.that's a black card, you are not allowed to stop a player. He stopped

:04:56. > :05:01.McManus doing the job going forward. I felt looking at that I think that

:05:02. > :05:04.was a black card. I don't think that was a black card, that's two players

:05:05. > :05:09.tussling off the ball. Both players got up more or less and got on with

:05:10. > :05:12.it. The thing about the black card is that it shouldn't be there.

:05:13. > :05:18.That's the first thing. OK, but we are stuck with it. We are stuck with

:05:19. > :05:25.it. It is there. We have to try and make the most of it. There was one

:05:26. > :05:29.incident, don't know if we are going to see it, with Owen Donnelly. We

:05:30. > :05:35.will look at that later on. Caught him around the neck in a dangerous

:05:36. > :05:39.tackle, there was no yellow card, no black card. Then for the incident,

:05:40. > :05:45.like Hughes, it's silly, but still to be out for the rest of the game

:05:46. > :05:51.with a yellow not being enough? I am sure you will agree that it was

:05:52. > :05:55.rather calamitous for Fermanagh to concede and you feel for the keeper.

:05:56. > :06:02.You do and it's a debut and all that. I mean, I don't understand the

:06:03. > :06:06.reluctance to kick it long. In the middle of the field Owen Donnelly

:06:07. > :06:10.and Cullen have the better of the midfield. They're a lot bigger.

:06:11. > :06:14.That's an obvious thing to say. But they have the better of them. In

:06:15. > :06:19.fact, they've a bit of success when they kicked the ball long. I don't

:06:20. > :06:23.understand the obsession, especially when the likes of McManus and

:06:24. > :06:28.McCarron are pushing up and trying to force him to kick long and he

:06:29. > :06:36.still kicked it short. You know what's interesting how many teams

:06:37. > :06:42.cost the short kickout, teams, used to be an unwritten rule with

:06:43. > :06:46.referees, if in doubt, give it out. I think the same thing with

:06:47. > :06:50.goalkeepers. If you are not 100% sure, get it long. You are going to

:06:51. > :06:54.be punished with a goal, at least if it goes long it takes a few kicks to

:06:55. > :06:56.get the ball back in. You feel for the goalkeepers, it's down to

:06:57. > :07:01.coaching and everything else, but you have to be sure. We will look at

:07:02. > :07:04.Thomas Treacy redeeming himself in a moment. But Fermanagh did respond

:07:05. > :07:10.and responded well with their own goal. Yeah, brilliant. I suppose the

:07:11. > :07:14.one question mark you have about Monaghan and people say it about

:07:15. > :07:18.Kerry, as well, if you run at them you cause them problems. The

:07:19. > :07:22.decision made by McGrath, we talked before the match, the decision to

:07:23. > :07:25.take Quigley out the field and ran at them, becaused them problems. You

:07:26. > :07:31.are always going to get a player coming from deep without the ball.

:07:32. > :07:41.The most dangerous players comes out with the ball.

:07:42. > :07:49.Leer Ten seconds, we are going pitchside. That's the thing Malachy

:07:50. > :07:54.O'Rourke will be displeased with. The last player chasing McCukser is

:07:55. > :08:00.McCarron who should be at the other end of the field with McManus. He

:08:01. > :08:07.has spent no time there the first half. As well as Hughes being a

:08:08. > :08:15.miss, he is also a miss because he is intelligent enough to go there.

:08:16. > :08:18.Thomas, you have one of Fermanagh's finest, all yours. The next

:08:19. > :08:24.generation of Monaghan and Fermanagh players are taking part in a game

:08:25. > :08:27.behind us. You are now the manager within Monaghan but your heart is

:08:28. > :08:31.very much with Fermanagh, what do you make of the first half, did it

:08:32. > :08:36.exceed expectations within Fermanagh, a performance like that

:08:37. > :08:41.for the first 35? I suppose we hoped we had a baying game in us. Our

:08:42. > :08:45.league, we didn't get the results. The last game we didn't play badly.

:08:46. > :08:49.Both teams are replicating each other's style. It's cat and mouse in

:08:50. > :08:54.the middle. We are keeping possession well. Excellent goal by

:08:55. > :08:59.Ryan Lyons. Ryan finished extremely well. To me the game really is in

:09:00. > :09:03.the melting pot. McManus is struggling to get on the ball.

:09:04. > :09:08.McCluskey is playing excellently and cutting out the option to get the

:09:09. > :09:11.ball in the first time. I think Pete McGrath will be happy at this stage.

:09:12. > :09:16.When the Fermanagh players were arriving here at St Tiernach's Park.

:09:17. > :09:19.I glanced into the dressing room and there was a huge sign saying,

:09:20. > :09:24.belief. Will they believe they can kick on now and win this game? I

:09:25. > :09:29.think at this stage definitely. To me by rights we should be in front.

:09:30. > :09:39.You take that bad goal out with that short kickout, to me we were -- to

:09:40. > :09:43.me we were the better team. It suits us, the style. We don't have the

:09:44. > :09:46.ball inside. But again we are keeping possession well and if we

:09:47. > :09:50.can pick off scores and be patient I feel the game will go to the wire.

:09:51. > :09:53.It was a frustrating goal for Fermanagh to give away but you have

:09:54. > :09:57.walked on the pitch, it's a dpraesy surface. Is this the kind of day you

:09:58. > :10:01.forget What About Carlo the short kickouts and if you are Monaghan you

:10:02. > :10:07.don't sacrifice possession from kickouts and push up? Exactly. I can

:10:08. > :10:12.see why Tom is trying it. I feel it's one area we can win, with

:10:13. > :10:15.Hughes gone and Darren not playing. I feel it's one area we can

:10:16. > :10:19.dominate. We can get the kickouts long, win the ball in the area. If

:10:20. > :10:26.we go direct at them we will be a real threat this half, yeah. Thank

:10:27. > :10:30.you very much. One other thing, very interesting role played by the two

:10:31. > :10:34.assistants. At every available opportunity they're sprinting on to

:10:35. > :10:37.the field to give information across and in many situations they're

:10:38. > :10:41.giving information to the same sector of the pitch so it's an

:10:42. > :10:44.interesting mix and getting that information out quickly to the

:10:45. > :10:50.players from the sideline can prove to be pivotal in the championship.

:10:51. > :10:56.Thank you very much. You have ensured both of them will be fine at

:10:57. > :11:00.Croke Park! Interesting observation. The match referee, there is an

:11:01. > :11:05.assessor in the stand. Marks out of ten? There is a difference between

:11:06. > :11:09.what I give and what an assessor will give, to the letter of the law

:11:10. > :11:13.the assessor is probably saying he has had a brilliant game. A couple

:11:14. > :11:17.of decisions... Here is the McAdom high tackle. Now to be fair, you see

:11:18. > :11:22.it in real-time, that's what the referee is seeing. It looks more

:11:23. > :11:28.serious from that angle. It looks a hell of a lot more serious when you

:11:29. > :11:31.see it slowed down. When we were watching it we thought it was a

:11:32. > :11:36.pretty rough tackle. Definitely yellow card. Referee is about a

:11:37. > :11:39.metre away from that, two metres. He definitely should have called that.

:11:40. > :11:44.Definitely should be some punishment. If we are going to sent

:11:45. > :11:49.a lad off after ten minutes for a foot trip, then we need to punish

:11:50. > :11:53.these other incidents. The rules are there. Hughes gets a black card

:11:54. > :11:59.because the rule is if you trip it's a black card, the one thing we want

:12:00. > :12:05.consistency with referees, and in that situation it was definitely a

:12:06. > :12:09.yellow. Refereeing an Ulster championship game, you want to be

:12:10. > :12:12.refereeing Ulster teams and seeing everything, it's different. He is

:12:13. > :12:19.struggling, in my opinion, most referees come up for the first time

:12:20. > :12:25.and struggle... Referees... The Cavan and Monaghan game last year,

:12:26. > :12:29.the referee came up, I think it was - he landed up to referee it and he

:12:30. > :12:35.said the lines, he asked them to reline the field, he wanted it

:12:36. > :12:38.strong. That's the way they look at Ulster football, the difference

:12:39. > :12:43.going on here. I think from his own point of view he is struggling a

:12:44. > :12:47.bit. He didn't realise how intense this was going to be and everything

:12:48. > :12:51.else out on the field. Hopefully he will have a chat with the people

:12:52. > :12:58.with him in there. If this is too intense, I hope he doesn't get the

:12:59. > :13:02.final! You need - it's different. The referees will say that. That's

:13:03. > :13:06.probably fair, but at the end of the day... He hasn't had a howler out

:13:07. > :13:09.there by any standard. Nor made any individual massive calls. They're

:13:10. > :13:13.all tight calls. I appreciate the point you are making. You feel he

:13:14. > :13:18.needs to be more familiar with Ulster. We are looking at the

:13:19. > :13:22.marvels of the respective midfielders. Let's look at Cullen's.

