Sem goals see off Academy in MacRory

St Macartan’s Monaghan 2-8 St Patrick’s Academy Dungannon 1-7
From Kevin Kelly in Emyvale
St Macartan’s Monaghan ensured that they will be playing MacRory Cup football after Christmas when they emerged worthy four point winners over St Patrick’s Academy Dungannon in this play-off encounter at Emyvale on Saturday afternoon.
It was a contest that the Monaghan lads never trailed in and after leading by two points on the restart they moved four clear by the end of the third quarter. Dungannon then enjoyed their best spell of the game as they trimmed the deficit to the minimum and looked like the side who were in the ascendency.
With eight minutes to go though Conor McCrystal got in for a crucial St Macartan’s goal and when defender Ryan O’Toole also found the net moments later they had a vice-like grip on proceedings.
Mark Donnelly did get an Academy goal but it came too late to prevent them from tumbling out of the competition.
Both sides struggled for scores in the opening quarter with Monaghan leading 0-2 to 0-1 thanks to frees from McCrystal and Aaron Mohan either side of a superb effort from play from Dungannon centre half forward Luke Ferguson.
A Donnelly free levelled matters but St Macartan’s were the side showing more purpose and points from Oisin Gleeson and Mohan (2) edged them three in front. Ferguson had the final score of the half as Monaghan led 0-5 to 0-3.
Full forward Robert McAllister increased their advantage twenty seconds after the interval before keeper Eoghan Treanor thumped over a “45”. Dungannon had their chances but Oran Mallon and Donnelly both missed scoreable frees.
Wing half back Ben Gormley then burst through to open the Tyrone school’s second half account but moments later they had keeper Lorcan Quinn to thank for a brilliant save to deny Mohan.
Nathan Connolly then split the posts from distance and when Mallon knocked over a free the scoreboard read 0-7 to 0-6 with ten minutes left to play. Monaghan looked to be in trouble but they broke downfield for McCrystal to get that all important goal.
Substitute Karl Gallagher then got on the end of a high ball to punch a point before full back Ryan O’Toole burst through for a well taken goal. That effectively ended the game as a contest before Donnelly got a late Academy major.
Monaghan scorers – C McCrystal 1-1, A Mohan 0-3, R O’Toole 1-0, E Treanor 0-1, O Gleeson 0-1, R McAllister 0-1, K Gallagher 0-1
Dungannon scorers – M Donnelly 1-1, L Ferguson 0-2, O Mallon 0-2, B Gormley 0-1, N Connolly 0-1