Cavan 1-7
Monaghan 0-4
CAVAN EDGED TOWARDS a fourth straight Ulster U21 football title with a six-point win over Monaghan.
The champions now face a repeat of last year’s decider next Wednesday, 9 April, after Donegal trumped Armagh in this evening’s other semi-final.
Difficult conditions in the Athletic Grounds led to a slow start and both sides remained scoreless for the opening 10 minutes, which included a lengthy delay for an injury to Monaghan forward Mark McGurk.
Two frees from the boot of Kevin Bouchier helped Cavan into an 0-3 to 0-2 lead at the break but it wasn’t until the 49th minute that their breakthrough came through a Michael Argue goal.
Christopher McKenna cut Monaghan’s deficit to four shortly afterwards but Finbarr Fitzpatrick’s side couldn’t make any further inroads, with subs Aaron O’Hara and Cian Byrne sealing Cavan’s victory with scores in injury time.
Scorers for Cavan: M Argue 1-0, K Bouchier (0-2f), T Hayes 0-2 each, D McVitty, A O’Hara, C Byrne 0-1 each.Scorers for Monaghan: C McKenna 0-2 (0-2f), B Greenan, P McKenna 0-1 each.
CAVAN: J Farrelly; B Fortune, K Clarke, P Faulkner; G Smith, C Moynagh, C Brady; B Sankey, M Argue; P Graham, E Flanagan, A Watson; D McVitty, K Bouchier, T Hayes.
Subs: C Madden for Graham (36), C Byrne for Madden (46), E Hession for Bouchier (51), A O’Hara for Flanagan (60)
MONAGHAN: D Kirk; R Wylie, C Boyle, R McEneaney; P Keenan, J McGuigan, S Conlon; M Boyce, B Greenan; K Cromwell, C McKenna, T Kerr; M McGurk, P McKenna, F McMahon
Subs: C McCarthy for McGurk (9), D McDonald for Kirk (38), D Freeman for McMahon (42), D Ward for Cromwell (47), R McAnespie for Conlon (58).
