Scotstown 1-14 Coleraine 2-10
Rory Beggan kicked two late frees to bring Scotstown back from the dead for a dramatic Ulster Club SFC semi-final win at Healy Park.
Coleraine, with goals from Ciaran Mullan and Ruairi Mooney, looked set to cause a shock when they led by four points with just a couple of minutes to play.
But goalkeeper Beggan joined the press as a 15th outfield player in a gripping closing sequence, and added his place-kicking expertise to the great escape.
Scotstown, playing with the wind, got in for a goal after six minutes, Beggan's kick-out finding Kieran Hughes, who sent Conor McCarthy through for a clinical finish.
As the Monaghan men peppered the goalmouth with high ball, full back Liam McGoldrick produced some classy defending, along with brother Barry, to limit the damage, and they broke at pace to pull back a goal midway through the opening half.
It was wing back Ciaran Mullan who dodged past three despairing tackles to plant his ball in the roof of the net beyond the reach of Beggan.
Scotstown responded with a superb long range score from Darren Hughes, but Coleraine had points from Ruairi Mooney and Declan Mullan, before Gavin McWilliams brought them level from a free.
Damien McArdle edged the Farney men in front in stoppage time, but Coleraine’s running game made life difficult for their opponents, and a second from McWilliams, followed by a score from corner back Barry Daly, nudged them in front for the first time, 1-7 to 1-6 at the break.
Mooney capped a surging Liam McGoldrick run with a brilliant second goal five minutes into the second half, before Mullan’s third pushed Coleraine four ahead.
Scotstown struggled to get past a solid and well organised defence, and they had to display patience to craft the opening for Francis Maguire’s score, before Kieran Hughes hit one on the counter after McWilliams struck a post when he should have had the ball in the net.
Barry McGoldrick’s superb point pushed the north coast men four clear, and with just two minutes to play, Scotstown were in deep trouble.
But with Beggan joining the offensive press, they got the scores they needed, two of them from Beggan frees, with Ryan O’Toole and Damien McArdle also finding the target as they completed the great escape.
Scotstown: R Beggan (0-3, 3f); B Boylan, R O'Toole (0-1), D McArdle (0-2); J McDevitt, D Morgan, E Caulfield; F Caulfield, D Hughes (0-1); F Maguire (0-1), K Hughes (0-2), J McCarey; S Carey (0-2, 2f), C McCarthy (1-1), O Heaphey (0-1). Subs: R McKenna for Heaphey (37), P Hamill for McCarey (48), J Hamill for F Caulfield (54), M McCarville for Maguire (60)
Coleraine: R McGeough; C Lagan, L McGoldrick, B Daly (0-1); C Mullan (1-0), B McGoldrick (0-1), C Lenehan; N Holly, R Money (1-1); M McTaggart, SL McGoldrick, G McWilliams (0-2, 1f); D Mullan (0-4), Colm McGoldrick (0-1), Ciaran McGoldrick. Subs: R Carey for Holly (43)
Referee: C Branagan (Down).
