Derry denied as chaos takes over in Ulster semi-final

FULL-TIME (AET): Derry 3-23 v 1-30 Monaghan

Ulster Senior Football Championship semi-final | BOX-IT Athletic Grounds | Saturday

Derry’s Ulster campaign ended in extraordinary fashion in Armagh, after a game they had controlled for long stretches was remarkably restarted following the full-time hooter and handshakes between officials and players.

For much of the afternoon, Derry were the better side against Monaghan. They played with clarity and intent, built their attacks with purpose and were rewarded with goals at key moments. Niall Loughlin’s early strike set the tone, while a second goal from Eoin McEvoy before the break gave them firm control. By half-time, Derry led 2-10 to 0-6 and were well on top.

That control extended into the second half. Shane McGuigan and Lachlan Murray were prominent on the scoresheet and when Loughlin added his second goal, the margin was still ten points and the game appeared settled. Derry had created and taken their chances through well-constructed attacking play, while limiting Monaghan to more speculative efforts.

What followed shifted the pattern.

Monaghan began to find scores from the now-familiar two-point range, which quickly began to dictate the terms of the game, particularly for a side playing from behind. Those efforts kept them in touch and gradually reduced the gap. A late goal brought them within striking distance, but as the contest entered the closing seconds, Derry still held a two-point lead.

The full-time hooter sounded with Derry two points ahead. Supporters were already on the pitch. Officials shook hands with players. The game was finished.

Except it wasn’t.

What followed unfolded slowly and with a great sense of confusion. After a delay, kids and families were ushered off the field of play. And the game remarkably restarted to allow Monaghan to kick a sideline ball, awarded from the previous phase. 

In the middle of the confusion, Jack McCarron produced a superb two-point score from a tight angle to level the game. The execution was excellent. The circumstances around it were anything but.

For an Ulster SFC semi-final, the overall sequence, from hooter to restart, was striking in its lack of clarity.

Extra time followed, but the dynamic remained similar. Derry continued to work scores through controlled possession, while Monaghan again found returns from distance.

Derry appeared to have done enough once more when a late, well-worked score from Sean Kearney nudged them ahead inside the final minute of extra time. However, there was still time for Monaghan to be awarded another free outside the arc, in scoring range. It provided them with one final opportunity, and goalkeeper Rory Beggan converted for two points to decide the game.

Over the course of the contest, Derry’s three goals, built through patient, structured attacking play, stood in contrast to a game increasingly shaped by long-range returns, often enabled by placed balls and technical fouls. That contrast was most evident in the closing moments, where a worked score at one end was effectively outweighed by a late free-kick from distance. The balance between those approaches ultimately proved decisive.

For Derry, the performance for long stretches was strong, the attacking play was effective and the positions they established should have been sufficient.

Instead, the outcome turned on a sequence of late moments that altered the direction of the game, leaving a result that will be examined closely.

Derry: Shea McGuckin; Diarmuid Baker, Ruairí Forbes, Conor McCluskey; Conor Doherty (0-1), Gareth McKinless, Padraig McGrogan; Eoin McEvoy (1-2), Brendan Rogers; Ethan Doherty (0-2), Conor Glass (0-1), Paul Cassidy (0-1); Niall Loughlin (2-1, 0-1f), Shane McGuigan (0-7, 1f), Lachlan Murray (0-6, 1tp)

Subs: Shea Downey for P Cassidy (60), Niall Toner (0-1) for N Loughlin (60), Patrick McGurk for C Doherty (66); ET subs: Niall Loughlin, Conor Doherty, Sean Kearney (0-1)