The bottom of the table clash at Buckley Park left no distance between Monaghan United and Kilkenny City when the final whistle blew. United had gone to Kilkenny with their hopes high but despite some frustrating near misses, the Mons came home with only a point to show for their efforts.
Within seconds of the game starting, United’s Cian Mackey was up the field in pursuit of glory. He won a corner for his efforts and Kevin Williamson’s ball in met Mons top scorer, Robbie Farrell’s head but Kilkenny’s goalie was able to make the catch and set Kilkenny on the road for their first attack. Monaghan’s goalkeeper Alvin Rouse was blessing his height when he was able to easily pluck the incoming ball out of the sky.
Kilkenny and Monaghan both had some great chances go wide within the first 10 minutes of the game but it was City who hit the jackpot on the 13th minute when Martin Tynan took advantage of the goal mouth confusion, which followed Stephen Grant’s corner, and slyly sent the ball into the back of the net.
United went back on the attack immediately however and Paul Whelan, Cian Mackey and Kevin Williamson teamed up nicely to worry the City defenders. City managed to get the ball back out but not for long. Cian Mackey led the push into the Cat’s danger zone and United took full advantage of the free kick he won for them. Defender Barry Burke’s confident header into the back of the net evened things up and threw the game wide open again with only 17 minutes on the clock.
Willie Doyle looked like he might get his first League goal of the campaign against his former team when he worked his socks off moments later, jinking around the City defence to take his shot. He hadn’t gotten the angle right however and the ball went wide of the mark.
Stephen Feeney started to cause problems for the Kilkenny midfield and together with Brian Gannon they pursued the 2nd goal with determination. Feeney was unlucky not to be hailed as the instigator of a goal when he sent the ball too far for the chasing Mackey. Kilkenny used this opportunity to come back at United but Rouse was ready for them and caught two free’s in quick succession.
Gannon did what he does best and ran from deep inside his own half until he was taken out of it by John McNicholas. Williamson stepped up to take the resulting free kick and Aaron Mooney almost did what he had done in Wexford a few weeks ago, when his head met the ball and sent it goalward, but ball went wide.
Again Williamson almost set Mons up for the lead when another well taken free met with Farrell’s head, but John McGuinness in the Kilkenny net kept the ball from entering his domain.
In the 32nd minute it looked like Martin Tynan would be celebrating again when he got his head to a Colin Falvey free, but the ball hit the side netting. Monaghan upped the ante and minutes later Mackey passed to Feeney but Feeney’s strike went over the bar. United sustained the pressure and Mackey squeezed the defence until they made a mistake but he was unable to make it count.
Ted O’Connor made a good run through the Monaghan defence but Williamson won the ball back before he could do any damage. Mackey then sent a ball over the bar following a United throw in. Once more Kilkenny broke down the pitch and United’s defence were caught by surprise allowing Tynan to shoot again. His shot was well wide much to the relief of the struggling defence. Again Kilkenny tried to force a goal but ex-Mon Eoghan O’Shea’s attempt was stopped by Rouse.
Ian McCluskey made a fine run on the break but his shot was off target. Kilkenny turned the tables and Tynan and O’Connor again teamed up well as they endeavoured to put their team in front in the dying minutes of the first half, but O’Connor’s ball went wide.
The half wasn’t over yet though and Ian Nagle’s corner was kept out of the goal by Gannon. Kilkenny were then awarded a free but yet again Rouse had the measure of them and saved.
As the half was ending, Paul Whelan made an outstanding run up the wing before sending the ball across the pitch to a waiting Mackey. McGuinness had no intention of letting the speedy Mackey score though and got to the ball in time. Feeney had a last ditch effort for United but the referee blew the whistle before he could make his efforts amount to anything. It was one apiece at the break.
The second half started with Kilkenny in control & Rouse was called into action early to save a well taken free kick. United quickly won a corner and Williamson’s ball again met Mooney’s head but Kilkenny managed to clear the danger. Tynan was to be the Mons troublemaker again when he set Paraic Fogarty up but Fogarty sent the ball wide of the goal.
Some exciting passing football then ensued as John MacNicholas, Stephen Grant and Paraic Fogarty pushed on. United conceded a free on the edge of the box stemming from this but Rouse again had it covered.
