Ulster Senior Football Championship quarter-final

Monaghan v Fermanagh

Saturday, Clones, 3.30pm

FOLLOWING something of an anti-climactic start to the Ulster Senior Football Championship last weekend with Donegal’s thrashing of Down, Monaghan and Fermanagh will battle it out in what viewers hope will be a more tightly contested affair.

Monaghan will go into the game in Clones on Saturday as warm favourites after a Division One campaign which saw them survive at the top table with a late victory over Galway in a relegation play off.

The Farney picked up draws with both Tyrone and Donegal after an opening day loss to Armagh, as their performance showed improvements leading up to the victory over Padraig Joyce’s side.

Manager Seamus McEnaney will remain in the stands for this knockout clash as he continues to serve a 12-week suspension for breaching training restrictions in April. David McCague has patrolled the touchline since then and will aim to guide the Farney through to a semi-final encounter with the winners of Armagh and Antrim.

While Conor McManus remains the star attraction up front for Monaghan, the performance of substitute Jack McCarron in that relegation play-off will give ‘Banty’ and his team plenty of options to choose from.

McCarron hit seven points in that game, including the 94th-minute winning point which secured Monaghan’s Division One status.

Fermanagh will be hoping for a repeat of their smash-and -grab 2018 victory over their opponents on Saturday, after a mixed bag in their Division Three campaign.

Eoin Donnelly rose highest to fist the ball to the net in the dying embers of the Ulster Championship semi-final game in Healy Park three years ago in a low-scoring encounter.

More than 10,000 attended the fixture that day, while only 500 will be allowed entry to see Fermanagh attempt to repeat that feat.

Ryan McMenamin’s side suffered a disappointing defeat to Offaly in their league semi-final, where they were second best for large spells of the game.

The Erne men will be buoyed by their win over Ulster champions Cavan in the opening round of their league campaign, but a five-goal thumping from Derry in the following round will leave McMenamin aiming to keep things a lot tighter at the back.

Fermanagh go into the game with no fresh injury concerns, with Sean Quigley and Daragh McGurn likely to lead the line for the underdogs. While it may not be gung-ho attack from the Erne forwards on Saturday, there are sure signs that manager McMenamin is willing to leave at least a couple of forwards beyond the opposition 45 in an effort to get more scores.

They have looked more vulnerable in defence however throughout the league, coughing up a total of 7-56 in their four games.

Experienced campaigner Kane Connor has taken up the full-back berth, while Derrygonnelly’s Tiarnan Bogue could start at centre back for his championship debut.

Them and their defensive colleagues will need to be teak tight to stop a Monaghan forward line who certainly know where the posts are.

Conor McCarthy hit a hat-trick in a league encounter against Donegal and seems to be maturing into a more consistent player by the year, while McCarron and Stephen O’Hanlon both have a keen eye for the posts as well.

Then there’s the man himself – Conor McManus.

A giant of the game who often saves his best performances for the Ulster Championship.

Fermanagh may opt to adopt a sweeper or two to nullify his threat, but the Clontibret man is well used to that system and is able to make space for others before coming on the loop to finish off moves.

It’s that level of firepower and class which Fermanagh may just struggle to keep up with in Clones. The Erne men are well used to being the underdogs and often perform better with this tag, but haven’t shown enough form this year so far to knock out the Farney.

Verdict: Monaghan

CLOSE WATCH… Monaghan will be very careful against Fermanagh, a team that has caused them problems in the past