EirGrid Ulster U21 FC Quarter-Final Round-Up

The four Quarter-Finals of the 2016 EirGrid Ulster U21 Football Championship were played tonight, and there were wins for Tyrone, Armagh, Donegal and Monaghan.

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EirGrid Ulster GAA U21 Football Championship Quarter Final:
Cavan 0-10 Tyrone 2-10 at Kingspan Breffni Park

Two goals in the final quarter made the difference as Tyrone deservedly advanced from this Ulster U21 quarter-final at Breffni Park.

The All-Ireland champions took a while to assert themselves but, over the hour, were the better, more cohesive side.

Tyrone led 0-6 to 0-5 at the end of a suprisingly open first half, a feature of which was some dreadful shooting by both sides, particularly Cavan. The hosts kicked nine wides in that opening half hour and despite defending well – they coughed up just three frees – they looked panicked in front of the posts.

Early on, though, Cavan were flawless. Two frees from goalkeeper Liam Brady and a fine point from play from wing-forward Pierce Smith saw them race into a 0-3 to 0-0 lead after nine minutes before Tyrone opened their account with a free from Cathal MacShane.

The Red Hands, unusually, were playing route one stuff, raining high ball on the Cavan full-back line, and the tactic didn’t bear much fruit in the opening half.

A point from Liam Galligan was cancelled out by a brilliant individual score from Mark Kavanagh as nerves began to show and the sides traded a succession of wides.

Long-range points from MacShane and Padraig McGirr tied matters seven minutes before half-time before Cavan hit the front again after full-forward David Brady did well to tee Galligan up again.

Tyrone, though, finished the half better with MacShane sending over two more from play to see them hold the edge at the break.

The winners, though, were much the better side in the second half. Cavan created plenty of chances but squandered most of them – they kicked a shocking 16 wides in total and dropped three short – as a result of wayward shooting and impressive Tyrone defending.

Goalkeeper Brady converted a free at the start of the second half but two points from Lee Brennan (one a 45) nudged Tyrone into the lead and then they struck for the crucial first goal, captain Frank Burns laying off for Byrne to coolly side-foot to the roof of the net.

Feargal Logan’s charges suddenly looked dangerous every time they attacked and although Cavan replied with a good point from Niall Clerkin, Tyrone were purring and they added a point from David Mulgrew and then decided the game when Burns dinked the ball over the top for Ben McDonnell to bundle home.

A late MacShane effort was sandwiched by Cavan consolation scores from Jack Doyle and Tom Hayes but, by that stage, it mattered little. Tyrone march on.

Scorers for Cavan: L Brady 0-4 (4f), T Hayes 0-2 (1f) L Galligan 0-2, N Clerkin 0-1, P Smith 0-1

Scorers for Tyrone: C MacShane 0-5 (1f), B McDonnell 1-0, C Byrne 1-0, L Brennan 0-2 ( 1 ’45), P McGirr 0-1, D Mulgrew 0-1, M Kavanagh 0-1

CAVAN: L Brady; M Magee, B O’Connell, B Fortune, C Bradley, B Kelly, N Clerkin, K Monahan, M McKenna, P Corrigan, L Galligan, P Smith, D Brady, T Hayes, C Daly. Subs: D Monahan for Kelly (h/t), O Carolan for Corrigan (36 mins), B Magee for K Monahan (40 mins), D Wilson for Bradley (48 mins), J Doyle for Galligan (50 mins), T Galligan for Smith (53 mins).

TYRONE: S Fox, C McCann, P Teague, S Hamill, C Byrne, S Loughran, P McGirr, C MacShane, B McDonnell, M Kavanagh, F Burns, M O’Neill, L Brennan, R Loughran, S Fox. Subs: D Gallagher for McGirr (25 mins), B Coleman for Loughran (40 mins), E Murray for Byrne (57 mins), D Mulgrew for O’Neill.