On the 53rd minute Brian Gannon sent the visitors hearts soaring when he managed to nab a goal taking full advantage of a disorganised Kilkenny defence. United didn’t sit back but continued to punish Kilkenny. Farrell and Doyle created a chance but the mispassed ball was sent out for a Mons throw and then moments later McCluskey had a shot tipped over the crossbar by McGuinness. The consequential corner was well taken by Williamson but McGuinness got to it before any of United’s hungry players could.
A badly cleared free delivered the ball to Fogarty who passed to O’Shea. Burke defended well but the ball went out for a corner. Doyle pounced on the ball and cleared before running up the field. He was dispossessed however and Kilkenny had another chance but Rouse was on his toes and made another fine catch.
Doyle was presented a goal scoring opportunity in the 51st minute having squeezed the Kilkenny defence and being brought down on the edge of the box wining a free. Doyle’s free bounced frustratingly off the upright. United didn’t relax though and when Williamson won the ball and passed to Feeney, some of the Magic that the Mons had been lacking seemed to be coming to the fore. Feeney passed to Burke who sent the ball on to Gannon and Gannon gave it his all as he shot, but yet again McGuinness saved his team’s blushes when he deftly got to the ball.
McGuinness sent the ball back down the pitch to his team mates and watched with joy as his counterpart in the United goal misread the situation. As confusion reigned for United in the goalmouth, MacNicholas slotted home to equalise.
United were not done yet and a Doyle shot came close but was punched out by the Cat’s netminder. Kilkenny’s subsequent challenges were dealt with by the United back 4 and when the ball fell to McCluskey he made off with it up the pitch to Mackey. Mackey withstood great pressure before firing off his shot but it went wide of the goal. As the game moved to a close, United had the better chances but were unable to score. A perfect pass from Feeney to Mackey set him up but he was being pushed out by the bigger Kilkenny defender and his below par shot was cleared on the line.
Another chance was missed when Gannon sent the ball around the back of the net following a Williamson and Mackey run. Substitute Darren Meenan combined well to support a Mackey run but he sent the ball too far and Mackey was unable to get to it. No matter how hard United kept trying they just could not get the breakthrough they desired. Kilkenny only troubled United once more in the closing minutes when a Michael Comerford free landed nicely for substitute Darragh Hayes. Monaghan’s captain Barry Burke made light work of clearing the danger and sent the Mons in Kilkenny’s direction once more.
Burke was to have the last true chance of the game but his shot went over the bar sending the visitors home with only a point in the bag. Final score 2-2.
LADIES KIL’ OFF ANOTHER DUBLIN TEAM
Monaghan United ladies made it two wins out of two when they beat Kilbarrack United 7-1 in Dublin on Monday night.
The ladies got off to a poor start with the team arriving at the ground 15 minutes before kick off due to traffic congestion and this left them with no time for their pre-match warm-up. Monaghan were under pressure right from the kick off with Kilbarrack mounting attack after attack. The resilient girls weathered the storm however with centre halfs Caroline Griffen and Pamela Treanor easily dealing with everything Kilbarrack threw at them.
As the first half progressed, United got more into the game with Orla Callen and Michela Newell both having goals disallowed for off side on the 32nd and 40th minutes. The first half ended honours even 0-0.
Now fully warmed up Monaghan ladies dominated the game straight away in the 2nd half. On the 46th minute Nakita Cassidy split the Kilbarrack defence with a through ball for Callen to slot past the Kilbarrack ‘keeper. United pushed forward hoping to kill the game off but a high ball in United’s penalty area was poorly dealt with. Two further attempts to clear the ball were fluffed and it ended up deflecting off the Kilbarrack striker into the back of the net having sent goalie Deirdre McAleer the wrong way. It was 1-1 on the 53rd minute.
Not disheartened, the United ladies picked themselves up straight away and some good work by Callen put Newell through and she put the Mons back in front in the 55th minute. Five minutes later a long free kick by Griffen over the top was latched onto by Callen but her shot cannoned back off the post falling for Suzanne Gordon. Gordon made no mistake and coolly slotted home from 10 yards.
In the 68th minute a long ball in from Caroline Kavanagh fell to Gordon and she claimed her second goal of the night making the scoreline 4-1. A United substitution saw Nwanneka Chukwuemeka replace left winger Christine Meinenberg who had worked tirelessy up and down the wing.
Three minutes later United went further in front when, following a great run by Newell down the right hand side, she delivered a blistering cross setting Callen up to claim her 2nd goal. Despite the score reading 5-1 United did not sit back and Newell again sent in a cracking ball this time to be met by Gordon. Suzanne managed to curl the ball into the top corner of the net to gain her first hat-trick of the season and put United in a very comfortable position.
