MALACHY O’ROURKE would’ve fretted for long spells in Castleblayney on Sunday but his Monaghan side finally unpicked Donegal.
Maybe, it wasn’t even as forensic as that. A goal and four points down on 20 minutes and having been completely outplayed at that stage, all Monaghan could do was throw their last dollar on the roulette wheel and hope for the best.
Photo caption: Darren Hughes of Monaghan and Donegal’s Leo McLoone are closest to the ball for their respective teams at St Mary’s Park in Castlyblayney in the Allianz League Division 1 yesterday. Photo: Geraldine Diver
“We needed the response after the Donegal goal and our goal was crucial,” O’Rourke said. “We were seven points down and if we didn’t get a goal it was going to take a lot of play to get back. The goal reduced the gap a we bit.
“As the game wore on we got stronger and stronger and we started to in more individual battles around the field and we got more of a foothold around the middle.
“Our play improved and we had a great hunger to try and win the game and in the end that probably carried us over the line.”
O’Rourke was praiseworthy of Mark Anthony McGinley, the Donegal goalkeeper, who he felt gave a variation of kick-outs that gave Rory Gallagher’s side the foundation for their impressive start.
“It’s always tricky the way Donegal set up and the system they play and if they get a run on you then it can be hard to catch them,” O’Rourke said. “Sometimes when we didn’t push up on the kick-outs they were able to work it well down the field and get a score and then when we did push up they exploited us in behind.”
Even after Monaghan came back from seven points down to win 1-10 to 1-9 against a Donegal side who lost their way, safety in the Allianz League Division 1 wasn’t assured till confirmation of Kerry’s victory over Cork was confirmed at Austin Stack Park in Tralee.
“Someone was shouting in ‘four’ and I thought he meant that there was four minutes left,” Monaghan centre-back Fintan Kelly said. “But I think now he was shouting that Kerry were up by four. To be honest we just wanted to get the win as we couldn’t really control what was going on elsewhere.”
In the end, Kerry won by five and their 0-20 to 1-12 victory over Cork was enough to relegate the Rebel County and keep Monaghan in the top-flight on point difference.
Monaghan’s bravery was rewarded and a run of four successive defeats – that almost became five – dissolved and the Farney County can now look forward to the start of their Ulster SFC defence with more of a spring in their step and who knows, maybe even a semi-final against Donegal.
“I’m delighted to have got through it as this was a very important game for us,” O’Rouke added. “We wanted to stay in Division 1 and we knew that other results had to work for us so we’re glad that Kerry did us a favour.
“When Colin Walshe put the ball over the bar we were aware of the permutations. A draw was no good to us and we knew Cork had lost so a one-point win would do us. No better man than Walshie to finish it off.
“We said all along that Division 1 is about playing quality teams every week. If you’re down at all you can be exploited and we wouldn’t have the same resources so if we’re down three or four it can affect us more than other, bigger counties.
“It’s a tough environment to be in but we learn an awful lot about ourselves in Division 1 every week. It’s great to have it next year.”
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