Report: Paul Fitzpatrick / gaa.ie

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EirGrid Ulster GAA U21 Football Championship Quarter Final:
Down 0-9 Armagh 5-16 at Pairc Esler

Armagh justified their billing as a fancied team in this year’s U21 Football Championship with a 22-point hammering of rivals Down in Páirc Esler.

Rising Crossmaglen star Oisin O’Neill kicked 1-6 from midfield while their full-forward line of Cathal McKenna, Shane McPartlan and Conor Martin hit 4-10 between them in an impressive display.

Armagh had the game wrapped up inside 20 minutes, goals from McKenna and McPartlan – who was sent-off late in the game for two yellow cards – giving them a 2-7 to 0-1 lead.

McPartlan then added his second with a far-post finish giving them a 3-7 to 0-3 interval lead. Down failed to score from play in the opening half with Conor Doyle’s three placed balls all they had to show for their efforts.

Armagh’s dominance continued in the second half with further goals from O’Neill and Conor Martin setting up a last four clash with Monaghan on March 30.

Scorers for Down: C Doyle 0-3 (3f), L McGreevy 0-2 (1f), T Rushe 0-2 (2f), C Quinn 0-1, R Treanor 0-1 (1f)

Scorers for Armagh: C McKenna 1-5 (1f), S McPartlan 2-2 (1f), O O’Neill 1-6 (1f), C Martin 1-3

DOWN: M Reid; J Connolly, C Fitzpatrick, C McCartan; J Donnan, A Fulcher, R Magee; P O’Hagen, J Bell; D McAleenan, S McGonigle, D McCarthy; C Doyle, R Treanor, C Quinn. Subs: G McDowell for Connolly (BC, 7), C McCarron for Bell (BC, 15), T Rushe for Doyle (38), L McGreevy for McGonigle (38), C Harney for Treanor (41).

ARMAGH: B Hughes; G McCabe, A Rushe, J Cosgrove; C McConville, S Heffron, J McElroy; D McKenna, O O’Neill; P Quinn, J Rafferty, C Boylan; C McKenna, S McPartlan, C Martin. Subs: R Finn for McElroy (22), M Finnegan for Cosgrove (42), N Kerr for Boylan (49), J Freeman for McCabe (57), A Conlon for McKenna (57).

Referee: Sean Laverty (Antrim).

Report: Orla Bannon / gaa.ie

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EirGrid Ulster GAA U21 Football Championship Quarter Final:
Donegal 0-14 Derry 2-7 at Pairc Mac Cumhaill

Donegal are through to the Ulster U21 semi-finals after doing just enough to see off Derry. Goals by Niall Loughlin and sub Ruairi McElwee appeared to give Derry the edge.

Donegal had pushed themselves well clear, but were rocked back on their heels in the 44th minute when Loughlin fired to the net from close range.

Niall Toner scorched past the Donegal defence soon after and his ball in was fumbled before McElwee steered home. But Donegal found the answers as a brace of frees by Stephen McBrearty in added time saw them fall over the line.

Both teams finished with 14 men as Derry’s Meehaul McGrath and Donegal’s Stephen McMenamin were both sent off after collecting second yellow cards. Despite were without forward of the prowess of Darach O’Connor and Rory Carr.

The hosts opened brightly with Jamie Brennan and Conor Doherty to the fore and they led 0-9 to 0-3 at the break.

A real feature of the first half was Caolan McGonagle’s free with the big Buncrana man scoring two magnificent efforts from distance at a time when Derry were asking questions.

Kieran Gillespie, the Donegal full-back blocked well from Jason Rocks and Danny Tallon hit the crossbar with a mishit shot.