:13:23. > :13:28.You are impressed this came straight from the kickout. It's a fabulous

:13:29. > :13:34.kickout. The keeper Treacy is very good. He shouldn't go short. We see

:13:35. > :13:38.it here. It's a good kickout. Look at the runners again. If I was Pete

:13:39. > :13:42.McGrath analysing that, run and run and keep running. When they run at

:13:43. > :13:46.them they cause them problems because Monaghan are too deep.

:13:47. > :13:51.That's a great score. Analyse that in the dressing room, plenty of

:13:52. > :13:56.statsmen with each team. They're not getting nothing out of kicking long

:13:57. > :14:00.balls. You see there, great. Fermanagh need actually to put a man

:14:01. > :14:05.on him and mark him. He is causing problems, maybe not in the air, but

:14:06. > :14:10.on the ground. He is one Monaghan player that's stood out. Walshe

:14:11. > :14:17.early on but definitely O'Connell. Put a player on him to mark him.

:14:18. > :14:17.Let's confirm for you who our mystery player was.

:14:18. > :14:34.Here it is. Fine head of hair. And there you go.

:14:35. > :14:41.Brendan Rodgers. Looking good! We thank him very much for that. He was

:14:42. > :14:49.a star with Gary and Slaughtneil. Still sticking with Monaghan? Yes,

:14:50. > :14:56.the thing about having somebody in the stand, something we have noticed

:14:57. > :15:01.is they have left Ryan Lyons alone, Monaghan have said they will not

:15:02. > :15:07.pick him up, he got on the end for the goal, Monaghan are better squad.

:15:08. > :15:10.Let's hope the dark clouds are not foreboding. Commentary from Paddy

:15:11. > :15:21.Bradley and Thomas Niblock. Thank you, back for the start of the

:15:22. > :15:29.second half. It is beginning to drizzle. Two points between these

:15:30. > :15:39.sides. The players getting stuck in. Here comes Eoin Donnelly, kicks it,

:15:40. > :15:44.gives it away. Monaghan have possession, Wiley. Looking left and

:15:45. > :15:49.right, nobody coming near him, he gives it to Karl O'Connell. Winning

:15:50. > :15:58.that challenge very well. While the continuing his run, three different

:15:59. > :16:09.players tackling McAdam. Jack McCarron, Gavin Devlin. -- Gavin

:16:10. > :16:16.Doogan. The left-hand side, he goes for the shot. And it goes wide. In

:16:17. > :16:24.the first half that was from further out, very ambitious. And that was it

:16:25. > :16:28.worth wide. Forming the same patterns as the end of the

:16:29. > :16:31.first-half, Fermanagh getting plenty of bodies behind the ball and

:16:32. > :16:40.Monaghan struggling to break them down. Mulrone finding Aiden Breen.

:16:41. > :16:53.Ryan McCluskey. He had a brilliant first-half. Ryan Lyons finding his

:16:54. > :16:57.wingback, Murphy, shooting from distance, about 39 metres height and

:16:58. > :17:04.the ball goes to the left and right. Two points remain the difference, 37

:17:05. > :17:09.minutes gone. Ryan Lyons had, Sean Quigley was left one-on-one with

:17:10. > :17:17.Wiley and that is not something you get often. The kick out is short.

:17:18. > :17:20.Karl O'Connell tackled by two Fermanagh players, that was a good

:17:21. > :17:28.tackle from Donnelly but Miley did well to pick up the pieces. Here is

:17:29. > :17:38.Walsh. Plenty of space ahead of him. He gives up to the long-running

:17:39. > :17:51.player. Batman is Ryan Brierley. -- that man. Is Ryan Wylie. Great turn

:17:52. > :18:01.of pace. Spotting the gap. Monaghan and ten possession. McAnespie, Duffy

:18:02. > :18:06.-- Doogan. At the 45 metre line. Walsh, scoring two first-half

:18:07. > :18:15.points. To them trying to find some space. Fintan Kelly, he is short.

:18:16. > :18:27.Ryan McCluskey has the ball in hand. Eoin Donnelly, Mulrone. It is Kane

:18:28. > :18:40.Connor with the ball. Ryan McCluskey. Sean Quigley. He just

:18:41. > :18:47.slowed up before he was about to collect it, enough for Drew Wylie to

:18:48. > :18:52.get his hand in and off-camera, he is holding his shoulder. Drew Wylie

:18:53. > :19:02.has been excellent in marking, not giving one moment. Monaghan on the

:19:03. > :19:08.attack, Fermanagh, every player except one of them inside their own

:19:09. > :19:14.half. Neil McAdam shooting from distance. Is this the first score of

:19:15. > :19:20.the half? It is. Neil McAdam, wonderful point, his debut way back

:19:21. > :19:24.in 2008, superb score. He is not scoring for scoring points.

:19:25. > :19:34.Brilliant score. Monaghan really needed that. Fermanagh need to start

:19:35. > :19:38.in this second half. They could do with the score. Tomas Corrigan, the

:19:39. > :19:43.man who once so many locations in the past has provided, trying to

:19:44. > :19:51.take on his man. He was pushed and the referee says play on. And that

:19:52. > :19:58.is a cheap foul. The man with the original infringement, having a

:19:59. > :20:05.look. Lee Cullen, just off my camera, there is some indiscipline

:20:06. > :20:12.amongst the Monaghan fence. We saw that at the end of the first-half.

:20:13. > :20:15.And that brought a free into a scoring son, converted by Monaghan

:20:16. > :20:23.and something similar has happened again, I'll be initial free... That

:20:24. > :20:30.is Pete McGrath. The Fermanagh manager. He looks very relaxed. He

:20:31. > :20:36.will be happy, the longer it goes on like this, more belief Fermanagh

:20:37. > :20:40.get, they were 6-1 underdogs and have not played like this. They

:20:41. > :20:47.perhaps feel they can sneak a goal and they have definitely done well.

:20:48. > :20:53.The rain is coming down in Clones. Corrigan with an opportunity to

:20:54. > :21:00.narrow the gap. His right boot. And we have a score. Entrepreneurs, the

:21:01. > :21:05.deficit has been cut. Going back to what Fermanagh are good at, defence

:21:06. > :21:13.first. In the league they considered most goals along with Offaly. With

:21:14. > :21:17.Ryan McCluskey with defence, they are putting the four birds under

:21:18. > :21:22.pressure. Beggan could not find anyone with that short kick but he

:21:23. > :21:29.eventually found his man. Monaghan have the ball in hand. McAnespie is

:21:30. > :21:35.back, introduced in the first half because of the black card for Kieran

:21:36. > :21:42.Hughes, Monaghan without both Hughes brothers. Well intercepted. Here

:21:43. > :21:48.comes McCarthy. Going through and that was a good save from Treacy! He

:21:49. > :21:53.made a mistake in the first-half and that was a brilliant save, using his

:21:54. > :21:59.feet well, what an opportunity for Monaghan. He has shown that after

:22:00. > :22:03.all that good work, the defence turned over Monaghan and they give

:22:04. > :22:09.the ball away with that cheap mistake and that was namely -- newly

:22:10. > :22:16.game over. The first subject to proper, for Monaghan, that man is

:22:17. > :22:24.born Duffy. And he replaces Shane Kelly. He is accustomed to starting.

:22:25. > :22:31.He could have started this. He will be keen to make an impact. 45,

:22:32. > :22:38.Monaghan. Conor McManus standing over the ball. His fists clenched.

