An 88th minute goal when Monaghan United had been reduced to 10 men gave St Patrick's Athletic a rather fortuitous win at Monaghan yesterday.
The winner came from Colm Foley with a 25 yards drive through a crowded goal area when the homeside was under siege following the sending off of team captain James O'Callaghan in the 44th minute.
It was a change of fortune for O'Callaghan who was the scorer of Monaghan's goal in the 41st minute.
United had the territorial edge in the first-half and their keeper Seamus Kelly was the busier of the two.
There was little between the teams in the opening exchanges in the second-half and it was against the run of play that Martin Russell scored the equaliser with a perfectly placed free from 25 yards into the left hand top corner of Robert Ford's goal.
Monaghan had the better of the exchanges that followed and had a couple of chances before O'Callaghan's sending off which turned the game St Patrick's way and were under heavy pressure thereafter.
MONAGHAN UNITED: Forde, White, Carville, Carroll, Shiels, Murphy, James O'Callaghan, Mooney, Vaughan, McKenna. Subs: Brunton for Vaughan (70 mins); Bourke for Vaughan (85 mins).
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: S Kelly, Burke, Maguire, Foley, Osam, L Kelly, Crolly, Livingstone, Marney, Russell, Griffin, Subs McCarthy for Marney. Mannion for Livingstone (75 mins), Doyle for Griffin (85 mins).
Referee: P Whelan (Dublin)
