It was third time lucky for Monaghan who were appearing in their third consecutive U21 Hurling Shield final. They came through with two golden scores in injury time at the end of extra time to pip Armagh and end seasons of disappointment and frustration. It helped too to eradicate some of the disappointment felt at senior level after a frustrating season. By John P. Graham. Monaghan had appeared in the final in both 2003 and last year, 2004, only to suffer the narrowest of defeats on both occasions but that disappointment was totally dissipated in the euphoria of this great victory. The clinching point came from Monaghan captain and man of the match Paul Meegan who gave a masterly display at wing half forward and was certainly one of the most accomplished players on view in this exciting contest. Having the services of Meegan was a boost but Monaghan still had to field without the services of a number of other players for a variety of reasons which made life more difficult than it might have been. It speaks volumes though for the character and commitment of the team that was on duty that they engineered a glorious victory. It was a victory too that was a just reward for all the people who had stuck with it in the disappointing days and it also meant a treble of medals for some of the players, as the basis of this team was made up from the U16 team that won the All Ireland U16 C championship and later the minor C championship, proof that coaching and skills development works. Team manager Owen Connell had anxious moments all through but it was all worth it in the end. "We probably didn't get as much work done as I would have liked before the start of the competition but there were a few key areas that we concentrated on and that paid dividends. Winning good possession out around midfield was the key to our game plan because we knew we had the forwards to take the scores if the chances were created and overall that worked very well. The first game against Donegal was a worry to us because they had been problematic in the past and it wasn't until the second half that we really imposed ourselves on that match. I suppose they would argue that when they got two players sent off it didn't help their cause but by then we were actually on top anyway and the sending offs were only incidental I think. When we beat Donegal we knew we would be playing Armagh in the final and then there was a deal of uncertainty about where and when the final would be played which didn't help our preparations or the players. The fact that Armagh had defeated us last year also added to the tension but in the end it all worked out alright. First of all it was supposed to take place in Clones as the curtain raiser to an All Ireland qualifier match and that didn't happen. Then it was to take place in Breffni Park as the curtain raiser to the Monaghan v Louth All Ireland qualifier and that too came a cropper at the 11th hour. There was even the suggestion that it could have been staged as the curtain raiser to the replay of the Ulster final but the people who make the fixtures in Croke Park had other ideas and we were out in the cold again. Eventually ourselves and Armagh agreed to play the game in Clones and it turned out to be a great decision because the Clones pitch at that stage of the year was in brilliant condition and it helped both sides to produce a great contest. Again going into the match we were short a number of players for a variety of reasons and then we lost Padraig Dowdall who picked up an ankle injury. So it was real backs to the wall stuff but fair play to the lads they dug deep and fashioned a great victory. We went in a point or two down at half time and Armagh started the second half well with the result that we found ourselves I think it was six points in arrears and facing a difficult situation. It was now however that the real character in this team shone through as they fought back to cancel out that deficit and retake the lead in a very strong ten minutes spell when they hit a goal and four points without reply between the 6th and 15th minutes. Noel Morgan started the fight-back with a point in the 6th minute, Brian McGuigan added another in the 7th, but the score that lit up St. Tiarnach's Park came in the 8th minute when substitute David McGahan fielded a high center, turned and crashed to the Armagh net to level the match. Monaghan continued to pile on the pressure with Gary Boyd winning possession in midfield while at the back Gerard Ruddy, Seamus McLoughlin, Eoin Greenan and James Connolly repelled a number of Armagh attacks and that pressure told with Ronan Meegan hitting a brace of points in the 12th and 15th minutes, one from a free, to put Monaghan two points in front. Armagh to their credit rallied to lift the siege and in a good three minutes spell they were back in front thanks mainly to a goal from Kevin Enright in the 21st minute along with a brace of points from Declan Coulter to set the game up for a grandstand finish. As before Monaghan fought back and in a strong finish they hit three unanswered points, two from Paul Meegan and one from David McGahan who had goal on his mind again to put the issue to extra time. Despite the fact that light was fading and opinions regarding the safety of players were expressed to officials two periods of extra time ensued with the game in the balance right through but Armagh left to rue three missed chances in the first period of extra time that could have given them a decided advantage. As it was neither side scored in the first period of extra time and things looked promising for the Orchard lads in the early minutes of the second period when Joe Burke put them in front with a well taken point. That however was to be their only score of that second period with Monaghan defending resolutely but leaving it late before they equalised through Paul Meegan. It was agonisingly close to the final whistle when they went in front with a brilliant opportunist point from Noel Morgan and the tension was palpable in those vital final seconds as Monaghan won the vital late possession to earn a free that was floated over the bar by Paul Meegan to wrap up victory. Teams and Scorers in the Ulster Final: Niall Lennon, James Connolly, Eoin Greenan, Gerard Ruddy, PJ Boyle, Alan Lambe, Seamus McLoughlin, Gary Boyd, Declan Crowe 0-1, Brian McGuigan 0-1, Michael Lennon 0-2, Paul Meegan 0-6, Ronan Meegan 0-2, Padraig Dowdall, Noel Morgan 0-3. Subs: David McGahan 1-1 for P Dowdall, Maurice McKenna for PJ Boyle, Gordon Coleman for R Meegan. Everybody played a part in what was a major victory but special mention would have to be made of a number of players like Gary Boyd who worked extremely hard, Declan Crowe who tackled and ran throughout, Alan Lambe and Stephen Lambe who both played with their hearts on their sleeves, Seamus McLoughlin in the defence who was often the man in the gap while substitute David McGahan also had a big impact when he was introduced, using his height to great effect and his goal was a rallying call. Winning the Shield lifted something of a burden off the team because of the disappointment of the two previous years when they had the trophy literally snatched from their grasp and so everyone was anticipating the All Ireland semi-final where they were down to meet Meath in Cavan. On the day though it just did not work out and the team did not play up to its potential. They took far too long to get into the game and missed too many simple chances and the longer the game went on the stronger Meath got. Again though they were fielding under strength with key players unavailable through injury, Padraig Dowdall was still out with his ankle injury and Gerard Ruddy was ruled out just before the start with a hand injury, while football commitments also ruled out a couple of others and team captain Paul Meegan was out of the country on holidays. So with those handicaps allied to their below par performance the team never really threatened to take over at any stage. It was a great learning experience for the boys however and everybody gained something from the entire campaign. The success of the under 21 team augurs well the future of the senior team both next year and for the years ahead and hopefully all of the boys who want to play hurling and who could contribute so much will be available and will be allowed to be available to the county so that they can win further honours. Team and Scorers v Meath: Niall Lennon, James Connolly, Eoin Greenan, Gerard Ruddy, PJ Boyle, Alan Lambe, Seamus McLoughlin, Gary Boyd 0-3, Declan Crowe, Brian McGuigan 0-1, Michael Lennon, Maurice McKenna, Ronan Meegan, David McGahan, Noel Morgan 0-1. Subs: Gerard Gilsenan for M McKenna, Stephen Lambe 0-1 for R Meegan, Gordon Coleman for D Crowe, Alan Lee for PJ Boyle, Paul Crotty for D McGahan. Tweet

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