:22:39. > :22:47.Tries to curl but in. That has gone wide. He has not had the best of

:22:48. > :22:52.games. I suppose the longer the game goes on the more frustrated he gets

:22:53. > :22:58.and with free kicks, 50 yards out, they become difficult. On a day when

:22:59. > :23:03.perhaps McManus kicks seven points, he would expect that to float under

:23:04. > :23:06.the bar. The kick out has scored Fermanagh enormous problems and this

:23:07. > :23:12.will be a disaster if that goes in, the referee says play on, Conor

:23:13. > :23:23.McManus, still loose, backheel and that will be gobbled up by the

:23:24. > :23:28.cornerback, Michael Jones, 45... Was this man the guy who committed that

:23:29. > :23:31.foul? He kicks out, I would be amazed at the referee allowed this

:23:32. > :23:37.to be played for advantage. He felt that he dived but I felt he was

:23:38. > :23:44.trapped. Thomas Treacy is very lucky that was not a black card. This is a

:23:45. > :23:47.big call and the kick bites from Fermanagh causing all sorts of

:23:48. > :23:53.problems for themselves. The referee will not go back to address that and

:23:54. > :24:00.Fermanagh got away with that. They talked about this at half-time, why

:24:01. > :24:06.not just kick the ball long? The 45 was kicked very pretty, but was

:24:07. > :24:09.blocked, very rarely you see this in modern day Gaelic football and

:24:10. > :24:14.Fermanagh winning the spec, the standard has been poor. The game is

:24:15. > :24:20.full of mistakes. Tomas Corrigan, brilliantly out in front of his man,

:24:21. > :24:23.Sean Quigley could do with scoring, particularly from play, only two of

:24:24. > :24:28.them this year and he has just got his third. That is a big score and

:24:29. > :24:35.they need him in this game if they are going to get anything. Tempo

:24:36. > :24:39.rising. Before hand you have to say this is more like a league game and

:24:40. > :24:43.a Championship football of a sudden, the teams have raised their game,

:24:44. > :24:48.there might be mistakes but there is more passion involved with every

:24:49. > :24:51.challenge and plot, the Chancellor score, born Duffy just on the field

:24:52. > :24:55.and that is a count of score that perhaps will get him start the next

:24:56. > :25:02.day. Whether that is the quarter final of the Championship or the

:25:03. > :25:07.qualifier, we will wait. He will be happy. You can see that the game has

:25:08. > :25:15.raised its tempo and the Ulster Championship Estrada. Here is Conor

:25:16. > :25:21.McManus. Right foot. You just knew he was not going to miss. The

:25:22. > :25:26.deficit increased to two points. That shows through his ability,

:25:27. > :25:30.quiet for 45 minutes but he can spring to life at any second. This

:25:31. > :25:37.is the difficulty for Fermanagh, scoring just 11 goal throughout the

:25:38. > :25:43.league. The 32nd team out of 32 in terms of goals scored and in terms

:25:44. > :25:47.of goals conceded, 31 out of 32, are fully conceding six against Armagh,

:25:48. > :25:55.the only other team with the worst record. Monaghan on the charge

:25:56. > :26:00.again. Fermanagh scrambling. Trying their best not to commit a foul, the

:26:01. > :26:06.referee says no... Barry mind run, the referee says he was fouled. You

:26:07. > :26:10.can see Conor McManus and Michael Jones getting involved. Fermanagh

:26:11. > :26:18.got away with another one. Monaghan had men of, Brian McManus slipping

:26:19. > :26:22.the ball across. Paul McCusker on the attack, into enemy territory,

:26:23. > :26:31.crossing the 45 and tries to play it to the corner forward, Corrigan, he

:26:32. > :26:38.could do with some help. The shot from distance, Ryan Lyons, he is a

:26:39. > :26:45.long way out and he curled that too much, it goes wide. Three points

:26:46. > :26:50.between the sides. Very ambitious, Beggan again here. The rain

:26:51. > :26:55.continues to come down here in Clones, Monaghan, three points

:26:56. > :27:00.between the sides, in the last five minutes they have gone up a gear,

:27:01. > :27:06.that foul will be a free into the 45 metre line with Jack McCarron

:27:07. > :27:13.currently standing over the ball. And that is the man in charge.

:27:14. > :27:18.Fermanagh native, from Derrylin, he played for Fermanagh, today is very

:27:19. > :27:24.much in charge of Monaghan. He tries to give it to born Duffy, he has

:27:25. > :27:31.already scored points since being introduced. Jack McCarron, shooting

:27:32. > :27:35.under pressure. This second point today. And most people will say he

:27:36. > :27:38.should not have shot under pressure, there were others who could have

:27:39. > :27:45.passed too, that increases the pressure to make sure it was right.

:27:46. > :27:47.You would have expected him to shift that what he has taken

:27:48. > :27:52.responsibility and a fantastic school. You can only keep forwards

:27:53. > :27:57.that quality quiet for so long. In three minutes, Monaghan scoring

:27:58. > :28:06.three points. You can sense the smell blood. There are no lights in

:28:07. > :28:24.Clones. But it has got awfully dark. The ball thrown in. Very loose. The

:28:25. > :28:32.referee blowing his whistle again. The conditions are very difficult

:28:33. > :28:35.for the players. It is raining very heavily, lots of slipping and

:28:36. > :28:40.sliding and we have seen a lot of mistakes so far already. Fermanagh

:28:41. > :28:48.did well to win that, here comes Sean Quigley from distance. Hi,

:28:49. > :28:54.floating... To the right and wide. Four points between the sides.

:28:55. > :28:59.Fermanagh made something. Monaghan will be happy with that, forcing

:29:00. > :29:03.quickly to shoot from 50 yards, you talk about their inability to score

:29:04. > :29:07.goals throughout the league, you feel that Fermanagh will need a

:29:08. > :29:12.goal. Barry mind run is receiving treatment from the medical staff

:29:13. > :29:18.from Fermanagh, he seems to be touching his neck. We will wait to

:29:19. > :29:24.save he gets back on his feet. Monaghan are preparing another such

:29:25. > :29:31.a dude. And that man coming on very shortly will be Dermot Malone. And

:29:32. > :29:38.Fermanagh make another change, Ryan Jones, but expected to play today.

:29:39. > :29:41.He has had a back problem. Not fit enough to start but he comes on as a

:29:42. > :29:46.substitute and that is Dermot Malone.

:29:47. > :29:52.There were rumours Jones won't play any part but he is on, interesting

:29:53. > :29:57.to see do they put him in the middle of the field are inside and full

:29:58. > :30:00.forward line. He is a brilliant player with brilliant feet. Well

:30:01. > :30:06.able to hit scores whenever they're outside the area. That's perhaps

:30:07. > :30:12.what Fermanagh need when Monaghan pull everybody back. Donnelly again

:30:13. > :30:16.gets his hands to it. Ryan McCluskey.

:30:17. > :30:24.Finds Conor Murphy. Back again to Owen Donnelly.

:30:25. > :30:34.Possession is given away. Referee says play on.

:30:35. > :30:40.Dermot Malone with his first touch. Duffy still going. Tries to take on

:30:41. > :30:46.Sean Quigley. Duffy with a chance. The angle is acute. The score is

:30:47. > :30:49.good. Right-footed and you have to say, the substitutes that Monaghan

:30:50. > :30:57.have made have certainly been the difference. Yeah, brilliant

:30:58. > :31:08.substitution. Talked about the fact duffly will be disappointed he

:31:09. > :31:15.didn't start,. Five points between the sides. Monaghan win the breaking

:31:16. > :31:22.ball yet again. Gavin Doogan pass it is back. Should

:31:23. > :31:29.find its way to Colin Walshe. Here is Connor McManus.

:31:30. > :31:31.A long way out. Right-footed. Sheer class.

:31:32. > :31:36.He may be quiet at certain occasions during the game, but he is a player

:31:37. > :31:42.you take your eye off for one minute and he makes that look so easy. Made

:31:43. > :31:47.it look easy. 45 yards from goals, conditions are slippy, heavy rain

:31:48. > :31:51.falling. He made it look so easy. That's something we are used to

:31:52. > :31:58.seeing him do over the years. We say he is quiet today, he has actually

:31:59. > :32:02.scored a goal and three points. Now that Monaghan are six points up

:32:03. > :32:08.you feel Fermanagh are going to have to come out, drop the blanket and

:32:09. > :32:12.with that risk the likes of McManus and McCarron getting the ball

:32:13. > :32:16.inside. There is the kick, straight up in the air. Not the intended

:32:17. > :32:21.place it was meant to go. Fermanagh players diving in trying

:32:22. > :32:26.to get a hand to it. Malone has won it. Last year in a stronger division

:32:27. > :32:37.two, Fermanagh, scored more and conceded less. 2016 conceded 6-75:

:32:38. > :32:40.On that basis they would seem to have gone backwards and are six

:32:41. > :32:45.points behind Monaghan with less than 20 minutes to go. Duffy going

:32:46. > :32:51.for a third point since being introduced. And Owen Duffy is making

:32:52. > :32:54.a big statement here today. He increases the lead again. Seven

:32:55. > :33:00.points. A rich round of applause from the Farney faithful. He is

:33:01. > :33:05.pushing for an inclusion and possibly Ulster quarter-final.

