FERMANAGH........................... 2-8
MONAGHAN ........................... 0-10
In every sense of the word it was return to business at Brewster Park.
A feisty Fermanagh team celebrated the arrival back to the championship hearth of Brewster Park with a rousing performance that saw them clear the championship hurdle posed by Monaghan.
The fifth win in the last five championship occasions that the Erne have defeated the Farney outfit and again it was to be totally merited success that now brings them to a semi final joust in a little over three weeks time with either Donegal or Derry.
It would not be exaggeration to claim that Fermanagh swept to this triumph. Four points the difference at the end but it might well have been closer to double figures.
For over the closing fifteen minutes of the contest, after they had poached their second goal, there was really only one team on the park.
Fermanagh who had hoovered up a considerable percentage of the midfield possession from the early minutes, stepped up their command of this crucial area and a bedraggled Monaghan were almost continually pushed onto the back foot.
The Monaghan composure began to fray and their performance over what was an increasingly fraught closing ten minutes became indisciplined. A stream of fouls on inrunning Fermanagh forwards ensured that the ball was kept deep in the Monaghan sector with the minutes ticking down.
And in the end the frustration took its toll, Monaghan substitute Gary McQuaid, dismissed for a machine gun stream of offences any one of which deserved a red card.
The departure of McQuaid didn't have any impact on the game, it was much too late for that, and in any case Fermanagh were simply winding down the clock.
But it was an incident which encapsulated the dire nature of unhappy Monaghan's day.
They had come to Brewster, fuelled with ambition from their championship exploits of last season when they were ousted from the Sam Maguire race in heartbreaking fashion at the quarter final stage by a late, late Kerry point.
Though they may have more recently dipped in form with a lame duck finale to their division two league campaign with losses to Cork and Westmeath, Monaghan still possessed the credentials to be recognised as strong Ulster contenders.
After seventy chastening minutes in Brewster Park they were to depart a crestfallen side, a team whose hopes had been razed by an opposition who had held the initiative for practically all of what was an engrossing hour.
And that initiative was seized by Fermanagh in electrifying fashion with a third minute goal plundered by full forward Liam McBarron. Goals as early as this don't always prove to be beneficial for the fortunate recipient.
There is still a long road to travel and there is ample time for matters to unravel.
But on this occasion the early goal was to be a significant factor for it presented Fermanagh with a lead which was subsequently never surrendered.
Monaghan worked exceptionally hard to recover the ground so suddenly given up but the closest that they were to bridge the gap was down to a single point. They managed to do this twice.
Once in the middle stages of the first half and then again around the 45th minute mark.
The latter was to be the most dangerous period as far as Fermanagh were concerned. They had seen a four point lead trimmed down to the minimum and Monaghan were on a upward curve. There did look every possibility that Monaghan would live up to the tag of pre match favouritism.
But a Fermanagh side who had been creaking, were to respond in devastating style. A couple of points went some way to ease concern and then the guillotine swished down to end Monaghan's day.
Fermanagh grabbed a second goal. Like the first goal it was created by an element of fortune.
Goal one had seen an Eamon Maguire fisted effort spiral back off the upright and fall kindly to Liam McBarron. Goal two had a Ryan Keenan shot for a point slip wayward into the reach of Ciaran McElroy who flicked home.
The fates had been kind to Fermanagh but crucially they had taken what had been popped up to them.
That second goal careered the team into a solid five points advantage.
There was still adequate time for Monaghan to rescue the situation but the McElroy goal had knocked the heart out of them and over the remaining period it was a sturdy and robust Fermanagh team who generally dictated the contest.
No questioning the superiority of the Erne team who were registering a splendid and totally deserved quarter final triumph.
A day when a considerable number of Fermanagh players stepped up to the plate and delivered the necessary performances.
Corner back Peter Sherry had an especially fine match, wing back Thomas McElroy was another to shine but overall the back division produced a tight and tenacious collective effort.
Monaghan were restricted to a ten points tally and more importantly didn't create a decent goal scoring opportunity during a seventy minutes of disciplined, organised Fermanagh defensive operations.
In the middle of the park there were to be towering contributions from Martin McGrath and Mark Murphy. The latter inevitably didn't soar to the majestic standards of the divisional final with Wexford but he still proved a more than able colleague for McGrath whose turn it was to capture the ovation for a masterly display.
Up front it was a busy and bubbling effort. All concerned chipped in.
Ryan Keenan worked exceptionally hard, grafting with purpose, Eamon Maguire again won any half decent possession that was tossed into him, substitute Shane McCabe's poise on the ball proved problematical for a wilting Monaghan defence to cope with.
Perhaps a little too much taken out of the ball on occasion but this would be quibbling.
The attack did the job of work, critically snapped up the goal chances that tumbled their way and produced a more cohesive game than that of Monaghan.
All in all a memorable return to Brewster Park, a day to savour.
The summer days are here.
Team Fermanagh
Ronan Gallagher; Shane Goan; Hugh Brady; Peter Sherry; Damian Kelly; Ryan McCluskey; Thomas McElroy; Martin McGrath; Mark Murphy; Ryan Keenan; James Sherry; Mark Little; Eamon Maguire; Liam McBarron and Ciaran McElroy; Subs; Shane McCabe for J Sherry; Shane McDermott for H Brady. Mattie Keenan for C McElroy
Monaghan;
Shane Duffy; Dessie Mone; John Paul Mone; Dermot McArdle; Damian Freeman ;Gary McQuaid; Donal Morgan; Eoin Lennon; Paul Finlay; Dick Clerkin; Stephen Gallogly; Conor McManus; Rory Woods; Vincent Corey; Tomas Freeman; Subs; Ciaran Hanratty for R Woods; Ronan Ronaghan for C McManus; Darren Hughes for D Morgan and Rory Woods for S Gallogley;
Scorers Fermanagh;
C McElroy (1-1); R Keenan (0-3); L McBarron (1-0); M McGrath; S McCabe; E Maguire and M Little (0-1) each;
Monaghan;
P Finlay (0-3);T Freeman (0-3); CHanratty; V Corey; C McManus and E Lennon (0-1) each
Referee
Derek Fahy Longford.
