Rockcorry 1-13 Monaghan Harps 2-10

Monaghan Electrical Reserve Football League Division 4, Round 2 – Sunday 21^st March 2010

McGeough Strikes Late to Earn a Share of the Spoils

Team: Andrew Carroll, Cathal Sheridan, Rory Carroll, Coiln Reilly, Shane Wynne, Martin Carroll, Ryan Sharkey 0-1, Barry Patterson 0-1, Liam Connolly 1-0, Conor McGeough 0-1, Anthony Tate 0-2, Jamie Smith 0-2, Keelan Clerkin 0-3, Coiln Quinn 0-3, Declan McCullagh.

Subs: Josh Butler for Declan McCullagh, Gavin Farrelly for Anthony Tate (injured).

We played our second game of the reserve league campaign on Sunday 21^st March against Monaghan Harps. Played in glorious sunshine, we started the better of the two sides and within two minutes of play Colin Quinn was fouled and Jamie Smith sent over the free kick. In the 7^th minute Colin Quinn scored a fine point from play after good work by Ryan Sharkey.

Monaghan Harps capitalized when a long ball sent into our goal mouth was fumbled and we failed to clear the danger and they hit the back of the net. They increased their lead further with points in the 11^th and 14^th minute to open up a three point lead 0-2 to 1-2.

During the 15^thand 25^th minute we went on a scoring blitz that yielded eight unanswered points. The first off these scores came from the boot of Keelan Clerkin who curled over a delightful point after good play between Barry Patterson and Martin Carroll. Anthony Tate scored a wonderful individual point in the 17^th minute but an even better score was to follow from Ryan Sharkey who rifled home a great point after a flowing move down the field that started with excellent defending play from Cathal Sheridan.

Moments later, Barry Patterson finished off another slick move which was well worked down the field by Conor McGeough, Colin Quinn, Liam Connolly and Jamie Smith.  In the 20^th minute Ryan Sharkey found some space down the right wing and he set up Keelan Clerkin who tapped over a neat score.

Barry Patterson and Martin Carroll combined to set up Jamie Smith who notched over a fine point from play in the 21^st minute. Colin Quinn added another point two minutes later with a wonderful strike from the left wing covering a distance of around 25-30 metres after good play between Anthony Tate and Keelan Clerkin. In the 25^th minute Declan McCullagh off-loaded to Anthony Tate who slotted over another point to raise the white flag again that put us in a very commanding position leading 0-10 to 1-2.

Unfortunately, in the 29^th minute, Monaghan Harps responded as they took advantage of a mistake in our defence when the ball spilled into the path of one of their forwards and he was on hand to punch the ball into an open net.  With only seconds remaining they notched over a point from a free kick and the referee blew for half time after the kick out with the scoreboard reading Rockcorry 0-10 Monaghan Harps 2-3.

While we started the second half well with an excellent strike from Keelan Clerkin after three minutes, our play became scrappy and a number of other decent scoring chances were squandered throughout the second half and it would be twenty minutes before we would register our next score. During this time Monaghan Harps scored 0-6 unanswered points to open up a 0-4 lead.

With five minutes remaining on the clock, alarm bells started to ring and, to their credit the lads never gave up and when Liam Connolly burst his way through the Monaghan Harps defence to plant the ball into the corner of the net after receiving a pass from Barry Patterson with Keelan Clerkin also involved, the deficit was back to a single point and the game was back on. Moments later we drew level when Colin Quinn fired over a superb point. With time ticking away Monaghan Harps seized the advantage once again, as we were guilty of giving away possession, to send over a fine point from play.

With only seconds remaining we needed one last throw of the dice and when a Monaghan Harps attempt at the posts was kept in play by Rory Carroll we wasted little time to get the ball down the field and when Conor McGeough drifted in from the right flank, slipped past two defenders and split the posts with a fine point to deservedly earn a share of the spoils. The final score Rockcorry 1-13 Monaghan Harps 2-10.