:33:06. > :33:08.Brilliant substitution. Three lovely scores all from different angles.

:33:09. > :33:16.I suppose the game has panned out as we expected. Fermanagh obviously

:33:17. > :33:19.came in, a good fight the first half, as the game has wore on

:33:20. > :33:30.Monaghan have got into it and you feel they'll see it through easily.

:33:31. > :33:33.Eddie Courtney about to be introduced.

:33:34. > :33:43.A good dummy. Here is Sean Quigley. Blocked from behind. The referee

:33:44. > :33:50.says no foul. Fantastic block. I think it was Ryan McAnespie getting

:33:51. > :33:52.back. He has the ball at the moment. A big opportunity for Fermanagh.

:33:53. > :33:58.Didn't get the ball to Quigley quickly enough. When he did have it,

:33:59. > :34:07.within a second he was blocked down. That's going to be a sideline ball

:34:08. > :34:17.for Monaghan. Let's look at it again.

:34:18. > :34:22.Fantastic block. We talked about Ryan McAnespie and his fitness

:34:23. > :34:27.levels have been through the roof, has been non-stop. Here is Eddie

:34:28. > :34:32.Courtney coming on and Sean Quigley has been taken off. That's a strange

:34:33. > :34:36.decision. You did look at the fact earlier that Sean Quigley was

:34:37. > :34:39.holding his shoulder and in the game you need scorers and he is

:34:40. > :34:44.Fermanagh's main score getter, that's a bit of a shock decision,

:34:45. > :34:49.unless it's an injury. Fermanagh's top scorer in 2017, as he was in

:34:50. > :34:50.2016, has been taken off. Monaghan's top scorer here, taking a

:34:51. > :35:05.sideline ball. That was a poor kick. Tomas

:35:06. > :35:10.Corrigan, looking for help, surrounded by blue and white

:35:11. > :35:13.jerseys. Ryan Lyons. Unable to find a green shirt.

:35:14. > :35:17.Monaghan come away with it. Seven points between the sides.

:35:18. > :35:25.15 minutes to go. If Fermanagh are to get back into

:35:26. > :35:32.this game you feel they need a goal. Not easy to do when you don't have

:35:33. > :35:38.possession. Monaghan are really beginning to tighten the screw.

:35:39. > :35:43.McCarron gets time and space. Does well. Flicks it up again. Just as he

:35:44. > :35:51.did in the first half. That's gone very loose. Fermanagh do well to win

:35:52. > :35:58.it at the back. Trying a counterattack from the 21-metre

:35:59. > :36:05.line. Aidan Breen. Finds Paul McCusker. Ryan Jones has

:36:06. > :36:08.it. He is fouled. It's hit short to Ryan McCluskey. Looking for support,

:36:09. > :36:28.left and right. He has to go backwards. Lyons again.

:36:29. > :36:39.What can Corrigan do? Goes for the shot from distance. Dropped short.

:36:40. > :36:44.Beggan has it. Here is McManus. In the position of a corner back. Tries

:36:45. > :36:50.to play it and finds his man O'Connell.

:36:51. > :36:55.Here is another man hoping to start the next day, Dermot Malone.

:36:56. > :37:01.Dafen Doogan. Malone again. Goes one way and

:37:02. > :37:08.another. Goes for the shot. Fantastic score. It brings the point

:37:09. > :37:12.back yet again that the substitutes from Monaghan's perspective, even

:37:13. > :37:18.the one where Ciaran Hughes was black-carded, they've worked a

:37:19. > :37:23.treat. That's something Monaghan and mal andingy O'Rourke has developed

:37:24. > :37:31.since they came. They are strong and it's beginning to show today. The

:37:32. > :37:33.ball has gone loose. Very scrappy. In soccer-style it's helped away.

:37:34. > :37:45.Fermanagh eventually get it out. Aidan Breen. Finds Donnelly, finds

:37:46. > :37:49.McCusker. The man that led the way to the Fermanagh goal in the first

:37:50. > :37:53.half. They could really do with another in the second. Donnelly

:37:54. > :37:58.looked as if he lost it. Put his body on the line. It's a free to

:37:59. > :38:03.Monaghan. Yeah. Good play there by Gavin Doogan getting back. Someone I

:38:04. > :38:11.watched closely during the league, does a lot of unseen work and a very

:38:12. > :38:17.good game today. Another substitution.

:38:18. > :38:26.It's Ciaran Duffy and the man going off, the centre halfback Vinnie

:38:27. > :38:31.Corey. Yeah, good for him to get 60 minutes

:38:32. > :38:34.under the belt and get ready and well rested for an Ulster

:38:35. > :38:39.quarter-final. It looks as if Monaghan are going out handsomely

:38:40. > :38:57.here. Ryan Lyons has been taken off,

:38:58. > :39:02.coming on to the field was - Paul McCusker is the man taken off.

:39:03. > :39:07.Malachy O'Rourke will be worried, certainly during the first half, a

:39:08. > :39:11.little bit more sense of calm in him right now because it's a substantial

:39:12. > :39:14.lead. He will be happy with how the second half has panned out. There

:39:15. > :39:17.was a period of about ten minutes after the start of the second where

:39:18. > :39:22.they got the scores they needed. I think they're going to win

:39:23. > :39:30.handsomely enough even though they haven't played particularly well.

:39:31. > :39:33.Ryan McAnespie with ball in hand. Finds McCarron.

:39:34. > :39:43.Fermanagh really struggling. As they struggle, Monaghan are in

:39:44. > :39:47.the groove. Fin tan Kelly increases the lead again. Off his weaker left

:39:48. > :39:51.foot and Martin talked about that at half-time. Cornerbacks getting up to

:39:52. > :39:57.support and chipping in with points and that's something we are seeing

:39:58. > :40:01.often in the modern game. Kickout to the middle of the field. Eventually,

:40:02. > :40:05.and typically, has it has been over the last ten minutes, into the hands

:40:06. > :40:10.of a Monaghan player. A shot from distance. And you sense Fermanagh

:40:11. > :40:14.have given up. Yeah. Given up the ghost at this stage. Ten points in

:40:15. > :40:18.it. It's a matter of how many at this stage, you feel. Ten points

:40:19. > :40:24.between the sides. Ten minutes to go. Pete McGrath has been there,

:40:25. > :40:28.seen it, done it, All-Irelands, everything. Even you feel from his

:40:29. > :40:31.perspective, inside he probably knows the game is up and it will be

:40:32. > :40:35.the qualifiers for Fermanagh. It's probably not fair from that point of

:40:36. > :40:38.view, they put on a massive performance the first half. Probably

:40:39. > :40:42.at half-time were the better side and probably didn't deserve to be

:40:43. > :40:49.two points down. The second half definitely Monaghan have upped the

:40:50. > :41:02.ante. I suppose the class has shown. Monaghan on the attack again.

:41:03. > :41:08.Tomas Corrigan wins the breaking ball.

:41:09. > :41:18.Dermot Malone. He finds Gavin Doogan.

:41:19. > :41:22.Doogan three kids aged between five and eight, the 29-year-old balancing

:41:23. > :41:26.that family life with inter-County football. Needs a medal! Long ball

:41:27. > :41:31.inside. Trying to find Colin Walshe. He

:41:32. > :41:38.fouls his man and a free out for Fermanagh. Taken quickly.

:41:39. > :41:45.Cavan are the team who will be watching this very closely. They

:41:46. > :41:51.will play the winners. That game will be live on BBC television and

:41:52. > :42:00.BBC Radio Ulster. Nine points in a row for Monaghan.

:42:01. > :42:07.Monaghan on the attack again. All of a sudden acres of space. Nobody near

:42:08. > :42:13.him. The crowd urging him to go on. A

:42:14. > :42:19.late challenge. It's all opened up. Gavin Doogan decides to go for the

:42:20. > :42:23.point. Gets a score. That could have been a goal. I suppose Gavin doesn't

:42:24. > :42:38.want to rub too much salt in the wounds. McCarthy was inside. Takes

:42:39. > :42:45.the point. A big cheer here for Dessie Mone. In he comes, The

:42:46. > :42:52.Championship season starts for him. Fintan Kelly place at Clones at club

:42:53. > :42:57.level. Again no words needed. Kelly has had a good day. An experienced

:42:58. > :43:00.fullback line. They started all seven league games together, I

:43:01. > :43:05.think, so they know each other's games inside out. You feel that

:43:06. > :43:13.Fermanagh know that the game is up. As for Monaghan, they're playing for

:43:14. > :43:16.places in the next round. With every potential 50-50 ball

:43:17. > :43:19.they're going in full. The referee has stopped the game for a head

:43:20. > :43:26.collision. 11 points between the sides. Let's

:43:27. > :43:35.look at this again. It's a clash of heads.

