Scotstown 1-14 Eoghan Rua 2-10
Scotstown got out of jail in Omagh.
The favourites for the Ulster championship were fancied to coast through to the final. Eoghan Rua Coleraine had different ideas, very different ideas indeed about the whole thing.
The four-in-a-row Monaghan champs haven’t won in Ulster with this team and it looked for the majority of the second half as if these provincial yips were going to continue this year.
That was despite an explosive opening to the game.
An Bhoth got off to a belter of a start to settle themselves into it, their dancing half forward Conor McCarthy dazzling the Derry defence with his fancy footwork before slotting home an early goal off the left.
Eoghan Rua didn’t panic though. They took everything in their stride.
Half back Ciaran Mullen ghosted forward to bury in a goal after nineteen minutes and they began to take over this game then. Ruairi Mooney and Gavin McWilliams slotted a couple of points and Scotstown were coming back to them.
They edged into the lead just before half-time and it was game-on in Tyrone.
Eoghan Rua began the second half like they ended the first, like winners. Ruairi Mooney rattled the net for them four minutes into it and it looked like this was going to be a familiar tale of Ulster upset for the men of Monaghan.
But to their credit, they stayed on battling.
They were down by three with five minutes left, down by two with three minutes left. The McGoldricks were all thundering into it for Eoghan Rua, Conor McCarthy was still dancing for Scotstown.
Enter Rory Beggan.
He’d been playing the game from well outside his own goals all day but with this one really in the melting pot, he stood even taller.
He sent a clutch free over with three minutes of the game left to keep Scotstown alive.
.@AIB_GAA #UlsterClub SFC semifinal
27mins 2nd Half
Scotstown: 1-11(14)
Coleraine: 2-10(16) Rory Beggan free— @monaghangaa (@monaghangaa) November 18, 2018
Damien McArdle tied the scores three minutes deep into injury time and two minutes later, Scotstown were awarded free 48 yards out from goal.
Rory Beggan did this to win it.
Listen to that @ScotstownGAA roar as Rory Beggan does it again 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/nsc5gpc2K8
— Niall McIntyre (@NiallMcintyre) November 18, 2018
They were all taking about him.
Man beside me just said “ if Beggan had been in goals for Coleraine they’d have won by twenty points.” Scotstown won all of their kick outs. Coleraine only a few of theirs. And Beggan nailed the winning free from 48 metres
— Joe Brolly (@JoeBrolly1993) November 18, 2018
What a month he’s had.
