MONAGHAN SQUARE UP TO DONEGAL

By JOHN GRAHAM

Monaghan 0-09

Donegal 1-04

MONAGHAN bounced back from their disappointing performance and result against Mayo in their previous outing to record a valuable and memorable NFL Division 1 victory against Donegal that catapulted them right back into the mix at O’Donnell Park last Sunday.

Played in breezy conditions with bright sunshine at times this was a contest that never rose to any great heights and indeed was a dour spectacle at times but few in Monaghan will complain given the manner in which they struck for victory in the closing stages.

Monaghan were well worth their victory overall in that they countered the Donegal tactics very effectively, employing a blanket defence with as many as 14 men behind the ball at times, to frustrate the home side and limit their scoring opportunities to the extent that they were totally impotent in that regard. So effective was Monaghan’s defensive strategy that Donegal only scored a goal from play when Michael Murphy was able to deflect a speculative centre to the Monaghan net for a score that gave them a two points lead 10 minutes into the second half. That could and probably should have been the springboard for the home side to push on to victory but Monaghan dug in and held Donegal scoreless while registering three unanswered points, two from frees, one each by Paul Finlay and goalkeeper Rory Beggan as …