RESULTS

2020 Ulster MFC semi-finals

Monaghan 3-10 Fermanagh 2-10

Derry 3-10 Tyrone 2-12

2021 Leinster MFC First Round

Louth 3-10 Westmeath 0-10

Kildare 4-10 Longford 1-12

Carlow 3-14 Wicklow 2-15

Laois 1-11 Wexford 0-14 AET (Laois win on penalties)

Monaghan and Derry will contest the 2020 Ulster minor football final, after both counties came through thrilling semi-final contests against neighbouring counties this afternoon.

Fermanagh, who have never won an Ulster minor title and who last contested a provincial decider in 2003, looked to have done enough to advance when points from Seán Conlon, Fionán O’Brien and Diarmuid King gave them a narrow lead going into stoppage time in their contest at Kingspan Breffni Park.

Heartbreak was to be their fate however as Dylan O’Reilly fired in a goal in the first minute of stoppage time and this was followed by a point from Cian Conlon to make it 3-10 to 2-10. This was the biggest lead of the game since the tenth minute, when Seán Conlon’s goal for Fermanagh undid Monaghan’s fast start and set in train an enthralling end-to-end contest.

Just over an hour down the N54/A3, Derry took on Tyrone at the Athletic Grounds and here too there was some fantastic scoring, up until an incredibly tense final quarter.

Matthew Downey slammed in a penalty for Derry to make it 3-9 to 2-11 to the Oak Leaf county after 40 minutes, but the scoring dried up from there, with just one point scored by each team for the remainder of the game.

In the first contests of the 2021 championship, goalkeeper Conor Brown was the unlikely hero for Laois at MW Hire O’Moore Park, as he saved two penalties and scored one of his own in a dramatic shootout against Wexford.

The Model County will look at the second half of the game as where they lost their way, having taken an 0-6 to 0-3 lead into the break with Laois down to 14 men due to a red card to Jack Byrne. Cathal Lee also received a straight red card for the home side after 40 minutes, yet Laois rallied with some of their best football in the final quarter and it was Wexford who had to find a late point – a Kyle Rankin free – to send the game into overtime.

Now back up to 15, a superb Cormac Murphy goal put Laois four up in extra time but again Wexford produced a comeback, scoring through Darby Purcell (twice), Eoin Whelan and Tomas Mythen to force a shootout.

Points from Gerard Hanlon and Dara McDonnell inside the first two minutes, quickly followed by a goal from Liam Flynn in the 5th minute, gave Louth an early lead at TEG Cusack Park that they never relinquished in a 3-10 to 0-10 victory over Westmeath.

With McDonnell hugely influential at midfield throughout, a second goal from Kieran McArdle shortly before half-time pushed the lead out to six and the Wee County easily held Westmeath at bay for the remainder, with Flynn adding their third goal just before the end.

Corner forwards Elliot Byrne and Gavin Thompson shot 2-8 between them in Kildare’s comfortable 4-10 to 1-12 win over Longford, who took an early lead through a stunning Paddy Moran goal but struggled to keep pace from then on.

Kildare led by four at the break and pushed on through second half goals from James Harris and Niall Dolan to secure the win.

A strong late comeback wasn’t enough for Wicklow at Netwatch Cullen Park, where Carlow just about held on to edge out their neighbours by 3-14 to 2-15. Ronan Quinlan and Cillian Fagan raised green flags for Carlow as they built up a nine point lead, but Wicklow gradually worked their way back into the game and a palmed goal from Finn Treacy in stoppage time made for a very nervous conclusion to the contest.