:43:36. > :43:41.I think it is. That looked painful. Yeah, accidental, don't think there

:43:42. > :43:44.was any intent from Dermot Malone. Hopefully Barry Mulrone is OK to

:43:45. > :43:50.continue. That's the second time during the game Barry Mulrone has

:43:51. > :43:54.taken a knock to the head. The physio tapping him on the shoulder.

:43:55. > :43:57.Will he be able to continue? He is up on his feet and looks as if

:43:58. > :44:17.he will. Duffy finding Duffy. Monaghan

:44:18. > :44:26.finding their team-mates with ease, Walsh, Jack McCarron. Looking for

:44:27. > :44:37.help, passing it backwards. Mulrone screaming for it. He will eventually

:44:38. > :44:51.be given it. Malone decides to go backwards. McAnespie. The ball

:44:52. > :44:57.inside to the full forward line, that was well won by the substitute,

:44:58. > :45:01.Duffy. It has been lost. Fermanagh have it and they will be given the

:45:02. > :45:11.free out, we suspect they will. The referee blows the whistle. It has

:45:12. > :45:23.been 20 minutes since Fermanagh last registered at school. That tells its

:45:24. > :45:26.own story. -- registered score. They needed to get a couple of

:45:27. > :45:36.preschoolers in the second half that has not happened with them, and

:45:37. > :45:40.Monaghan have raised the tempo. We said that they would be disappointed

:45:41. > :45:45.but their performance but they still scored against that blanket defence

:45:46. > :45:49.and O'Rourke will be happy with that and on training on Tuesday night, he

:45:50. > :45:55.knows he will be having plenty to work on and no doubt, these Monaghan

:45:56. > :46:05.boys can improve on this. The shot goes wide. Malachy O'Rourke, all but

:46:06. > :46:09.into the quarterfinal, another derby against Cavan. Conor McManus

:46:10. > :46:16.registered 45% of the scores for Monaghan last year. And from that

:46:17. > :46:25.perspective, Monaghan have started to spread the scores, which is good

:46:26. > :46:30.news. It has not all been Jack McCarron, other players have stepped

:46:31. > :46:37.up. That is a wonderful point from the right but, distance and the

:46:38. > :46:43.angle not the easiest, the first point Fermanagh have scored in

:46:44. > :46:50.almost 22 minutes. Wachowski does well. He knew that ball was evading

:46:51. > :46:56.him. -- Ryan McCluskey. He was able to keep that in play. He has been

:46:57. > :47:02.the best player for Fermanagh. He is a quarterback, they look to him

:47:03. > :47:13.every time to set up their attacks, he has been very good. Dessie Mone.

:47:14. > :47:22.One of those typical long runs. Doogan has it again, McManus,

:47:23. > :47:27.finding McCarron. Monaghan going through the phases. Eventually,

:47:28. > :47:36.gobbled up, Fermanagh, but with that, Eoin Donnelly, Lyons, finding

:47:37. > :47:43.help, he could do with some help. Tangled in the hands of Neil McAdam,

:47:44. > :47:47.free to Fermanagh. The referee blowing the whistle because it will

:47:48. > :47:53.be a substitution. The big thing for Monaghan is whether Darren Hughes

:47:54. > :48:00.will be fit for the game with Cavan, he was doing a lot of rehab so it'll

:48:01. > :48:04.be interesting if he can that. There was chat that he would not be fit

:48:05. > :48:09.until the semifinal or the final but he is a massive player. Conor

:48:10. > :48:18.McCarthy taken off, Michael Bannon introduced. Fermanagh hoping for

:48:19. > :48:26.another score, right footed, over the bar, from Aiden Breen. His

:48:27. > :48:31.Championship debut in 2012. And one of the stronger performers from

:48:32. > :48:38.Fermanagh today, you feel that it will be into the qualifiers through

:48:39. > :48:41.the back door route. Monaghan are barging their way through the front,

:48:42. > :48:53.comfortable in possession, Drew Wylie. Finding Michael Branagan.

:48:54. > :48:57.Blocked down Ndidi, by Aiden Breen. The second bite of the cherry. --

:48:58. > :49:04.blocked down by Aiden Breen. Dessie Mone. That was the loudest cheer of

:49:05. > :49:12.the day, if you don't succeed at first, try again, that was nice. The

:49:13. > :49:21.last time Monaghan played Fermanagh in the Championship, it was Monaghan

:49:22. > :49:27.1-20, Fermanagh 13 points, exactly like it is today. The time before

:49:28. > :49:34.that it was Monaghan 21, Fermanagh 2-8. That suggests when Monaghan

:49:35. > :49:37.played Fermanagh in Championship football, there is a fair margin

:49:38. > :49:42.between the sides. That is a big score and the fact that Monaghan

:49:43. > :49:48.were not firing on all cylinders, who still scored 23 points is some

:49:49. > :49:58.going. And with that blanket defence well marshalled by McCluskey. Walsh

:49:59. > :50:05.tries to find Malone, tackling late and that will be a free for

:50:06. > :50:10.Fermanagh. Duffy. He will be looking for a starting place when Monaghan

:50:11. > :50:17.play Cavan. In the quarterfinals of the Ulster Championship. The robber,

:50:18. > :50:23.the Championship continues tomorrow with tantrum against Donegal in

:50:24. > :50:36.Ballybofey, that game infill tomorrow evening. -- in full. At

:50:37. > :50:41.7pm. Fermanagh on the attack. Taken well, still has possession, he does

:50:42. > :50:44.well but in the meantime the referee blows his whistle, free in. Entering

:50:45. > :50:56.injury time. One thing the viewers will not

:50:57. > :51:08.appreciate is how dark it has become here, but 7pm kick of was pretty

:51:09. > :51:14.late. Seven o'clock kick-off! Free in from the 21 metre line. Corrigan

:51:15. > :51:23.letting this one. Again, the familiar stance before he strikes.

:51:24. > :51:31.Does it curl in? The umpire bases for the flag, he does not, it has

:51:32. > :51:38.gone wide. For Monaghan, 1-20 is great scoring, 13 different scorers

:51:39. > :51:43.today. That is a pleasing spread. Whenever Jack McCarron and Conor

:51:44. > :51:50.McManus were not in the game, others stepped up. Ian McKellan does not

:51:51. > :51:56.usually score, Duffy kicking three of them, McCarthy, that is a

:51:57. > :52:01.pleasing thing for them. You cannot rely too heavily on nonhuman. Jones

:52:02. > :52:05.trying to play that inside and that is an important hand in from Neil

:52:06. > :52:12.McAdam because that was destined to reach Sean Donnelly and that is 45.

:52:13. > :52:23.1-20, 1-10. Double digits between the sides. And that is Malachy

:52:24. > :52:29.O'Rourke. He will be happy but no doubt the post match will say he has

:52:30. > :52:31.plenty to improve upon. But the Ulster Championship it is all about

:52:32. > :52:37.getting over the line and with their last Championship they were defeated

:52:38. > :52:42.by Longford, he took some time to ponder his future but he is back and

:52:43. > :52:47.Monaghan will be a force to reckon with in Ulster, no doubt. That was a

:52:48. > :52:54.great score from Aiden Breen. He has been a strong performer today. From

:52:55. > :53:02.the perspective of Fermanagh. Nine points is the deficit. Let us look

:53:03. > :53:05.at this again. Superb kick. Against this blanket defence really

:53:06. > :53:10.defenders and midfielders and forwards who can kick from range and

:53:11. > :53:15.that is his second point, one of the best performers. The middle of the

:53:16. > :53:22.field, Karl O'Connell, he has cramped up. He is born of a

:53:23. > :53:25.halfback, they tried him at midfield last year and it worked a treat and

:53:26. > :53:32.he has been playing there although drifting back now and again but he

:53:33. > :53:36.has been a great find for Monaghan. And not the tallest player but given

