ULSTER GAA SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP. Monaghan v Derry: Celtic Park, Derry, Sunday May 24th @ 2.00pm. This weekend the Ulster senior football championship bandwagon rolls into Celtic Park for the much talked about and long-awaited meeting between Derry and Monaghan with a place in the semi-final against either Tyrone or Armagh the prize on offer. Neither side though will be considering who they might play in the semi-final because to indulge in such thought processes could seriously deflect the high level of concentration and intensity that will be needed for a winner to come out of the cauldron that Celtic Park will be on Sunday. Traditionally a graveyard for visiting teams, and Monaghan know that to their cost as well as any other county, Celtic Park has now been redeveloped and Derry will be even more determined to celebrate their return to their traditional citadel with a victory. Derry did not play any of their home games in the National League or the Dr. McKenna Cup in Celtic Park this year due to the ongoing redevelopment that has seen the provision of covered seated accommodation and other modern facilities in the new look city venue. Sunday's match is now a homecoming and the occasion is also in essence the official opening of the redeveloped Derry HQ which will add to the potency of the occasion. Any way this game is examined or assessed Monaghan are certainly the underdogs going into this particular contest but they will take heart from the performance of the underdogs on Sunday last when Fermanagh came with a late charge to outstrip Down in the preliminary round in Brewster Park. Monaghan know only too well how Down felt trooping out of Brewster Park on Sunday last as they had experienced the very same result in last year's championship opener. Monaghan though will be keenly aware that they are up against different opposition in the shape of Derry, a team that has campaigned in Division I of the National Football League for a number of seasons and who in fact reached the National Football League division 1 final earlier this year only to be pipped by Kerry. Monaghan were in action in Croke Park on that occasion as well but a below par performance left a somewhat deflated feeling among Monaghan folk as the team had failed to do themselves justice against Cork. The total concentration since then has been preparing for this May 24th date with Derry and if truth be told this is the date that has been on the mind of Seamus McEnaney, his backroom team and his charges since training recommenced before the start of the Dr. McKenna Cup. McEnaney is on record as saying that on a number of occasions and he made no secret of the fact that he was using the league to create a panel of 24 players, all of whom, in his own words, could cut it in a championship atmosphere". Monaghan's result last year against Fermanagh will also have acted as motivation for this year's championship as the county seeks to end a 21 year championship famine as they have to go back to 1988 for Monaghan's last Ulster title. When the draws for this year's championship were made it was patently obvious that Monaghan were in the more difficult side of the draw, pitted against teams like Derry, Armagh and Tyrone with the result that victory on Sunday would see the team moving from one hugely competitive game to a situation where they were playing either the reigning Ulster or All Ireland champions. Challenges don't come any bigger than that but with Derry rated equally along with Armagh and Tyrone as Ulster title contenders Monaghan certainly start in the position of underdogs. Like Monaghan Derry used the National Football League to develop a panel of players for the championship and Derry manager Damien Cassidy has said repeatedly that his sole focus this year is on an Ulster title. He used the National League to experiment and rotate players and still reached the Division I final to make for a very impressive start in his first season in charge and illustrate the strength in depth that he has in his panel of players. PROSPECTS. In looking at where this one might be won and lost it would be easy to just concentrate on one or two of the big-name players on either side as the people most likely to influence the outcome. This is a game though that will not be won by one or two individuals, although moments of individual brilliance can influence the outcome of any match, but it is rather a contest where the most durable will prevail in an atmosphere that is certain to be electric given the recent history between the sides and the fact that it is back in Celtic Park. Names that trip easily off the tongue as potential match winners would be, Paddy and Eoin Bradley from Derry or Tomas Freeman and Paul Finlay from Monaghan and it is quite possible that one or all of these will be the key personnel. The approach though and the whole trust by both sides will be on playing to their strengths and generating a level of intensity that will give them the edge in this championship atmosphere. Monaghan showed during the league that they can produce that type of performance as evidenced by displays against Fermanagh in Enniskillen, Armagh in the Athletic Grounds and Laois in Portlaoise in particular. Against that though Derry's campaign in the higher division, Division I, saw them playing seven matches, winning