Fintona bow out in semis to Blackhill

The Tyrone championship victors were on the chase of an Ulster final ticket but their Monaghan counterparts had looked leading contenders when winning their quarter-final impressively and they were able to produce the goods again on the day at Breffni Park.

These two teams had impressed en route to Saturday’s semi-final and Blackhill got off to a bright start, leaving Fintona chasing the game after the Monaghan men moved into a 1-2 to 0-2 advantage by the middle mark of the first half.

Blackhill Emeralds had put five goals past St Mary’s of Rasharkin in the Ulster quarters but Fintona’s preliminary and quarter-final displays were decent too plus business like in nature as the Pearses steered a safe course into the final four by defeating Ballyhegan and then Drumaness.

The Monaghan team did the double in the Farney county when adding a championship victory over Tyholland to their league success. Fintona carried on from a very consistent league season to clinch glory in the championship following a narrow verdict over Drumragh who eventually gained promotion too through the subsequent league play-offs.

An Ulster final place beckoned then for the respective champions of Tyrone and Monaghan as play got underway in Cavan under wintry conditions. Blackhill found their rhythm and range fairly quickly as Darren McElroy sent over a point in the 2^nd minute.

Blackhill followed up with point number too shortly afterwards when Hugh Byrne angled over and Fintona were still to settle into the stride of the game. Even at this early stage Blackhill seemed to have established a grip on what was unfolding.

Things got better for Blackhill on eleven minutes as Philip Donnelly stepped up to the stage and netted his first goal in what was a fine performance. Donnelly’s goal put the Monaghan side five points in front.

Fintona were trying to get on the ball and get a handle on the early exchanges, their first score arriving on 16 minutes through Aaron McCarney. Blackhill, though, returned to attacking mode and Philip Donnelly landed their third point of the contest.

James Daly extended Blackhill’s lead by tagging on a point and Fintona were relieved to find a reply on 23 minutes via Aaron McCarney’s second place kick of the encounter.

Blackhill led this semi-final by 1-4 to 0-2 approaching the interval but the Pearses steadied the ship a bit better as the Monaghan representatives didn’t add to their first half tally.

Aaron McCarney(free) scored a third point for Fintona and the sides reached midway in Breffni Park with Blackhill 1-4 to 0-3 leaders. There was work for the Tyrone team to do but they remained in the mix at the turnaround.

The Pearses were looking for a positive start to the second half but instead it was the Monaghan men who pointed first from Darren McElroy on 34 minutes and then by the 39^th minute Blackhill netted their second goal of the game as Philip Donnelly delivered a telling finish.

Fintona were now really playing catch-up plus subsequent Blackhill points from Ciaran Courtney and Philip Donnelly added to the degree of difficulty facing the Pearses in Cavan.

The Tyrone winners were endeavouring to find ways of making headway but Blackhill were tough to break down. Caolan Donnelly did stem the tide with a welcome Fintona point and the Tyrone champions then added another courtesy of Conor McGillion.

Blackhill, though, tightened their grip again as Philip Donnelly continued to cause the Pearses problems with a well-taken point and then Michael Geehan converted a place chance to leave his team ahead on 2-9 to 0-5 after 53 minutes.

Conor McGillion and Aaron McCarney continued to try for openings alongside Fintona team-mates; McCarney and McGillion registering points either side of a further Philip Donnelly score.

Time was against the Pearses and they couldn’t get much change out of the Emeralds defence. The Monaghan side saw the game through to book a final spot with Arva from Cavan as Fintona’s great season drew to a close.

An Ulster final place may have eluded the Pearses here but the progress made by this squad in the past couple of seasons, especially in 2023, has been excellent. They had that high league finish before regrouping to land the championship crown.

Fintona also recorded those two Ulster club championship victories prior to meeting a strong Blackhill team who had more firepower on the day. All the Fintona players, however, can hold their heads up high. They have combined as a squad to great effect and there is plenty to be positive about in terms of the future for everyone connected with the Pearses.

The Scorers

Fintona: Aaron McCarney 0-4(3f), Conor McGillion 0-2, Caolan Donnelly 0-1

Blackhill: Philip Donnelly(2-4), Darren McElroy 0-2, James Daly 0-1, Hugh Byrne 0-1, Ciaran Courtney 0-1, Tommy Geehan 0-1(f)

The Teams

Fintona: Cathal Gillespie, Marius Monaghan, Mark McGlinn, Paul Martin, Caolan Donnelly, Niall Murray, Pauric Kelly, Conor McGoldrick, Peter McGlinn, Jared Brogan, Eugene-Liam McCarroll, Tom Gavin, Oran Hughes, Conor McGillion, Aaron McCarney. Subs: Aidan Donnelly for T Gavin, Liam Maguire for P Kelly, Tommy McGrath for O Hughes, Conor McGowan for M Monaghan, Cormac Watson for P McGlinn

Blackhill: Michael Shevlin, Senan O’Brien, Donald Courtney, Killian Carragher, Gerry McArdle, James Daly, Anthony Courtney, Ciaran Courtney, Aaron Kelly, Tommy Geehan, Darren McElroy, Conal Martin, Michael Geehan, Hugh Byrne, Philip Donnelly. Subs: Senan O’Brien for M Geehan, Peter Daly for G McArdle

Referee: Pat Clarke, Cavan