:53:37. > :53:41.the nature of the game, it is about mobility and he fits the ball. Great

:53:42. > :53:46.engine. The referee has blown the whistle, handshakes and Conor

:53:47. > :53:51.McManus was not at his absolute best today but he still finished up the

:53:52. > :53:55.top scorer Fermanagh him and it really was emphatic that the end,

:53:56. > :54:00.handshakes, on the one team going through and that is Monaghan. They

:54:01. > :54:03.were not at their best but they will be happy to get through to the

:54:04. > :54:07.quarterfinal, it was all about winning, plenty to work on but the

:54:08. > :54:14.gameplay that the we expected. The longer it went on, the longer it

:54:15. > :54:19.began to tell and Monaghan deserved winners. The quality digital ad in

:54:20. > :54:27.end it was Monaghan you are through to the quarterfinals, they will play

:54:28. > :54:32.Cavan. The full time, Monaghan 1-20, Fermanagh 1-11. The damage was the

:54:33. > :54:37.second half, what is your assessment? It took us a long time

:54:38. > :54:41.to get going, we would not be happy with the first off, they were

:54:42. > :54:47.careless and were not getting to the game, you are better in the second

:54:48. > :54:53.half, Fermanagh fell away. Delighted to get through it. And we will try

:54:54. > :54:58.to learn what we can from today. They do consciously change much at

:54:59. > :55:02.half-time? Though, there was poor attitude, we felt we needed to push

:55:03. > :55:08.more, you are giving Fermanagh a lot of room and we were not pushing,

:55:09. > :55:11.they wanted to press more and go man-to-man and put them under

:55:12. > :55:15.pressure and we turned the ball over and got some scores. But Fermanagh

:55:16. > :55:19.played very well in the first-half and we were then down. Were you

:55:20. > :55:26.fortunate to go in ahead at half-time? Possibly, when they got

:55:27. > :55:33.the goal we were in control a little but Fermanagh came back well and got

:55:34. > :55:37.the goal. Two points, it could have been level. It did not matter, we

:55:38. > :55:42.had to come out and be much better in the second half and luckily we

:55:43. > :55:47.were. Frustrating to lose Kieran Hughes, did you see that incident? I

:55:48. > :55:53.did not see it. But this is what happens. There is no point in me

:55:54. > :55:59.saying anything because they did not see what he did. The second half,

:56:00. > :56:04.dominant display, what pleased you? I thought we had more urgency over

:56:05. > :56:10.the field, pressing on Fermanagh better, more clinical in Big Apple

:56:11. > :56:16.Ball, we raised our game. It was enough to get through today,

:56:17. > :56:21.Fermanagh badly hit by injuries. We need to improve if we have to go to

:56:22. > :56:28.Cavan. Where you pleased with Duffy, a particular? He made a big

:56:29. > :56:31.difference. He came in very fresh and energetic and he scored great

:56:32. > :56:42.points, that is what you want, massive impact. Thank you. Thank

:56:43. > :56:50.you. Well done to Monaghan. I doff my cap to both of you. You said that

:56:51. > :56:56.Fermanagh would be competitive for 35 minutes and Monaghan would run

:56:57. > :57:00.away with it, it came to pass! On the Monaghan bench, the quality of

:57:01. > :57:07.the squad, not only this year and the last number of years, new faces,

:57:08. > :57:12.coming into the game today, the thing about Monaghan is their

:57:13. > :57:17.aspirations far exceed Fermanagh. They are looking for Ulster titles

:57:18. > :57:20.and looking to break that quarterfinal jinx and get to

:57:21. > :57:24.football Ireland semifinal and that is progress for a Malachy O'Rourke,

:57:25. > :57:30.master was disappointing. Towards the end of the second half they

:57:31. > :57:37.seemed to be a team that has gone to another level, established Division

:57:38. > :57:40.One team and it is difficult but Fermanagh, going into Division

:57:41. > :57:48.Three, to compete with the likes of Monaghan, Donegal and Tyrone. Man of

:57:49. > :57:52.the Match? Duffy. You need a player who can take the game by the scruff

:57:53. > :57:58.of the neck. He came off the bench. I will say this about him, he might

:57:59. > :58:04.be better coming effective edge, he has normally been taken off, some

:58:05. > :58:10.substitutes make a difference and he does. When the game settles down,

:58:11. > :58:17.this was important for Fermanagh, in the game, they needed somebody to

:58:18. > :58:23.kick these big points. The big-name players like Conor McManus,

:58:24. > :58:28.brilliant scores from play and it is important, Oisin McConville said

:58:29. > :58:32.this, Monaghan how the bench, 13 different scorers. And losing Kieran

:58:33. > :58:38.Hughes and Darren Hughes not on the field. Conor McManus was carrying

:58:39. > :58:44.them. It was very lateral and a wonderfully coming on, very direct.

:58:45. > :58:52.Taking those opportunities. -- Owen Duffy coming on. Congratulations,

:58:53. > :58:55.Owen Duffy. Man of the Match. Martin said you took the game by the scruff

:58:56. > :59:00.of the neck. Is that what the manager told you to do? You always

:59:01. > :59:06.want to make an impression, when you get on the ball, do simple things

:59:07. > :59:09.and things open up, in the last 20 minutes, we knew that was going to

:59:10. > :59:14.happen and it was keeping things simple and making the right

:59:15. > :59:18.decisions. You try to analyse the game when you are not involved and

:59:19. > :59:25.see how you can make an impact? I want to get in there as soon as

:59:26. > :59:30.possible! Like most substitutes! You see who you are going on form, the

:59:31. > :59:33.games change but we knew it was going to be tight for around 40

:59:34. > :59:37.minutes but the game opens up and you get more room, the rain came

:59:38. > :59:43.down, we turned them over and got more space so that contributed.

:59:44. > :59:49.Martin also said he thinks you are potentially a better impact

:59:50. > :59:53.substitute. How much would you rather prefer to have a jersey

:59:54. > :59:57.number from one to 15? That's what you play the game for, you always

:59:58. > :00:02.want to start a game, but you have to put the disappointment behind

:00:03. > :00:08.you. It's a panel game now, tell Martin not to be talking too much

:00:09. > :00:14.about it! I'd rather start. It's been spoken about by Dublin and Joe

:00:15. > :00:19.Schmidt, it's not about the team that starts the game, you want your

:00:20. > :00:23.strongest players finishing the game. Now there is that extra

:00:24. > :00:27.quality this season. The quality on the bench didn't even get in, you

:00:28. > :00:30.know, it's unbelievable. It's as good a Monaghan squad as I have been

:00:31. > :00:36.involved in since I started with Monaghan. So, it all bodes well for

:00:37. > :00:40.The Championship going ahead. We are looking forward to getting at Cavan.

:00:41. > :00:43.What will Cavan be thinking watching that? A couple of different things I

:00:44. > :00:48.suppose, they'll want to keep it tight at the back. The weather could

:00:49. > :00:52.be a different game. A local derby, never anything in it. I suppose

:00:53. > :00:56.they're going to work, they've a game to analyse, we are going in

:00:57. > :01:02.with a blank canvas and hope to get a performance. Connor McManus is

:01:03. > :01:06.always here. It's not often a substitute wins Man of the Match,

:01:07. > :01:11.what does it show? I am sure he was disappointed not to start, it shows

:01:12. > :01:19.the calibre of the man that he took it on the dhin chin and made a

:01:20. > :01:22.mastiff difference. What does -- and made a massive difference. Things

:01:23. > :01:28.didn't go for new the first half, you seemed to kick into another gear

:01:29. > :01:31.in the third quarter. Yeah, we were probably laboured in the first half,

:01:32. > :01:38.didn't get a full flow going. We talked about it at half-time and

:01:39. > :01:43.wanted more urgency into the game and the introduction of players made

:01:44. > :01:46.it. Job done and we move on. What did the manager say at half-time,

:01:47. > :01:50.there was a better transition, there was just a better Monaghan that

:01:51. > :01:54.emerged from the dressing room? We knew the first half we hadn't played

:01:55. > :01:58.to our potential and we knew Fermanagh were going to come out in

:01:59. > :02:01.the second half and up it, we had to match that over the field. I think

:02:02. > :02:04.we did. Do you think you have something to prove this year,

:02:05. > :02:09.because you are very good in division one and obviously had the

:02:10. > :02:13.emergence of the likes of Jack McCarron, this team feels it can

:02:14. > :02:16.beginning on and made an impact in the all Ireland series? That's

