Ruthless Scotstown end Naomh Conaill's Ulster dream in clinical fashion 

Naomh Conaill’s Ulster club dream was ruthlessly ended by Monaghan kingpins Scotstown at Clones on Sunday. 

In the end, the glaring difference between the two sides, on the scoreboard at least, was corner back Darragh Murray’s pair of first-half goals. That helped open up a huge twelve-point deficit, eight minutes out from the break. 

And while Naomh Conaill did claw themselves back level on the final points tally, there was no denying they were second best, on the day, at St Tiernach’s Park.  

Scotstown were simply awesome inside that first half hour but, equally, Naomh Conaill made life unusually easy for them. 

The Glenties outfit had admirably dug themselves out of some pretty steep championship holes, domestically, inside Donegal this term. 

But trailing 2-10 to 0-6 at the changeover, it never felt like this one had the potential to follow that previous trend. 

Martin Regan’s team had been first out of the blocks on two minutes through Max Cambell and, had Kieran Gallagher found the net after slicing through the middle of the Scotstown defence, it might have provided a launchpad for something much different. 

Instead, it was Murray getting down the other side to goal on 11 minutes, and, with that, the hosts gained a huge surge of momentum. 

Because the opening ten minutes had been scrappy at both ends of the field. But with the Farmey outfit getting their act together in spectacular fashion from that point on, they’d land 1-6 on the bounce to lead by double figures in the 22nd minute. 

Eoghan McGettigan did fire back after that goal concession but Scotstown would find their own responses through Tommy Mallen and Jack McCarron and, entering the second quarter, now led by three. 

Scotstown continued to build a head of steam and, failing to heed the warning signs, the Donegal champions again let Murray ghost in behind as he lamped in his second maximum. 

Kieran Hughes would immediately tag on a two-pointer from play to leave it 2-4 to 0-2 before Francis Maguire and Shane Carey brought the curtain down on that scoring spurt of nine. 

Leo McLoone would look to force the issue close to goal, with that effort being turned behind for a ‘45.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, skipper John O’Malley looked to make a concentrated impact with an effort from outside the arc. 

But Max Maguire would go straight down the other side and replicate that exact same feat. 

A McCarron brace propelled Scotstown twelve clear late in the half before Brendan McDyer and McGettigan shaved two off that gap with a late salvo. 

McGettigan and Maguire (2) traded points on the restart while Malone was also on the mark for the Boys in Blue. 

Maguire, though, continued to find space on that right side, and he tagged on another three, including a two-pointer, as Scotstown jumped 2-15 to 0-9 clear. 

Substitute Keelan McGill and another McGettigan effort reduced arrears to ten, once again going into the last ten. 

Down the stretch, Nicky Sherlock landed one final over for the winners, who also went down to 14 as Ryan O’Toole walked to a straight red card. 

Malone would launch over two late two-pointers, either side of one final McGettigan effort, as some face was saved.  

However, there was no denying Scotstown on this day and, on this evidence, they’ll take some stopping as they progress to face Newbridge of Derry in the last four. 

Naomh Conaill scorers: Shea Malone 0-6, 3tp; Eoghan McGettigan 0-5; John O’Malley 0-2,1tp; Brendan McDyer, Max Campbell and Keelan McGill 0-1 each.

Scotstown scorers: Max Maguire 0-8, 2tp; Darragh Murray 2-0; Jack McCarron 0-3, Kieran Hughes 0-2, 1tp; Francis Maguire, Tommy Mallen, Nicky Sherlock 0-1 each. 

Naomh Conaill: Stephen McGrath; Ultan Doherty, AJ Gallagher, Kevin McGettigan; Ethan 

O’Donnell, Leo McLoone, Finnbarr Roarty; Kieran Gallagher, Max Campbell; Brendan McDyer, Odhran Doherty, John O’Malley; Shea Malone, Charles McGuinness, Eoghan McGettigan.

Subs: Anthony Thompson for Gallagher (ht); Jeaic Mac Ceallbhuí and Keelan McGill for McDyer and McLoone (both 40); Dermot Molloy for O’Malley (52). 

Scotstown: Rory Beggan; Ryan O’Toole, Francis Maguire, Darragh Murray; Donnchadh Connolly, Kieran Hughes, Mark McPhillips; Micheal McCarville, Gavin McPhillips; Max Maguire, Shane Carey, Mattie Maguire; Tommy Mallen, Darren Hughes, Jack McCarron. 

Subs:  Nicky Sherlock for F Maguire (45); James Hamill for Mallen and Sean Treanor for Max Maguire (both 52); Jason Carey for Mattie Maguire (59). 

Referee: Paul Faldon (Down)