Late Monksland comeback in vain as St Peter’s hold on
St Peter's 3 Monksland United 2
By Eamon A. Donoghue
Three first-half goals proved just enough for St Peter’s to hold on as they survived a late Monksland United storm to win a dramatic and often chaotic local derby at McCarthy Park last Sunday.
On a stormy, showery afternoon that had a bit of everything, the sides served up five goals, three red cards, two of them for Monksland, and no shortage of local rivalry between the two Athlone sides.
It was a game of two very different halves, with table toppers St Peter’s dominant and ruthless in the first and Monksland showing tremendous spirit in the second.
Despite facing the CCFL Senior Division leaders, Monksland actually started the brighter. Callum O’Brien was pulling the strings in midfield early on, spraying passes left and right and trying to get his side on the front foot. They looked composed in possession in the opening few minutes.
But St Peter’s struck first against the run of play, and they did so with a real clinical edge. A ball over the top caught the Monksland defence flat-footed. Dylan Stewart’s initial effort was blocked but the ever-dangerous Jordan Carr was alert to the rebound and he laid it on a plate for Neil Kenny, who had the simple task of tapping into an empty net to make it 1-0 in the fifth minute.
That early goal settled the hosts. Monksland’s first real attempt in anger came in the tenth minute when O’Brien tried his luck from near the halfway line, a speculative effort that St Peter’s goalie Jimmy Walsh dealt with comfortably.
Monksland could and perhaps should have equalised in the 20th minute when centre-half Paul McManus found himself in an advanced position and let fly from distance; his shot beat Walsh and crashed off the butt of the post, with the Peter’s keeper knowing absolutely nothing about it. It was a huge let-off for the league leaders.
At the other end, Carr’s corner came back into play off the crossbar - a sign of the danger they carried from set pieces. Carr was threatening every time he got in possession and, on the half hour mark, came a moment of real quality.
Carr, who showed why many regard him as one of the best players in the league, picked up the ball and dribbled past a number of desperate Monksland tacklers, before delivering a perfect cross to the back post. Waiting there was his former Ballinasloe Town colleague Cameron Keighery, who met it on the volley and smashed it into the net for 2-0. It was a superb team goal.
More was to come before the break, and again it was Carr at the heart of it. The St Peter’s talisman had been ruling the roost throughout the first half, and this time he got on the scoresheet himself. Latching on to a loose ball, he finished coolly past Monksland keeper Shaun O’Connell to make it 3-0 at half-time. At that stage, St Peter’s were cruising and it looked like the game was over as a contest.
The third quarter passed by largely without incident. Playing against the wind, St Peter’s were comfortable and compact, looking like a team who knew how to see out a game without needing to score another goal. The Hoops controlled possession, forced Monksland wide, and limited the visitors to scraps.
To their credit, Monksland kept trying to play but were struggling to break down a well-organised defence, with Dylan Sumner gluing it together.
But then the game turned completely on its head. The first flashpoint came when Keighery, who had been impressive up to that stage, was shown a second yellow card and therefore a red. St Peter’s were down to ten men and suddenly the momentum shifted.
Almost immediately, Monksland pulled a goal back. Substitute John Stapleton, who had added fresh energy since coming on, had the simple task of tapping in from close range after excellent work down the wing from Thomas O’Neill, with Callum O’Brien providing the assist for the goal.
It was 3-1 and suddenly the visitors could sense an unlikely comeback. And then all hell broke loose.
Monksland were awarded what looked like a very soft penalty. Roscommon footballer Patrick Gavin, playing for Monksland, was adjudged to have been impeded inside the box and the referee pointed to the spot despite understandable protests from the St Peter’s players. Up stepped Callum O’Brien, who put away the spot kick with aplomb to the corner of the net.
Monksland were now just a goal in arrears (3-2) after playing second fiddle for three quarters of the game, and with a man advantage.
With the home crowd getting nervous and the Monksland bench sensing a famous comeback, the drama was not finished yet. In a chaotic few minutes, the referee sent off two Monksland players (O’Brien and O’Neill). Both dismissals appeared to be for verbal dissent towards the official in the heat of the moment rather than foul play.
It was a huge blow to Monksland’s hopes as they went from having a numerical advantage to being down to nine men. That double sending off killed Monksland’s momentum completely.
St Peter’s, despite being down to ten themselves, regained control of the game and managed to see out the final minutes to claim the three points.
It’s a victory that keeps St Peter’s at the top of the table, with six wins from their first six games and looking like title favourites. They showed both sides of their game - ruthless attacking in the first half and gritty, determined defending in the second when the pressure came on.
For Monksland, it was a case of what might have been. After a poor first hour, they showed great character to drag themselves back into the game and, at 3-2, they looked likely to go on and equalise. The two late red cards, however, ended their hopes and they remain in mid-table with one win from three games. They will take heart from their late rally, but they need to start turning that spirit into points soon.
Scorers: St Peter’s: N Kenny (5 mins), C Keighery (30), J Carr (35); Monksland: J Stapleton (74), C O’Brien (pen, 82).
Player of the match: Jordan Carr (St Peter’s). Carr scored one and was involved in all three goals. Cameron Keighery was also influential before his dismissal. Paul McManus, Callum O’Brien and Thomas O’Neill all contributed plenty for the visitors.
St Peter’s: Jimmy Walsh, Luke Kelly, Adam Dowling, Samuel Silva Da Oliveira, Dylan Sumner, Cameron Keighery, Dylan Stewart, Josh McCarthy, Jordan Carr, Nenad Lazic, Neil Kenny. Subs used: Jeffrey Idalosa, Israel Kimazo.
Monksland United: Shaun O’Connell, Aaron Meares, Thomas O’Neill, Michael Harrington, Paul McManus, Olamide Idris, Olabiyi Odekunle, Callum O’Brien, Patrick Gavin, Ryan O’Connor, Tijani Ishola. Subs used: Luke Gavin, John Stapleton, Robbie Gill and Kacper Drwal.
Referee: Damien McCormack.