:02:17. > :02:20.everyone's dream at the end of the day, the big one. Ulster

:02:21. > :02:24.championship, that's what we are concentrating on. We are going to

:02:25. > :02:31.have a big day against caven, we have that to look forward to. What

:02:32. > :02:34.will you learn from this game? The last 15 minutes there, I suppose our

:02:35. > :02:39.passing wasn't up to scratch. I suppose the first day out in the

:02:40. > :02:42.Ulster championship, but we will learn from the day, breaking

:02:43. > :02:43.transition and one thing and another going forward. Thank you for joining

:02:44. > :02:54.us. Back to the studio. Thank you. You are also saying money

:02:55. > :02:59.have underachieved but under Malachy they have won two Ulsters. The

:03:00. > :03:03.players they have, you can see the strength on the bench and everything

:03:04. > :03:07.else, I feel we talk about the three big Ulster teams, I feel they've

:03:08. > :03:10.underachieved, Monaghan. It's a big year for them. They've experienced

:03:11. > :03:14.players and young lads coming in and everything. The Cavan game is going

:03:15. > :03:21.to be the most difficult hurdle for them. I know managing Cavan, the

:03:22. > :03:29.great rivalry is there. They have no fear for Monaghan. I was managing

:03:30. > :03:34.Cavan and we played a McKen in a Cup game. I put opt the second team, the

:03:35. > :03:40.Cavan second team and they were 5,000 people turned up for the

:03:41. > :03:44.match. This was a McKenna Cup. And we got hammered in the game and

:03:45. > :03:49.everything else but the chairman got a lot of calls from the clubs around

:03:50. > :03:54.that area saying what's that man playing at? The chairman said he is

:03:55. > :03:56.not worried, he is wordy about the Ulster championship, they said live

:03:57. > :04:04.down here and they'll know all about it. There is massive rivalry in that

:04:05. > :04:08.area. It's one of the biggest, you are Armagh and Down, Donegal and

:04:09. > :04:12.Tyrone. This is a massive rivalry. It's a different game. My opinion

:04:13. > :04:18.from their point of view, it's a big test for them. Cavan are training

:04:19. > :04:22.they hard. They trained hard last week and some picked up injuries.

:04:23. > :04:26.You have spies right across the Province! Cavan game is different.

:04:27. > :04:34.Last year's championship game, they were four points up. Was it last

:04:35. > :04:39.year? A big game for them. A different test. Where to for

:04:40. > :04:44.Fermanagh and before you answer that, David has been in touch via

:04:45. > :04:49.social media, yes, Monaghan were impressive, but no County can

:04:50. > :04:52.sustain the losses Fermanagh have. There are some that can, but it's

:04:53. > :04:57.the top Counties. Fermanagh have lost a lot of players. They were

:04:58. > :05:01.competitive. They have players all over the field in certain positions,

:05:02. > :05:07.in particular, in the middle of the field. The fullback line today was

:05:08. > :05:13.under immense pressure and actually did OK. Defensively they were good.

:05:14. > :05:17.It's just that they need to, the transition isn't as good as the

:05:18. > :05:22.likes of Monaghan and Dubs and Kerry and Donegal and these teams are.

:05:23. > :05:26.Where to from here? It's difficult. It is really difficult. You have to

:05:27. > :05:29.get them together again. Of all the teams that are left in the

:05:30. > :05:35.championship they've the longest wait in all - to play again. By that

:05:36. > :05:43.stage the pain goes away of this defeat. Some boys tip off to

:05:44. > :05:46.America. They don't see any glory or don't see any future in staying

:05:47. > :05:51.with... I will stop you and pause there. We have Pete McGrath standing

:05:52. > :05:54.by. Peter, the second half made all the

:05:55. > :05:58.difference from a Monaghan perspective. How difficult was it to

:05:59. > :06:04.stop them when they got into that flow? Yeah, well, I think the first

:06:05. > :06:08.half we put in a fantastic effort. The first half for us went exactly

:06:09. > :06:13.as we hoped it would go. Apart from the two late Monaghan points. I

:06:14. > :06:17.think maybe in that first half our team did expend an enormous amount

:06:18. > :06:19.of energy. We did realise that at the start of the second half we

:06:20. > :06:27.needed to get a couple of quick scores to get the game up and

:06:28. > :06:30.running again. That didn't happen. Monaghan brought an intensity to the

:06:31. > :06:34.second half and a pace and a physicality to the second half,

:06:35. > :06:38.which is the second half wore on we were not able to match. Then they

:06:39. > :06:42.got the flow into their game. They got the momentum. They got the

:06:43. > :06:47.cohesion. They got the scores. Once they opened a four, five-point gap

:06:48. > :06:49.it was going to be very difficult for us to bridge that gap and

:06:50. > :06:53.Monaghan certainly deserved their victory by the way they played in

:06:54. > :06:57.the second half. Looking to the qualifiers, how many positives will

:06:58. > :07:01.you take from that first 35 minutes and the display and in many ways you

:07:02. > :07:09.didn't deserve to be behind going in at the interval? Yes, looking ahead,

:07:10. > :07:13.we will take a lot of encouragement and confidence from the first half

:07:14. > :07:17.performance because we were playing one of the best six teams in the

:07:18. > :07:21.country here, playing in their back garden, and in that first half we

:07:22. > :07:26.more than matched them. We were, I think, unfortunate to go in two down

:07:27. > :07:32.at half-time. But nevertheless, there are positives there. There

:07:33. > :07:36.will be disappointment now. Better -- bitter disuponment but we have to

:07:37. > :07:39.pick ourselves up and extend the summer for as long as we can, and I

:07:40. > :07:43.knows that's what the players will do. Looking at Monaghan how much of

:07:44. > :07:48.a force do you feel they can prove to be for the rest of the summer?

:07:49. > :07:51.They're always going to be a force. People will look at their

:07:52. > :07:55.performance today, analyse it and they'll be impressed by what they

:07:56. > :07:58.saw in the second half. They might not be impressed by the first half,

:07:59. > :08:03.because we had them by the pin of their collar in the first half. But

:08:04. > :08:08.we have a good team. So, yeah, I think Monaghan will be obviously a

:08:09. > :08:13.major threat in Ulster. I think they should be thinking in terms of an

:08:14. > :08:16.All-Ireland because they've got the personnel, they've the experience

:08:17. > :08:18.and some day soon they've got to make that final breakthrough.

:08:19. > :08:22.Because their chance isn't going to last forever. Pete, thank you for

:08:23. > :08:26.your time. You have been in touch with us on

:08:27. > :08:30.social media. David saying that the keeper's kickout significant today

:08:31. > :08:35.in as far as Beggan one of the best in Ireland. David has been in touch,

:08:36. > :08:40.Tyrone have been holding back, he says, in the latter stages of the

:08:41. > :08:42.league and will waltz through. Gavin says the inconsistency of the black

:08:43. > :08:46.card again is potentially going to ruin the championship. He reckons

:08:47. > :08:51.there should have been at least four. I will come to new a second.

:08:52. > :09:00.Right now, let's get the post-match chat which has been on the terraces.

:09:01. > :09:07.I don't know, we are were expecting better, took a while to get going.

:09:08. > :09:11.Happy enough with it. Shooting boots weren't there the first half. Great

:09:12. > :09:19.improvement the second half. A poor game. Ah, well, back... We are used

:09:20. > :09:24.to it. Fermanagh were well beat in the end. It wasn't great to be

:09:25. > :09:31.honest. We should have got more points and no forward line. It's a

:09:32. > :09:36.pity, we could have had it. I suppose the third quarter didn't

:09:37. > :09:39.help us. At the start of the game, we weathered the storm and I think

:09:40. > :09:45.we hit nine points then the second half. So, we got through the best, I

:09:46. > :09:47.suppose and look forward to Cavan. Monaghan second half team, hopefully

:09:48. > :09:51.we can do it the second half of the summer. Monaghan were the better

:09:52. > :09:57.team. Took them a bit to get going. But they got going anyway, yeah,

:09:58. > :10:01.finished well. A great point at the end. I came up to see this game and

:10:02. > :10:04.it was very interesting, but it just shows the strength and depth that

:10:05. > :10:10.Monaghan have the way they could pull away in the second half.

