Monaghan's 2004 SFC campaign lasted three short weeks. Successive defeats to Armagh and Longford meant the summer was over for Colm Coyle's charges before it had even begun. The glorious highs of 2003 were always going to be difficult to emulate. And so it came to pass as we witnessed the Monaghan senior footballers fall flat on their face in '04. Though everyone possesses their own particular theory as to how, where and why it all went wrong, the actual cause of Monaghan's capitulation remains unclear. However, the sense of disappointment that engulfed the county in mid-June - as we faced into another long, not-so-hot summer with no prospect of intercounty honour - was all too clear. In the aftermath of our latest premature championship exit (Played 2, Lost 2) football followers in Monaghan were left genuinely concerned that '04 represented a major movement in the wrong direction. If 2003 was a step forward, could it also be argued then that 2004 was the equivalent of two steps back? Has all the good work been undone? Does 2003 now count for nothing? How badly will player morale be affected by those quickfire defeats to Armagh and Longford - in our own back yard? Was the sense that Monaghan were making progress just an illusion? Are we really no closer than ever to returning from the wilderness? Did Monaghan really win Ulster championships in 1979, '85 and '88? While there is flippancy to some of the above comments, it must also be pointed out that these questions are worth asking. The problem is that nobody knows for sure just how good or how bad Monaghan are any more. And the uncertainty is unnerving. Fortunately for Yours Truly, the purpose of this piece is not to provide a prognosis on the current welfare of Monaghan football but rather to reflect on the events of the 2004 season. Safer - and easier methinks - to let the reader draw his/her own conclusions… The honeymoon was over. The marriage between Colm Coyle and Monaghan got off to a dream start in 2003 with a McKenna Cup win and memorable championship victories over Armagh and Westmeath. It was an encouraging start and hopes were high that Monaghan could build upon it. Surely when the honeymoon ends the bliss can continue? Unfortunately, in Monaghan's case, it didn't. The players were unable to pick up where they had left off and the entire 2004 season could accurately be described as something of a non-event. The team just never got started, despite the best efforts of everybody concerned. The new format for the McKenna Cup didn't appeal to the holders and the results therein didn't exactly inspire confidence. Still, it was only the McKenna Cup… The national league would give a better indication of where we stood. Promotion to the top flight was the target but, alas, was an objective that Monaghan never came close to realising. The campaign began in the worst possible way with a shock defeat in Carlow on February 1 and closed in a similar fashion when Monaghan crashed to eventual Division Two winners Offaly at Tullamore on Sunday April 4. Monaghan conceded three first half goals that day and lost by 3-8 to 0-12. In between, the league campaign never got off the ground. Even though the selectors were reportedly using the competition as a testing ground to finalise their championship team, the distinct lack of decent performances was nonetheless demoralising. There was a good effort in the second round when Clare were comprehensively beaten and Monaghan also performed well in their next outing, against Donegal. To this day, it remains a mystery how they lost in Ballybofey. Monaghan struggled past London, drew with Leitrim and lost to Roscommon. Five points from seven games was a paltry return. But Armagh in the first round of the 2004 Ulster SFC was the big one and everything else would be quickly forgotten if Monaghan could fashion a victory in that one. They'd beaten the Orchard men in the corresponding fixture twelve months earlier (when Armagh were defending Ulster and All-Ireland champions) and everything was geared towards the eagerly-anticipated re-match. Here was a chance for Monaghan to prove that the '03 result had been more than a mere fluke. For their illustrious neighbours, the May 23 clash offered a chance of redemption. There was no shortage of motivation in either camp and the stage was set for an enthralling contest. Unfortunately, what transpired was anything but. On the day, Armagh completely overwhelmed their listless and ineffective opponents and the general consensus at St Tiernach's Park was that Monaghan had been lucky to escape with just a mauling! 