Paddy Bradley celebrates one of his two goals at Clones
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Paddy Bradley showed his importance to Derry as he hit 2-8 in Saturday's football qualifier win over Monaghan. Bradley's remarkable haul started with a first-minute goal after a Padraig McBennett mistake and James Kielt's goal helped Derry lead 2-3 to 0-2. But Monaghan fought back to trail 2-8 to 0-11 at the break and then moved to within a point of Derry. However, Paddy Bradley's second goal on 54 minutes, after brilliant work by his brother, ensured Derry's deserved win. Bradley had been making the headlines all week after his apparent walkout from the Derry squad last Sunday before a quick change of mind saw him back at training in midweek. The former All Star made an immediate impact in Saturday's game by stabbing the ball into the net from close range after Monaghan goalkeeper McBennett had failed to fetch an Eoin Bradley high ball. Monaghan regrouped with the lively Ciaran Hanratty responding with two points but the Farney men were in big trouble by the 17th minute when Eoin Bradley unselfishly set up Kielt's goal which was followed by another Paddy Bradley point as Derry led 2-4 to 0-3. Derry were still seven points ahead by the 22nd minute (2-6 to 0-5) but Monaghan dominated the remainder of the second half to cut the Oak Leaf County's lead to three by the interval.
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606: DEBATE
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At that stage of the game, Monaghan were finally starting to compete at midfield as Rory Woods hit two points and the impressive Raymond Ronaghan, Paul Finlay and Hanratty also helped the Farney men rack up five unanswered points. A famous comeback looked on the cards as Monaghan reduced Derry's lead to the minimum two minutes after the break following scores from Finlay and half-time substitute Brendan McKenna. But then came the decisive period of the game as Derry hit 1-6 without reply to move into a 10-point lead. Fergal Doherty's return in midfield was starting to bear huge dividends for the Oak Leafers as Barry McGoldrick, Mark Lynch, sub Chrissy McKaigue joined the Bradleys in hitting unanswered scores. Derry's third goal was probably a repeat of many goals scored in the Bradley garden during their teenage years. Eoin shrugged off a Monaghan defender, before delivering a delightful ball with the outside of his left foot for Paddy to slot home soccer-style from close range. With the game in the bag, Derry indulged in a little showboating in the closing stages and it enabled Monaghan to hit six of the last seven scores to put a more respectable look on the scoreboard. But Derry were firmly back in the championship mix after a tense week while Monaghan manager Seamus McEnaney was left to reflect whether he should call time on his five-year reign.
Monaghan scores: C Hanratty (0-4), R Ronaghan (0-2), S Gollogly (0-1), P Finlay (0-4), R Woods (0-3), D Freeman (0-2), B McKenna (0-1), C McManus (0-1), P Meegan (0-2) Derry scores: Paddy Bradley (2-8), E Bradley (0-3), J Kielt (1-1), M Lynch (0-2), Barry McGoldrick (0-1), C McKaigue (0-1) Monaghan: P McBennett; D Mone, V Corey, D McArdle; D Freeman, G McQuaid, D Hughes; E Lennon, D Clerkin; S Gollogly, P Finlay, C McManus; C Hanratty, R Ronaghan, R Woods. Derry: B Gillis, D McBride, K McCloy, SM Lockhart, G O'Kane, B McGoldrick, SL McGoldrick, F Doherty, Patsy Bradley, J Diver, J Kielt, B Mullan, E Bradley, Paddy Bradley, M Lynch.
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