:10:11. > :10:15.Always nice to welcome the neighbours in from the Province of

:10:16. > :10:18.Leinster up to watch it. Someone saying Monaghan are a second

:10:19. > :10:22.half team, second half they pulled away. Again the points being made,

:10:23. > :10:26.he wants to see them in the second half of the summer and that's how

:10:27. > :10:29.they're probably going to be measured because Malachy O'Rourke

:10:30. > :10:34.had considered walking away last year but decided to stay. Probably

:10:35. > :10:38.the draw wasn't that favourable for him to end up - will probably want

:10:39. > :10:41.an easier draw and peak later on from the point of view of getting to

:10:42. > :10:45.Croke Park. That's where you have to perform. I think looking at

:10:46. > :10:49.Fermanagh when they look back at it I suppose the goalkeeper, you know,

:10:50. > :10:53.when we take some of the kickouts, were very poor. And made a couple of

:10:54. > :10:56.great saves. The goalkeeper has become an important player in Gaelic

:10:57. > :11:02.football. From Monaghan's... This is one of these saves.

:11:03. > :11:14.It's a brilliant save. This is the one here This is the bad

:11:15. > :11:20.kickout. That's a black card. That's a definite black card there. Lucky

:11:21. > :11:24.not to get a black card there. Experience is important. I think we

:11:25. > :11:28.will see him again in goal for Fermanagh. He has a quality left

:11:29. > :11:31.foot. Made a great save. Maybe the work on his kickouts and everything

:11:32. > :11:35.else, he will say it's not easy when players are not making runs out the

:11:36. > :11:42.field. From Monaghan's point of view, job done. Moving on, we said

:11:43. > :11:47.the Hughes were a big loss, two of them. And players off the bench, so

:11:48. > :11:52.I think looking at it it's a massive year for them. The management team

:11:53. > :11:55.before this year was all outsiders, it was Tyrone, two Tyrone and a

:11:56. > :12:02.Fermanagh man. They've taken in the two Monaghan men now on board with

:12:03. > :12:05.them. That's... That's going to make a big difference to them. They've

:12:06. > :12:10.Monaghan people, it's important to have your own Countimen in the

:12:11. > :12:13.background team and that's really helped and given something different

:12:14. > :12:16.that they needed to lift them. I am looking forward to seeing them, you

:12:17. > :12:19.know, if I was a Monaghan person I would be excited about Monaghan,

:12:20. > :12:25.because I think they're better than people are giving them credit for.

:12:26. > :12:29.OK. He is pitching in for the job if Malachy ever leaves! We talk about

:12:30. > :12:36.turning points in a game. Sean Quigley had a sniff of a goal here.

:12:37. > :12:44.Brilliant tackle from McAnespie. Yeah, brilliant tackle. Drew Wylie

:12:45. > :12:49.doesn't give it up and gives McAnespie the chance. I am not

:12:50. > :12:53.massively into GPS results or anything but I would love to see his

:12:54. > :12:56.results from today. He covered - it's something I would love to see

:12:57. > :13:06.from a point of view that we get a look at those results. This is --

:13:07. > :13:12.another illustration of the resilience. Monaghan stepped up. But

:13:13. > :13:16.again just to go back to the amount of ground covered, Doogan was

:13:17. > :13:20.another player. For anybody, an untrained eye watching that game,

:13:21. > :13:26.you say Gavin Doogan is not in the game, he didn't another until almost

:13:27. > :13:32.the end of the game, but the work he was going through and McAnespie,

:13:33. > :13:36.they are, you know, they are work horses, they're not forwards who are

:13:37. > :13:39.going to get on the end of things but they're essential to the

:13:40. > :13:49.Monaghan game plan. That's a mastiff point. -- that's a massive point. We

:13:50. > :13:53.look at Dublin and Jim Gavin starting to get forwards to work

:13:54. > :13:56.hard and making tackles. You see forwards making those tackles. The

:13:57. > :14:02.other thing that's important, we see it in Gaelic football, is two feet.

:14:03. > :14:07.All the players have two feet. One side, they can naturally can kick

:14:08. > :14:12.with both feet. We look at the big games last year. All-Ireland final,

:14:13. > :14:19.last points from Dublin were off the weak foot. The two in the semifinal,

:14:20. > :14:25.Connolly and McMen Amin with a weak foot.

:14:26. > :14:30.Martin, Donegal play tomorrow. They play against Antrim. A big talking

:14:31. > :14:35.point all week guys, and that's been Matthew Fitzpatrick, the young

:14:36. > :14:38.Antrim player who picked up a one-match suspension initially,

:14:39. > :14:42.before Croke Park three times. Given a 48-week ban. Subsequently that was

:14:43. > :14:45.overturned. Croke Park in between times pointed out they felt he had

:14:46. > :14:50.misled a hearing. That's all been overturned. How disruptive for the

:14:51. > :14:55.player as we look at him, ahead of tomorrow's game and was it a mess?

:14:56. > :15:06.It was a miss, how disruptive? Massively. Massively in the camp, it

:15:07. > :15:13.was front-page news because they are talking about this possibly being

:15:14. > :15:17.libellous as far as Fitzpatrick is concerned. The biggest thing for me

:15:18. > :15:27.is I was at that game, it was fairly innocuous. I think the thing about

:15:28. > :15:31.Matthew Fitzpatrick is we have hamstrung ourselves, it is like the

:15:32. > :15:36.black card, the rulers there so we must implement it, we have to go

:15:37. > :15:45.through the central hearing commission, the CCCP and we have

:15:46. > :15:50.created a Coulter within the GAA where we appeal everything, with

:15:51. > :15:55.Matthew Fitzpatrick it has worked out well but surely Matthew

:15:56. > :16:02.Fitzpatrick and his family are not satisfied. Does Croke Park bore him

:16:03. > :16:07.an apology? I say that in the context of Croke Park saying that

:16:08. > :16:13.you have misled the hearing? Whether that was overturned on appeal due to

:16:14. > :16:19.a technicality or the evidence, we are not sure, but nonetheless, if he

:16:20. > :16:25.is innocent, he is innocent and the allegation was the misled them. He

:16:26. > :16:31.has been proven innocent, from the point of view of Croke Park, from

:16:32. > :16:35.the outsider looking at this, they are making things up as they go

:16:36. > :16:41.along and that is the disappointing thing, we end up with a situation

:16:42. > :16:45.where appeals and appeals... I am talking to people who have watched

:16:46. > :16:52.the video, they said he did not do anything in that match. And to

:16:53. > :16:59.identify who did it, we look at that game and with Ciaran McGinley, the

:17:00. > :17:09.same match, getting 12 weeks, and... We had 74 weeks of bands coming out,

:17:10. > :17:17.74 weeks of players... Is clarification needed? Definitely,

:17:18. > :17:20.and to say exactly what has happened and clarify the situation so we know

:17:21. > :17:25.for a game and we do not fall into this because sometimes these things

:17:26. > :17:30.can be OK if we learn from them and with Matthew Fitzpatrick, it is

:17:31. > :17:38.unsatisfactory and he should get an apology. Obviously it is not just

:17:39. > :17:45.Croke Park, it is CCC and the chain of command is convoluted. Thank you

:17:46. > :17:52.for that. In a word, Donegal against Antrim, does Antrim have a chance?

:17:53. > :17:57.Donegal not only comfortably but for Ulster, they either team to watch.

:17:58. > :18:06.He doesn't think that! You can watch that tomorrow at Ballybofey, live

:18:07. > :18:13.online and on BBC Radio Ulster and join us with Fermanagh and it is the

:18:14. > :18:19.quarterfinals for Monaghan against Cavan. We welcome all of your

:18:20. > :18:25.observations and input through your preferred social media Avenue. But

:18:26. > :18:30.from this man and that man from South Armagh and Crossmaglen, I

:18:31. > :18:34.really enjoyed both your companies this afternoon and I also enjoyed

:18:35. > :18:41.yours, from all of us, and the entire BBC sport NI team, slan,

:18:42. > :19:16.goodbye! He's played his last game

:19:17. > :19:19.in an Ulster jersey, You get the news

:19:20. > :19:23.and you are disappointed, all of this to your kids,

:19:24. > :19:30.which isn't easy. Ruan is a great Ulster man.

:19:31. > :19:32.He wants to stay. So what will the future hold for

:19:33. > :19:36.Ulster Rugby's South African star? Hopefully, I can come

:19:37. > :19:38.back here one day and remember

:19:39. > :19:46.all the good times we had here. As a father, working with your kids

:19:47. > :19:56.under pressurised circumstances, it's very tough. They're going to

:19:57. > :19:58.announce the date tonight. You have to have

:19:59. > :20:01.an amazing relationship.