Karl Lacey's Kilcoo defeat Scotstown to reach fourth Ulster final in five seasons

Kilcoo manager Karl Lacey expressed his delight as his team capitalised on the space afforded by Scotstown, scoring five goals in a dominant 5-10 to 0-14 victory at the Box-IT Athletic Grounds in Armagh.

The win secured Kilcoo’s fourth Ulster final appearance in five seasons.

A devastating eight-minute spell saw Kilcoo hit four goals, overwhelming the Monaghan champions, who opted to go man-for-man against the Magpies — a challenge Kilcoo handled with clinical precision.

“It is always nice to get a couple of goals; we exploited the space fairly well,” Lacey said after the game.

“Scotstown were fairly brave, and we found the gaps at the right time. We had the right men in the right positions, and luckily, we took those opportunities.

"Because we missed an easy goal chance in the first half and then we missed an easy free after that.

“It is no secret that Kilcoo has a lot of pace, and when you get days to use it, then we get to play the football that Kilcoo like to play — and that’s when we are at our best.

"Scotstown are a good team, and maybe they got the medicine we got last year in terms of preparation.

"I said two weeks ago that the win over Crosserlough would stand to us, whereas Scotstown maybe didn’t get tested enough last week.”

Kilcoo’s first-half dominance was underlined by a quickfire double two minutes before the break. Chrissy Rooney, drafted in for Paul Devlin, pounced on a rebound from Anthony Morgan’s effort off the post to net from close range.

Moments later, Jerome Johnston’s shot was saved by Rory Beggan, only for the rebound to deflect in off Scotstown’s Shane Carey. By half-time, Kilcoo held a commanding 2-5 to 0-5 advantage, extended by Johnston’s late point.

Early in the second half, Miceál Rooney and Ceilum Doherty delivered two more goals in rapid succession, effectively sealing the game. Rooney added a second goal in the dying moments, leaving no doubt about Kilcoo’s dominance as they march on to another Ulster final.