Monaghan United 2 - 0 Waterford United

• Peter Hughes
• Fri, Mar 11 2011


Blizzard conditions greeted Roddy Collins on his first outing as Monaghan United manager but failed to spoil the occasion as his new side toughed out a 2-0 victory over a hardworking but uninspired Waterford United.

In his pre-match press conference Collins had promised to implement a philosophy of attacking football that would have the fans on the edge of their seats. But he held more of a watching brief for this one, with his assistant Aidan Lynch sending out a conservative side in which Shane Barrett ploughed a lone furrow upfront with only intermittent assistance from the flanks from Ryan Brennan and Jason Marks.

Conor Sinnott almost fired the visitors in front with an instinctive volley on the turn in the 23th minute that a deflection helped on its way over the crossbar. It was the only meaningful moment in a drab opening half-hour.

The Mons managed to provoke a flurry of excitement in the 34th minute, one that ended with their opening goal. A Marks cross was half-cleared by Waterford into the path of Sean Brennan, and the Monaghan midfielder unleashed a left-foot thunderbolt that crashed off the post with keeper Kevin Burns beaten. Waterford failed to clear the loose ball and Alan Byrne pounced to steer in from close range.

Waterford lost their pivotal midfielder Sinnott just before half-time, and might have gone in at the interval further in arrears had Kenny Browne not managed to clear a powerful Dave Rogers header off the line.

Stephen Henderson’s men applied some good pressure early in the second half, but Monaghan goalkeeper Gabriel Sava dealt competently with a Paul Murphy header and a powerful if predictable free-kick from Gary Keane.

Alan Byrne should have doubled his own and the Mons’ account in the 67th minute but somehow contrived to head wide from all of four yards from a Jason Marks cross. Marks was moved infield to act as more of a partner for the overworked Barrett in the second half and the adjustment accentuated the home side’s attacking threat. Only a splendid last-ditch tackle from Browne prevented Marks from slipping clear on goal after 71 minutes.

Gary Dunphy flashed a shot narrowly wide for Waterford as the game entered a final fifteen minutes that grew ever more anxious for the home side, who dropped increasingly deeper and allowed Waterford full-back Mick Coady in particular to make some threatening inroads.

The Mons badly needed the security of a second goal, and it arrived via a purposeful counter attack in the 88th minute, Marks leading the breakaway and crossing low for substitute John Reilly to unleash a fearsome shot on the run. Burns got as much as he could on it, but the power of the effort saw it trickle over the goal-line with the Waterford keeper scrambling in vain to get a second touch on it.

Monaghan United: Gabriel Sava; Conor McMahon, Dave Rogers, Aidan Collins, Shane Grimes; Ryan Brennan (John Reilly 60), Don Tierney, Alan Byrne, Jason Marks; Sean Brennan, Shane Barrett (Eric Foley 89).
Subs not used: Philip Byrne, Paul Whelan, Jake Rossiter, Andy Haran, Michael Isichei.

Waterford United: Kevin Burns; Seamus Long, Kevin Murray, Kenny Browne, Michael Coady; Shane Barrett (Dave Breen 85), Conor Sinnott (Shane Dempsey 40), Keith Quinn (Dwaine Wilson 68), Gary Dunphy; Gary Keane, Paul Murphy.
Subs not used: Paul Carey, Brian Nolan, Lee Chin, Josh Byrne.

Referee: John McLoughlin.