Scorers for Donegal: S McBrearty 0-4 (4f), C McGonagle 0-3 (2f), J Brennan 0-3, A McClean 0-1, C Bonner 0-1, C Doherty 0-1, C Mulligan 0-1

Scorers for Derry: N Loughlin 1-1 (1f), R McElwee 1-0, D Tallon 0-2, N Toner 0-2, J Donaghy 0-1, T O’Brien 0-1

DONEGAL: D Rogers; J O’Brien, K Gillespie, C Morrison; E Gallagher, C O’Donnell, E McGrath; S McMenamin, C McGonagle; A McClean, S McBrearty, M Carroll; C Doherty, J Brennan, C Bonner. Subs: D Monagle for McGrath (38), C Mulligan for Bonner (38), C Thompson for Doherty (46), N Friel for McClean (51), A McGinley for O’Donnell (55), J Scally for O’Brien (60).

DERRY: C McCloy; N Keenan, C McDevitt, O Hegarty; M McEvoy, E McGill, J Rocks; J Bradley, M McGrath; D Tallon, T O’Brien, J Donaghy; N Toner, N Loughlin, P Hagan. Subs: R McElwee for McDevitt (38), C Convery for Donaghy (38), R Lee for McEvoy (42), T McCrossan for McGill (59)

Referee: N McKenna (Monaghan).

Report: Chris McNulty / gaa.ie

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EirGrid Ulster GAA U21 Football Championship Quarter Final:
Monaghan 1-15 Fermanagh 0-3 at Inniskeen

Monaghan hit an unanswered 1-10 in the second half of this one-sided Eirgrid Ulster U21 Football Championship quarter-final to put Fermanagh to the sword in Inniskeen.

Monaghan were 0-5 to 0-0 up after 20 minutes and although they saw their lead cut to two by half-time, they totally dominated from there on, with Fermanagh’s challenge faltering after their captain Eoin McManus was sent off in the 43rd minute.

Monaghan opened the scoring within 20 seconds through Dessie Ward, but there was a gap of almost 12 minutes before the next score arrived via Barry McGinn.

Further points by McGinn, Conor McCarthy and Fearghal McMahon pushed Monaghan clear, but Fermanagh rallied with scores from frees by Seán Keenan and Eoin McManus, either side of their only point from play by Paddy Rehill.

Monaghan led by 0-5 to 0-3 at half-time and they quickly asserted their dominance after the restart with McGinn and McCarthy kicking a brace of points each. More scores from McGinn and Ward followed by the end of the third quarter, by which stage Fermanagh had lost Eoin McManus, who was sent off when he was shown a black card, having already been on a yellow.

McGinn went on to take his tally to 1-5 and Ward landed a third point from wing-back, before substitute Adam Treanor finished with a flourish by kicking a hat-trick of late points as Monaghan cruised through to a semi-final clash with Armagh, who had an even more comprehensive win over Down.

Scorers for Monaghan: B McGinn 1-5 (1f), D Ward 0-3, A Treanor 0-3, C McCarthy 0-3 (2f), F McMahon 0-1

Scorers for Fermanagh: E McManus 0-1 (1f), P Rehill 0-1, S Keenan 0-1 (1f)

MONAGHAN: C Forde; B Kerr, M Murnaghan, K Loughran; D Ward, J Mealiff, A Curran; N Loughman, A Lynch; R McAnespie, B McGinn, D Meegan; M O’Dowd, C McCarthy, F McMahon. Subs: A Treanor for Meegan (black card, 30), F Maguire for McMahon (40), A Kieran for Loughran (42), B McBennett for McGinn (61).

FERMANAGH: J Kelly; S O’Hara, J Allen, M Jordan; C McManus, C Corrigan, D Leonard; E McManus (Capt.), P Rehill; J McCann, C McAuley, C Carney; J Flanagan, S Keenan, D Teague. Subs: S Rooney for Carney (H-T), T O’Hara for McCann, G Jones for McAuley (both 40), L Jones for Flanagan (53).

Referee: C Mooney (Down).

Report: Colm Shalvey / gaa.ie

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The pairings for the Ulster U21 Football Championship Semi-Finals are as follows:

Monaghan v Armagh
Tyrone v Donegal

Both games to be played on Wednesday 30th March. Venues TBC.

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For the complete Ulster U21 Football Championship fixtures and results visit www.ulster.gaa.ie/u21football2016