Allianz National Football League Division Two

Monaghan 0-19 Laois 0-14                           30/3/14

Monaghan are within touching distance of a second consecutive promotion in the NFL after they ran out five-point winners against Laois in Clones on Sunday. Monaghan went in level at the end of a fairly subdued first half, but they upped their game after the restart to run out deserving winners in the end. Dessie Mone, Kieran Hughes, Conor McManus, Fintan Kelly and Drew Wylie played central roles for Monaghan, while Darren Strong, John O’Loughlin and Paul Begley were best for Laois.

Laois were within the width of the left upright of opening the scoring through Darren Strong, but instead Monaghan countered, with Dessie Mone, Jack McCarron and Conor McManus involved in setting up Kieran Hughes to split the posts. Hughes added a good point on the turn at the end of a move involving Dermot Malone and Pádraig Donaghy and although Ross Munnelly got Laois off the mark from a 25-metre free after a foul on Evan O’Carroll, Gavin Doogan injected pace into a Monaghan attack before exchanging passes with Malone and fisting over. Donaghy and Doogan combined to create a fine point for McManus, but Laois stayed in touch with a brace of long-range scores by Strong.

McManus provided another stylish finish to a move involving Mone and Hughes, who then sent in a dangerous soccer-style cross which Donaghy narrowly failed to connect with. Conor Meredith and David Conway hit points from play for Laois, who edged ahead for the first time when Dónal Kingston won and scored a 20-metre free, before McManus and Munnelly swapped points from frees, following fouls on Malone and Conway. Pádraig McMahon wasted an excellent goal chance for Laois when Strong was well-positioned for a pass and Monaghan drew level with a well-taken point by Hughes, who had been released by McCarron. John O’Loughlin briefly regained the lead for Laois, but a well-worked counter-attack featuring Karl O’Connell, McCarron, Donaghy and Vincent Corey set up Dick Clerkin to make it 0-8 apiece at half-time.

Monaghan got off to a good start in the second half thanks to an inspirational long-range point from Dessie Mone, but they then survived a nervy moment when Rory Beggan just managed to clear from a dangerous ball in by Munnelly. Mone started a Monaghan attack which ended in a fourth good point by Hughes, before McManus converted a 45-metre free for a foul on Clerkin. Munnelly won and scored a 25-metre free to end 14 scoreless minutes for Laois, who closed to within a point again when O’Loughlin set up Billy Sheehan to become their fifth forward to score, but a foul on Vincent Corey allowed McManus to again find his range from a 40-metre free and substitute Stephen Gollogly then added his name to the scoresheet at the end of a patient move led by Malone and Drew Wylie.

Strong kicked another excellent point for Laois, but Gollogly doubled his account after a strong run by Karl O’Connell and Mone did likewise from a difficult angle, before another defender, Fintan Kelly, raced onto a pass from sub Christopher McGuinness to split the posts. Gary Walsh won and scored a 20-metre free at the other end, before Paul Finlay curled one over from the right wing, although points by Damien O’Connor and Strong cut the gap to a goal. McManus hit his sixth point from a 25-metre free after he had been dragged down and Martin McElroy became the ninth Monaghan scorer in added time to put any lingering doubts away. Monaghan now face Galway on Sunday, with any positive result set to secure promotion.

Monaghan: R Beggan; F Kelly (0-1), D Wylie, C Walshe; D Mone (0-2), V Corey, K O’Connell; D Clerkin (0-1), G Doogan (0-1); K Duffy, J McCarron, P Donaghy; D Malone, K Hughes (0-4), C McManus (Capt., 0-6, 4f)

Subs: S Gollogly (0-2) for Donaghy, C McGuinness for McCarron (both 50 mins), D Hughes for Clerkin (52), P Finlay (0-1) for Malone (62), M McElroy (0-1) for Mone (65).

Laois: G Brady; P O’Leary, D Booth, P McMahon; C Begley, P Begley, D Strong (0-4); K Meaney, J O’Loughlin (0-1); D Conway (0-1), C Meredith (0-1), B Sheehan (0-1); R Munnelly (Capt., 0-3f), D Kingston (0-1f), E O’Carroll.

Subs: G Walsh (0-1f) for O’Carroll (H-T), J Finn for Meaney (50), P Kingston for Conway (58), D O’Connor (0-1) for Sheehan (63), MJ Tierney for Munnelly (65).

Referee: B Cassidy (Derry).