Alvin and the Chipmonks 0 v 4 Fab Harps.
On an cool Sunday afternoon which make you dream back to the days when Limerick we're still in with a shout of a play-off spot (mid summer?) The pride of Donegal came to the Drumlins of Monaghan to continue their march towards Promotion and with a massive support and the best wishes of everyone in Limerick they produced a solid if comfortable performance over the 'Morbid Mons' One must wonder how many more Dublin rejects will be brought to the club as on a day when local pride and passion was needed half this team we're probably dreaming of a nice warm sun-bed or applying their girlfriends fake-tan.
One person who cant be accused of this is Monaghan 'keeper' Alvin Rouse, however one can only speculate his whereabouts and that of the Monaghan defence for most of the first half. Before the match the 'keeper' was major doubt to play at all, but maybe through pure ego, or a managerial malfunction Alvin was named in the starting line up.
Harps first goal came down the right wing when a low cross was put into the net by the impish Conor Gethins, this reporter was busy queing for a hot-dog (seeing as the match was only someting like 3.5 seconds old) so the credit for the assist will have to be deferred.
Harps second reminded me of Argentina's performance against Serbia in the last world cup, a slow build up with perfect short passing which in the end saw Harps defender Eloka Asokuh being giving loads of time in the box to get his shot past a flat footed Rouse, By the time of Parkhouse's third for Harps this hack was too bust avoiding the legend that is Tom, or as some some of my downmarket rivals have dubbed him 'Tom the Gom'.
Half time came and went with me wondering about the Finn Harps fans, yes they came in big numbers (first time the Mon stand was full since 'Big Tom' made a half time appearence?) yes they were well behaved (worst they had were about 5/6 student types who spent the game in the clubhouse doorway in 'look at me im drunk' mode) but despite the fact of a drum banging their fans offered little in the way of vocal support, a small group of about 5/6 stood singing and a few more dotted around the stand joined in now and again while remaining firmly in their seats, but i expected a bit more for a team on its way to the first Div title, i mean whats the point of bringing tifo flags if your not going to wave them?
Anyway the second half came with Mick Cooke changing his tactics from 'kick and rush' to just kick to the rugby league convert who was put up front from mid-field. Harps however had already got a fourth through more comedy in the Mon defence, this time the Rouse & Fitzpatrick double act had the audience in stitches and Gethins getting his second of the day.
The next 20 mins saw me admiring the Monaghan countryside and the cows who i believe have returned to the hill behind the ground after a harsh summer, my joy was only interuped by the odd dodgy tackle (no pun intended) that we come to expect from this current United team and the amusing rants of the Harps manager who spent a lot of his time kicking blades of grass.
Before the match ended i was to be found in the clubhouse, where later on, the club honoured the real talent in Monaghan (its women)
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