2-19 to 0-10 … the scoreline said it all. Defeat sent Monaghan spiralling into the Qualifiers. They were drawn against Longford and the game took place at Clones on Saturday June 12. The home side led by four points with less than a minute remaining but somehow the midlanders forced the game into extra time before claiming a most unlikely victory. A sense of disbelief accompanied the final whistle. Monaghan had played much better than they did against Armagh, but they were equally as shell-shocked. It was a difficult defeat to digest because the Longford game was one that Monaghan deserved to win. But Monaghan's year was over. In truth, it had never really started. When the highlight of your entire year is a home league win over Clare, then you know the mustard has not been cut. Monaghan's season finally ended after 90 minutes of drama at Clones on Saturday June 12, with Longford demonstrating an uncanny knack for finding the net in injury time to prevail by 4-14 to 1-17. It had appeared as though Monaghan were home and dry, four points to the good with the final whistle imminent, but Liam Keenan swooped with a 70th-minute goal and Padraig Davis took the match to extra time with a late, late free. Monaghan made a great start when Damien Freeman gathered possession from his brother Thomas and blasted to the back of the net. A Gary McQuaid point had the losers 1-1 to 0-1 to the good before the exceptional Davis landed two points for Longford. Rory Woods saw his point cancelled out but scores from Woods and Thomas Freeman sent the hosts three points clear. Indeed, Monaghan would have been further ahead but eight first-half wides would cost them dearly. Two more Davis points were followed by one from Damien Freeman to leave Monaghan two points ahead at the short whistle, 1-5 to 0-6. Though Longford started the second half brightly, Monaghan found their range and dominated for long spells, claiming a 1-15 to 1-11 lead with time almost up. Having seen victory so cruelly snatched from their grasp, Monaghan fell apart in extra time and were outscored by 2-2 to 0-2 in the additional 20 minutes. In four years in the Qualifiers, Monaghan have now managed to win only a single game. Colm Coyle and his selectors Noel Marron and Declan Brennan had made a number of changes to the side so comprehensively beaten by Armagh. John Paul Mone, Paraic McKenna, Nicholas Corrigan and Rory Woods came in at the expense of Jason Hughes, Dessie Mone, Kieran Tavey and Raymond Ronaghan, with Dermot Duffy moving to midfield. The performance that followed was a vastly improved one - but it wasn't enough. The Red Letter Day in Monaghan's season was Sunday May 23 and all roads led to Clones for the championship opener against neighbours Armagh. It was a massive game for both counties as reputations would be either created or destroyed. Monaghan once more held their pre-championship training camp in Portugal, while Armagh returned to La Manga. This was serious business. Monaghan were boosted by news that John McEntee, Kieran McGeeney and Diarmuid Marsden would be unavailable but knew also that the Orchard County boosted incredible strength in depth. Since the sensational 0-13 to 0-9 victory of 2003, Monaghan had lost the services of Damian McKenna, Michael Slowey and Anthony Rooney. This was the 33rd championship meeting of the two counties. From the previous 32 clashes, Monaghan had won 19 and Armagh 13, with five of those encounters requiring replays. Monaghan handed championship debuts to Clontibret's Dessie Mone and Edmund Lennon from Latton. There were three other changes in personnel from the side that had raided the Orchard the previous summer, with Dick Clerkin, Gary McQuaid and Kieran Tavey coming into the starting XV. Armagh were a class apart on the day and cruised to an easy victory over a Monaghan side that never got out of first gear. Only 15 seconds had elapsed when Stephen McDonnell set the tone by firing Armagh ahead and Ronan Clarke added another point within two minutes. Monaghan levelled by the 12th minute thanks to Paul Finlay and Clerkin but that really was as good as it got. Armagh dominated the rest of the opening half and goals from twin terrors McDonnell and Clarke had them in command at the interval, 2-8 to 0-3, with the game well and truly over as a meaningful contest. The Monaghan team that squared up to Armagh in the 2004 Ulster senior football championship on Sunday May 23: Glen Murphy; Edmund Lennon, James Coyle, Vincent Corey; Gary McQuaid, Dermot Duffy, Dessie Mone; Jason Hughes, Eoin Lennon; Paul Finlay (0-4), Thomas Freeman, Dick Clerkin (0-2), Kieran Tavey, Raymond Ronaghan, Damien Freeman (0-2). Subs: Rory Woods (0-2), John Paul Mone, Dermot McDermott, James Conlon, Nicholas Corrigan. Tweet

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