Scotstown 1-15 Slaughtneil 0-15
A hungrier, sharper Scotstown proved too potent for Derry champions Slaughtneil in this thrill-a-minute Ulster club SFC quarter-final that built to a sizzling climax in Clones.
Conditions were excellent and both sides produced some terrific football with Scotstown laying the foundations for victory in the final ten minutes of the first half.
The game started at a cracking pace and with the sides exchanging scores regularly after Slaughtneil opened through Christopher Bradley after just 90 seconds. Over the next 15 minutes it was tit for tat with the sides level on five occasions, Darren Hughes giving Slaughtneil fullback Brendan Rogers a veritable roasting.
Hughes finished the half with 1-4 as he hit the reigning Ulster champions with 1-2 in side three blistering minutes to put the Monaghan champions five in front and Slaughtneil’s gruelling schedule looking as if it was beginning to take its toll.
Kieran Hughes too had a big influence in defence with his scorching pace setting up a number of counter-attacks that kept the Derry men on the back foot.
Scotstown were ahead by six points going into stoppage time with Slaughtneil pulling back two late points through Se McGuigan and a Paul Bradley free to leave four in it at the break, Scotstown 1-9, Slaughtneil 0-8.
Slaughtneil came out with renewed determination for the second half and carried the game to Scotstown in an electric third quarter although they were unable to translate their superiority into scores but by the 50th minute they had the margin down to the minimum, the accuracy of Paul Bradley and Christopher Bradley palying a huge part in their resurgence.
From there to the finish though Scotstown regained the initiative with Conor McCarthy converting two frees and Orin Heaphey picking off an opportunist point from play to edge them three clear with two minutes remaining, but try as they might Slaughtneil could not engineer the goal that would have put the issue to extra time and so surrendered their provincial crown.
Scotstown: R Beggan 0-2 (f,’45), D McArdle, E Caulfield, P Sherlock, F McPhillips, K Hughes, D Morgan, F Caulfield, J Turley, O Heaphey 0-2, P Keenan, C McCarthy 0-5 (3f), S Carey 0-2 (2f), D Hughes 1-4, R McKenna.
Subs: B McGinnity for R McKenna (43), B Boylan for F McPhillips (51), D McCague for D Hughes (Black Card 60).
Slaughtneil: A McMullan, F McEldowney, B Rodgers, K McKaigue, P McNeill, C McKaigue, B McGuigan, Patsy Bradley, P Cassidy, P Kelly, Paul Bradley 0-7 (6f), R Bradley 0-1, C Bradley 0-4 (1f), Se McGuigan 0-1, S Cassidy.
Subs: Shane McGuigan 0-2 for P Kelly (35), M McGrath for Patsy Bradley (40).
Referee: C Brannigan (Down)
