Monaghan United 1, Shelbourne 0

Report courtesy of RTE Sport

Monaghan United 1-0 Shelbourne

A moment of goalkeeping misfortune by Shels' Tony O'Dowd allowed Monaghan United to snatch all three points from this evenly contested mid-table encounter at Kingspan Century Park.

Monaghan midfielder Darren Meenan tried his luck with a speculative 20-yard effort in the 75th minute at the end of a weaving run.

O'Dowd appeared to have the effort covered but allowed the ball to squirm out of his grasp and over the line.

Shels will feel a little hard done by as they had a fair share of the
game and saw a late penalty appeal for a foul on Mark Leech turned down by referee Tom Connolly.

What had been a largely uneventful first-half brightened on the half-hour when a flowing Monaghan move ended with Robbie Farrell's shot bringing a fine reaction save from O'Dowd.

Shelbourne had only one chance of note before the interval, Leech breaking through in the 42nd minute and driving goalward only for United 'keeper Danny Woods to touch the ball around the post at full-stretch.

Farrell found the Shels net with a header early in the second half but the goal was ruled out for a foul on Alan Keely.

Substitute Glen Lacey then squandered a great chance to put Shelbourne ahead, driving wide with the goal at his mercy.

When Monaghan grabbed the breakthrough goal in the 76th minute courtesy of O'Dowd's howler, it set up a frenetic finale to the game.

Shelbourne attacked furiously but failed to produce an equaliser.

Leech had his penalty appeal ignored, Noel Haverty blazed over the bar when well placed and in the final minute of injury-time Aidan Collins headed into the side-netting.

MONAGHAN UNITED: Woods; Whelan, Fitzpatrick, Mooney, Williamson; Cousins, Tierney, Meenan, Byrne; Farrell, Doyle.
Subs: Gannon for Cousins, 60. Hussein for Doyle, 77.

SHELBOURNE: O'Dowd; Haverty, Keely, Collins, McCullouch; Harte, O'Brien, Murphy, Rooney; Leech, Quinn.
Subs: Gartland for Harte, and Lacey for Quinn, both 57. Brophy for Collins 83.

Referee: T Connolly (Louth)