Monaghan brought Westmeath’s fairytale championship to an end with a 1-28 to 2-19 win over the Leinster champions in Clones this afternoon.

Gabriel Bannigan’s side came good in the second-half, with a Jack McCarron goal in the 55th minute helping propel them to a six-point victory which advances the Farney men into their third All-Ireland SFC quarter-final in four years.

Micheál McCarville’s two-pointer in the eighth minute put the home side 0-5 to 0-2 ahead and they’d keep their noses in front until Matthew Whittaker got in for the game’s first goal on 21 minutes.

‘Man of the Match’ Stephen O’Hanlon nudged Monaghan back into the ascendancy with a point two minutes later and it’d be backed up by Andrew Woods’ two-pointer and a brace of McCarron points.

Mark McHugh’s team responded with a Sam McCartan point and then netted again through Brandon Kelly prior a Rory Beggan free from beyond the arc sailing over at the other end and then points by Kevin O’Sullivan and Kelly squaring things up (0-15 to 2-9) come the half-time hooter.

The sides would be level three more times in the third quarter ahead of the hosts putting same daylight in it with unanswered points through McCarron, O’Hanlon and Stephen Mooney.

A Ronan Wallace ‘45’ made it 0-22 to 2-14 prior to McCarron crashing the ball to the Lake men’s net with 15 minutes remaining.

Five more points without reply sailed over James Mitchell’s crossbar via Mooney (2), David Garland, Conor McCarthy and McCarron, leaving the Leinster champions with a mountain to climb in the closing stages.

They wouldn’t scale it and instead bowed out after a remarkable summer while Monaghan progressed to the last eight, with their opponents at Croke Park next weekend to be revealed in tomorrow morning’s draw.

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