Allianz National Football League Division Two
Monaghan 2-24 Louth 1-15 11/3/12
Monaghan returned to winning ways in the Allianz NFL in some style with a high-scoring victory against Louth in Clones on Sunday. The teams traded points seven times in the first 25 minutes of a very open game, before Christopher McGuinness scored the opening goal. Louth hit a quick burst of 1-2, including an unfortunate own goal by Darren Hughes, to briefly take the lead after the restart, but the captain atoned with a late penalty as Monaghan scored an unanswered 1-9 in the final quarter to run out convincing winners. Louth, who kicked ten points and no wides in the first half, had Declan Byrne sent off in the 47th minute and he was joined in injury-time by Jamie Carr – both for second bookable offences.
Monaghan had fine performances from McGuinness, Dermot Malone, James Turley, Dick Clerkin, Tommy Freeman, Paul Finlay and Owen Lennon, while Ronan Carroll, Darren Clarke, Derek Maguire and substitute Jim McEneaney (son of Monaghan manager Eamon) led Louth’s challenge.
Tommy Freeman opened the scoring for Monaghan with a left-footed point after good work by Colin Walshe and Owen Duffy, but points from play by Mark Brennan and Darren Clarke edged Louth ahead in a lively start. A foul on Paul Finlay allowed Owen Duffy to bring Monaghan level via a 20-metre free and although Declan Byrne landed a fine score for Louth after good approach play by Pádraig Rath and Clarke, Finlay replied with a similar score after a clever pass from Kieran Hughes.
Andy McDonnell curled over from a difficult angle to regain the visitors’ lead, only for Christopher McGuinness to respond with an equally impressive score at the end of a well-worked move involving Dick Clerkin, Kieran Hughes, Dermot Malone and Duffy. Freeman and Derek Maguire swapped points from play, before Monaghan went close to scoring the opening goal when Louth keeper Neil Gallagher showed good reactions to tip the ball over the bar after Owen Lennon punched a high, hanging Malone shot at the target. Maguire got another well-taken point back for Louth, but Clerkin linked up with Freeman to split the posts at the end of a Monaghan counter-attack started by a strong challenge by Darren Hughes.
Clarke brought Louth back on level terms once again with a fine point, but Monaghan then took charge when McGuinness raced onto a pass from his club-mate Finlay to drill a low shot to the net. McGuinness quickly added a point after being well-placed by a James Turley free and he then won a 20-metre free which Owen Duffy tapped over to make it 1-2 in less than three minutes. Clarke kicked a point from a ’45 to keep Louth in touch and although Turley restored Monaghan’s five-point advantage, the Wee County finished the half on a high to trail by just the goal (1-10 to 0-10) at the interval. Substitute Adrian Reid got the first of those points with a long-range effort from play by and Brian Donnelly followed that up with a huge free from 55 metres.
Monaghan still held the edge and Tommy Freeman started the second half the way he had the first – by kicking a point, created by Turley, McGuinness and Duffy. Disaster struck a minute later, however, when a long ball took a deflection off Darren Hughes and went into his own net. Jim McEneaney got on the end of a Clarke free to kick an impressive equaliser, before Ronan Carroll gave Louth the lead. Finlay got a much-needed response for Monaghan after a late tackle on Donal Morgan, but Clarke tapped over a 13-metre free for a foul on Brennan.
McEneaney doubled Louth’s lead with a fine point, but Duffy converted a 30-metre free for a foul on Owen Lennon and Louth were reduced to 14 men when Byrne was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Freeman. Duffy tapped over the resulting free from close range and Finlay curled over a free from a narrow angle after Reid had been penalised for over-carrying. Louth drew level for the 11th time when Carroll linked up with sub Brian White to kick a good point, but it was all Monaghan from then on. Malone set up Lennon for a smartly-taken point, McGuinness tagged on another clinical score after he had taken a pass from Turley and Gollogly took his point, having been put through by Duffy.
Clerkin landed a great score from the right wing, before Finlay repeated the trick from the opposite side at the end of an attack involving Vincent Corey, Lennon, Gollogly and Freeman. Freeman went off injured with ten minutes left, but his replacement Ciarán Hanratty made a quick impact, taking a Clerkin pass, racing past his man and fisting over the bar. Monaghan had a real sight at goal when Louth keeper Neil Gallagher lost the ball on a bizarre run up to midfield and the home side worked it through to Gollogly, but his blasted shot hit the crossbar and went over.
Gary McQuaid and Duffy combined to release Turley to kick a point off his left foot, before Hanratty was hauled down by Jamie Carr as he prepared to strike at goal. That earned Carr a second booking and Monaghan a penalty, which Darren Hughes confidently slotted home, sending Gallagher the wrong way. That sealed a second home win from two for Monaghan, who will attempt to improve on their poor away form when they travel to Mullingar to play Westmeath next Sunday.
Monaghan: M Keogh; D Mone, V Corey, C Walshe; D Malone, Darren Hughes (Capt., 1-0, pen), D Morgan; J Turley (0-2), D Clerkin (0-2); K Hughes, P Finlay (0-5, 3f), O Lennon (0-2); T Freeman (0-3), C McGuinness (1-3), O Duffy (0-4f).
Subs: S Gollogly (0-2) for K Hughes (inj., 24 mins), C Hanratty (0-1) for Freeman (inj., 60 mins), G McQuaid for Morgan (64), N McAdam for Lennon (67), S Smyth for Finlay (70).
Temporary Sub: S Gollogly for K Hughes (15-21).
Louth: N Gallagher; J Carr, D Finnegan, P Rath; G Hoey, D Byrne (0-1), L Shevlin; R Carroll (0-2), B Donnelly (0-1f); D Crilly, A McDonnell (0-1), C Rafferty; D Maguire (0-2), M Brennan (0-1), D Clarke (0-4, 1f, 1 ’45).
Subs: A Reid (0-1) for McDonnell (21), J McEneaney (0-2) for Rafferty (34), B White for Donnelly (49), S Fitzpatrick for Greene (62)
Referee: D Fahy (Longford).
By michael Sun 11th Mar