four, drawing one and losing two, to Tyrone and Kerry, an indication of the power base that has dominated Gaelic football in recent years. It is generally accepted that league and championship form bearing little resemblance but it is also somewhat unusual for a team to have a successful championship campaign on the back of a poor league as the league is now the jumping off point for the championship in most cases. In defence Derry have experienced campaigners in the likes of Kevin McGuckin at right full-back, Kevin McCloy at full-back and Gerard O'Kane with the latter the youngest of the three while in the half back line Barry and Sean Leo McGoldrick are players of quality. Derry also will have the services of Francis McEldowney to call on although he did not take part in the National League final due to a family bereavement. The news that Enda Muldoon may well miss out on Sunday's clash is a blow to Derry's prospects as the big Ballinderry man is something of a rallying force given his physical presence and experience. He is reported to have picked up a foot injury, a broken bone, during training last weekend, an injury similar to the one that ruled him out of the Ulster club championship final replay at the end of last year. The midfield pairing that is most likely to operate is that of Fergal Doherty and Joe Diver with Paul Murphy on the '40 but it is the full forward line of Eoin Bradley, Paddy Bradley and Mark Lynch that Derry will look to for the scores that can see them end a two game losing sequence to Monaghan in championship matches. Another player who could well have finger in Damien Cassidy's plans is young James Kielt, who added to his growing reputation with some excellent performances during the league, a campaign he finished with a goal and eleven points, (1-11). Kielt was on the Derry minor team that was defeated by Galway in the All Ireland minor football championship final a few seasons back and he has made steady progress since joining the Derry senior panel. SO WHAT OF MONAGHAN. Monaghan for their part will look to the tried and trusted and if they are to get across the line in this one it will be the players who secured promotion to division one that will figure most prominently. Team captain Vincent Corey can operate in defence or attack but if John Paul Mone is preferred at full-back then it could be an all Clontibret full-back line with John Paul Mone's brother Dessie in the right corner and Vincent Corey on the left. Gary McQuaid is almost certain to man the centre half back position where his battle with Paul Murphy will be a key element and the most likely players either side of him are Damien Freeman and Darren Hughes, the latter coming off a season that also saw him captain Jordanstown in the Sigerson Cup. Damien Freeman on the other wing is a hugely experienced campaigner who captained Monaghan for four years and who could also double as an attacker should the need arise. Dick Clerkin and Eoin Lennon has been Monaghan's preferred midfield partnership in an area that is certain to be hugely competitive and the outcome of which could go some way to determining the eventual result. Up-front Monaghan have power and pace as well as finishing skills with the likes of Paul Finlay, Tomas Freeman, Rory Woods and Stephen Gollogly all capable of influencing things in that area. Add to them the pace and finishing of Conor McManus and the real find for Monaghan in the National League, Mark Downey show that Monaghan have the firepower to clinch the result. Those are all players who figured prominently in Monaghan's National League campaign but Seamus McEnaney has other options with Ciaran Hanratty now coming back into form and Kieran Hughes, younger brother of Darren Hughes offering further options. A hugely talented player Hughes has come through from the minor ranks and although younger than Derry's James Kielt he could be a player who could figure in the ultimate outcome. SCORING AVERAGES. If Damien Cassidy has been working with Derry to make them less reliant on the scoring prowess, the undoubted scoring prowess of Paddy Bradley, by implementing a new system of play that places an onus on all members of the team to go for and take scores then Monaghan have shown changes in that regard as well as they are no longer totally reliant on the accuracy of Tomas Freeman. That said though, Freeman is still crucial to their prospects as he finished top scorer in the league with a total of 5-22 out of a total for Monaghan of 12 goals and 106 points but Monaghan had 15 other players on the score sheet with Paul Finlay leading that bunch with a total of 1-29, Mark Downey next to him with 1-9 and Conor McManus finishing with the same total, 1-9. League form may not count in assessing championship potential but the scoring averages for each in the league can give an indication of what may emerge. In the round robin series of the league Derry finished in second place in division 1 scoring a talk of 2-95 for, while conceding a total of 3-72, to make for a points difference of 20. Monaghan finished top of division 2 scoring a total of 12-94 for, while conceding a total of 4-79, to make for a points difference of 39, indicating a somewhat better average per match but those statistics will have little influence on the outcome on Sunday. Sunday's game will depend on hunger, it will depend