Ulster Club Championship: Kilcoo 0-11 1-9 Clontibret

Clontibret's Dessie Mone scored the vital goal in Newry

A late goal by Dessie Mone saw Monaghan side Clontibret grab victory over Kilcoo in the preliminary round of the Ulster Club Football Championship.

Kilcoo, the Down title holders for four of the last six years, looked to be on course for a quarter-final meeting with St Gall's who won the Antrim decider.

But Mone got the crucial score right at the end to seal a dramatic victory.

It was a battling display by Clontibret who had Paul McGuigan dismissed after yellow and black cards.

Kilcoo's Paul Branagan and Gerard McEvoy were sent-off late in the game.

With the Down champions leading by two points in the final moments, Mone pushed up as Clontibret searched for the goal they needed.

Mone palmed substitute's Michael O'Dowd's cross into the net deep into stoppage-time to put the Monaghan men through to face St Gall's.

Kilcoo had led the Pairc Esler contest by 0-6 to 0-5 at half-time but Conor McManus's frees saw Clontibret edge into a 0-9 to 0-7 advantage.

Brothers Jerome and Ryan Johnston were among the scorers as Kilcoo hit four without reply.

It seemed they had done enough, but Dominic Corrigan's side had other ideas.

Clontibret's Conor McManus: "In fairness to our boys they haven't given up all year no matter what has been thrown at us.

"It looked like were were heading out of the Ulster Club Championship, but the lads dug deep and I feel we got what we deserved.

"It was never going to be easy and we made it more difficult for ourselves by going down to 14 men, but the belief and character these boys have saw us over the line."