DARREN'S PLOTTING A 'COO

Legend Hughes ready for Down aces after big semi-final drama

- BY PADDY TIERNEY

THE Box-It Athletic Grounds hasn't exactly been a happy hunting ground for Scotstown.

Having lost three Ulster Club finals at the venue since 2015, they booked their place in the latest decider after a remarkable penalty shootout win over Newbridge on Sunday.

To say the game was dramatic would be the understatement of the century as Newbridge fought back from being 10 points down to force extra-time with the final kick of the game. They repeated the feat in extra-time with their captain Conor McAteer scoring the vital points on each occasion.

But he wasn't to be the match-winner. That honour fell to Darren Hughes, the man who put his side 10 points clear in the early stages of the second half and the man whose ice-cool penalty settled an epic encounter in favour of the Monaghan champions.

Now they face Kilcoo. A little over 12 months ago, the perennial Down champions hit Scotstown for five goals in a one-sided provincial semifinal rout in Armagh.