SCOTSTOWN breathed a huge sigh of relief as Sean Hurson blew his final whistle on Saturday night in Armagh. Ulster title number five was there at last. The Monaghan champions had the game wrapped up but Kilcoo rallied the troops down the home straight to take the game into extra-time. At that point you felt […]
By Michael McMullan WHEN Scotstown were last Kings of Ulster, Brendan Beggan formed part of a monstrous midfield axis Coalisland were unable to break. That was 36 years ago. Fast-forward to last Saturday, at the same venue, his son Rory was the star man as the Monaghan giants ended the club’s famine. His 11-point return […]
By Michael McMullan THE window after their championship group stages’ defeat to Corduff were the best three weeks of training Scotstown had all year. That was Darren Hughes’ take in the aftermath of the Oriel giants’ win over Kilcoo to land a fifth Ulster title and a first in 36 years. Scotstown had drawn with […]
By Alan Rodgers A FIRST All-Ireland campaign since losing in the 1989 semi-final now beckons Scotstown’s latest generation of Ulster Club winners after they made history by defeating Kilcoo in a game of rare tension and quality at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds on Saturday night. It has been a long and winding road for An […]
FROM very early doors this season, once the draw was made, talk began to circulate about the possibility of a final showdown between Kilcoo and Scotstown. The history is there between them and when you add in the quality of both teams, then you understand why a lot of the neutrals could see this game […]
By Michael McMullan DAVID McCague knew what Scotstown were getting with the influx of new players who have energised the Monaghan giants on their way to Ulster’s biggest day with Kilcoo awaiting this weekend. Tommy Mallen and Max Maguire have added to their attack, the latter becoming a target for a kicking game that gets […]
IT is hard to imagine a better game than Scotstown v Newbridge. When Scotstown were nine points up, they did not blow the lead. In fact, they scored a superb imaginative goal in the middle of the Newbridge comeback. Newbridge simply played extraordinarily well during that spell. The excitement in injury time was off the scale. […]
I AM fully aware that at this time of year I am like a broken record banging on about how good the Ulster Club Championship is. Before I get accused of doing a Pat Spillane on things, I will just wrap up by congratulating both teams on the football they served up last weekend. We now […]
SINCE Rory Beggan, Conor McCarthy and others won their first Monaghan senior title in 2013, they have gone on to win it nine more times. Ten Monaghan titles in 13 years, before going on to lose all nine previous times in Ulster. Writing it down emphasises how extraordinary their losing streak is: 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, […]
AS I made my way to Omagh last Sunday, little did I know what lay ahead. It was like most other days this time of year with some heavy showers and wind. When playing the game in my head and going over my pre-game analysis, I did once or twice wonder what kind of state […]
