Athlone Town 0 - 0 Monaghan United

Monaghan United’s feeble chances of making the end-of-season promotion/relegation play-offs ended in the surroundings of St Mel’s Park on Friday night with a dramatic scoreless draw against second-from-bottom Athlone Town - with Alan Oliver the unlikely hero for the home side.

Just the second time in their last eleven times that Monaghan have failed to score, their blank was to prove expensive - they needed three wins from their last three games to have any chance of forcing their way into the crowded waiting-room for the play-offs.

And to make their bluntness all the more inexcusable, they were able to play against a side without a proper goalkeeper for the last half an hour of the game!

Town netminder Paul Brennan, only taking his place after 19-year-old David Moran headed off to the United Arab Emirates with the Ireland under-20s, was sent off by referee Michael O’Brien for a professional foul on Mons’ Darren McKenna.

Alan Oliver, a defender, went between the sticks, and responded brilliantly with a late double-save to deprive the visitors. First he smothered McKenna’s close-range effort, and immediately found the reflexes to touch Alan King’s shot onto the bar and away to safety.

Warren Parkes missed a late chance for Athlone, and Monaghan were unable to break down the resolute home defence for a season-saving goal. © eleven-a-side.com