RYAN'S LAST-GASP GOAL CROWNS STIRRING MONS COMEBACK

Monaghan United 3
Longford Town 2

Monaghan United fans, youse are spoilt!
The excitement just keeps coming at Gortakeegan this season, but no matter how nail-biting the finals weeks of the Mons promotion push becomes, it will have to go some to match the exultant emotions let loose on the Newbliss Road last Friday evening when Ryan Brennan, displaying iceman coolness, dispatched the goal in the final seconds of added time that secured his side a thrilling comeback victory over Longford Town, writes Peter Hughes.
If United’s promotion ambitions are finally realised, the moment when the midfielder received a pass from Aidan Collins in a packed penalty area and adroitly curled a shot beyond Alvin Rouse and into the right corner of the goal will be freighted with significance.
Ryan’s strike trumped even the stellar contribution of brother Sean, who had sent United ahead with an audacious finish in the eighth minute, and brought his team on level terms with another quality goal early in the second half after Colm Salmon from the penalty spot and Thomas Crawley just before half-time had turned the match in the visitors’ favour.
Roddy Collins was exiled to the stands for this one as a consequence of his red card in the recent Finn Harps game, but the never-say-die spirit embedded by the Mons’ boss in his squad was palpable on the pitch nonetheless.
As Roddy presciently stated in Friday night’s match programme: “I am instilling in the lads to concentrate only on the next game in hand, as this evening against Longford Town, and to compete to the final whistle. We saw two great examples of never giving up in Croke Park last weekend when both Tipp’s minors and the Dubs’ seniors won with the final kick of their respective games.”
Longford’s defensive deployment, utilising a high offside line, suggested from the outset that patience and precision were going to be needed if United were to cultivate decent scoring chances.
Full report in The Northern Standard