Orlaith Gallagher came on to replace her older sister Michelle and make her debut at senior level. With 5 minutes remaining Charlene Graham finished off the night for United with a wonderful curling shot into the net, leaving the Kilbarrack goalie with no chance. The final score was a very deserving 7-1 to Monaghan United.
Best wishes are sent to fellow team members Leona McConnon, Sharon McAree and Mary Croarkin who are all out injured at the moment. Training is this Friday night at 7pm at Kingspan Century Park.
U21’S BEATEN IN LEAGUE CUP
Monaghan United’s final game in the League Cup saw an injury ravaged squad lose out to a very strong Drogheda United side on a 1-0 scoreline. The Drogheda goal came with the final kick of the game with the whistle sounding immediately after the ball was kicked off to restart the game.
Early on United created a number of goalscoring chances with Shane Reavey being unlucky not to put United ahead. Tommy Toal and Niall Flynn were outstanding in defence. The United management team are still confident that, with the return of the nine players absent this past few weeks through injury, they will see a very competitive side take the field in the league.
With the league just 3 weeks away, the return of striker Gary McBride from Australia is a huge boost and his presence will add a real physical threat and a good scoring centre forward is vital. Also set to join the U21 side is Omagh lad Anthony Breslin, a hard working no nonsense midfielder. Another exciting player currently training with the side and available from 1st July is Bulgarian U19 International Petyo Patov. Patov is a big strong centre forward with a keen eye for goal.
Gary McKenna will also be available for league action as will Cavan midfielder Ally Pickett when he returns from college in France next week and he will provide a creative midfield performer for United. Khalid Hussain, Ger Reilly and Mark O’Connor should all be back from injury in time for the first league game as will Mark Corrigan, a quality defender who is doing really well in training.
Once again the Under 21 side will provide quality entertainment for the supporters over the coming months.
DUNDALK NEXT FOR MONS
Monaghan United go to Oriel Park this Thursday night hoping to shock table toppers Dundalk by defeating them. United put a dent in Dundalk’s perfect 2007 record earlier in the season when they held them to a 1-1 draw at Kingspan Century Park.
United have not had much luck playing on the Astro Pitch at Oriel but Cooke’s men will be hoping to turn the tide of recent defeats away in Dundalk and they will also be determined to put behind them their heartbreaking loss against Finn Harps earlier in the week.
Kick off is 7.45pm and this will be United’s last game for 2 weeks as the FAI eircom League of Ireland takes its summer break.
MONAGHAN CREDIT UNION MINI LEAGUES
The Summer Mini Leagues have been in full swing now and on Tuesday evenings large crowds are treated to some great action. The best game of the league to date saw Real Madrid edge out Bayern Munich. Bayern had fought back to 3-3 before Jamie McCarey inspired Real and they won 4-3.
The coaching sessions are providing excellent coaching under the leadership of Head Coach Thomas Heffernan. Thomas is helped by local players, Darren McQuaid, Tommy Toal, Finbar Heffernan, Dean McMahon and Alvin Rouse. The presence of the senior players has added greatly to the young players enjoyment of the sessions.
It is wonderful to see the parents of the young players turn up in such large numbers and also great to see the enjoyment that the children get out of the games.
Week 2 Results:
Real Madrid 4 – 3 Bayern Munich
Barcelona 3 – 1 Celtic
Roma 1 – 3 Inter Milan
Valencia 1 – 0 AC Milan
Red Devils 5 – 1 Gunners
Toffees 1 – 0 Villa
Table 1
Pld W D L F A Pts
Inter Milan 2 2 0 0 8 3 6
Real Madrid 2 2 0 0 7 5 6
Bayern Munich 2 1 0 1 7 6 3
Barcelona 2 1 0 1 5 4 3
Valencia 2 1 0 1 3 5 3
AC Milan 2 0 1 1 4 5 1
Roma 2 0 1 1 5 7 1
Celtic 2 0 0 2 3 7 0
Table 2
Pld W D L F A Pts
Red Devils 2 2 0 0 8 3 6
Toffees 2 1 0 1 3 3 3
Spurs 1 0 1 0 2 2 1
Gunners 2 0 1 1 3 7 1
Villa 1 0 0 1 0 1 0