on discipline and yet discipline that will still allow the game to build in intensity in what is sure to be at a very competitive and highly charged affair. Monaghan will know that they will have to improve immensely on their performance against Cork in the National Football League division 2 final if they are to have any serious championship aspirations while Derry will also look to improve on certain aspects of their play against Kerry but perhaps not needing as great an improvement as Sunday's visitors. PREVIOUS MEETINGS. Monaghan have been successful on the last two occasions that these sides met in championship action, one in the Ulster senior football championship in 2007 and in last year's All Ireland qualifiers. Prior to that though it has been a story of Derry dominance and taken from the last time that Monaghan won the Ulster championship in 1988 the results have all gone Derry's way. In that time they have met on seven occasions with Derry successful in six of those meetings although it took a replay in two of them to get Derry through. Derry were victorious in the first round of the Ulster championship in 1991, they defeated Monaghan after a replay in 1992, again in the first round and also accounted for them in the 1983 semi-final. 1997 was the next meeting which again went to a replay with Derry victorious and Derry were also successful in 1998 and 2005, both first round matches. In last year's Ulster championship semi-final Monaghan prevailed by two points and just one point separated them when they met in last year's All Ireland senior football championship qualifiers first round. THE RESULTS. 1991 Ulster SFC Derry 0-13, Monaghan 0-8 1992 Ulster SFC Derry 1-14 Monaghan 3-8, (replay: Derry 2-9, Monaghan 0-7). 1993 Ulster SFC semi-final; Derry 0-19, Monaghan 0-11 1997 Ulster SFC Derry 1-11, Monaghan 2-8, (replay: Derry 2-15 Monaghan 0-10) 1998 Ulster SFC Derry 3-13 Monaghan 0-11 2005 Ulster SFC Derry 1-17 Monaghan 2-8 2007 Ulster SFC semi-final; Derry 1-9, Monaghan 0-14. 2008 All Ireland SFC Qualifier: Derry 1-12 Monaghan 1-13. LAST ULSTER CHAMPIONSHIP ENCOUNTER: THE 2007 SEMI FINAL. Monaghan 0-14 Derry 1-9 Casement Park echoed to the rafters as Monaghan folk celebrated long and loud following their teams thoroughly deserved victory over Derry in the semi-final of the 2007 Ulster senior football championship. Part of the gate receipts was snatched in a hijacking incident on the M1 motorway but on the field there was to be no late smash and grab act by Derry who were totally outclassed and outplayed on the day. It had been suggested that there was a gap in class between Monaghan and Derry in the run up to the game and on the day there was but not in the manner that had been suggested with Monaghan showing true championship form as they swept to a sensational victory. Derry did strike for a goal late in the second-half that gave them a chance to turn the game around but this Monaghan team has a new vein of steel and they struck back with deadly effect to consolidate with late points. Monaghan were deserving winners as they outplayed, out foxed and outscored a Derry team that failed to live up to their pre-match rating and but for some wayward shooting and the concession of a somewhat freak goal Monaghan would have won by a much greater margin. In any analysis of the entire game their two points victory did not do justice to their superiority on the day. Monaghan were never headed in the entire contest after Tom Freeman opened the scoring with a point after a mere 15 seconds and he went on to simply torture the Derry defence with his pace, skill and audacious opportunism that left a number of defenders simply floundering in his wake. As they had done for their opening game against Down Monaghan did not start with the 15 players that were announced for the match but made a couple of very late changes in personnel but judging the overall display they were changes that were well justified in a game plan that worked to near perfection. Monaghan led at half time by 0-6 to 0-5 and while Derry levelled in the early minutes of the second half Monaghan pushed on again with a brace from Tomas Freeman. Twice Derry got the margin down to the minimum but each time Monaghan struck back to prevent them gaining any further inroads. A somewhat fortuitous goal by Paddy Bradley threw Derry a late lifeline but Monaghan rallied for points by Tomas Freeman and Stephen Gollogly to ensure a deserved victory and a place in the final for the first time since 1988. Teams and Scorers: Monaghan: Shane Duffy, Dessie Mone, Vincent Corey, Dermot McArdle, Damien Freeman, Gary McQuaid, Donal Morgan, Eoin Lennon, Dick Clerkin, John Paul Mone, Rory Woods 0-3, Stephen Gollogly 0-4, Ciaran Hanratty, Shane Smith, Tomas Freeman 0-7. Subs: Conor McManus for D Morgan, Hugh McElroy for S Smith, Paul Meegan for C Hanratty, Darren Hughes for S Gollogly. Derry: Barry Gillis, Michael McGoldrick, Kevin McCloy, Gerard O'Kane, Patsy Bradley, Sean Martin Lockhart, Cathal McKeever, Fergal Doherty, James Conway 0-2, Raymond Wilkinson, Conleth Gilligan 0-3, Joe Diver 0-1, Paddy Bradley 1-2, Enda Muldoon, Mark Lynch 0-1. Subs: Liam Hinphey for Patsy Bradley, Barry McGoldrick for R Wilkinson, Conor Devlin for F Doherty, Paul Murphy for C Gilligan. Referee: Frank Flynn (Leitrim). Tweet

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