The result that we wanted. It may not have been pretty at times, but this was a hard fought out well earned success. A 3-0 home win against your bogey side with both your strikers on target is a satisfactory result under any circumstance. After a difficult first half into the wind, Dundalk responded well to take all three points with three exquisite goals in a game that only went to illustrate how important Gary Haylock will be to our chances of survival
From the side which performed so creditably in Derry, Murray made one enforced change with the injured Donal Broughan replaced in the side by Stephen McGuinness. Haylock was making his home debut, and went home with the man of the match award, the crowd suitably impressed by his contribution
After the promise of the second half in Derry, it was hoped Dundalk would pick up from where they left off. However the start was very nervous, and the visitors were the better side in the opening half an hour. On five minutes a cross from Stephen Murphy to the far post evaded all Dundalk defenders and came to the unfortunately named Johnathan King who fired over unchallenged from eight yards. The Monaghan pressure continued and on eighteen minutes a bad mistake by Stephen McGuinness and hesitation by John Connolly allowed Monaghan striker Darren McKenna in but his shot was blocked.
Monaghan looked lively, but despite Dundalk looking vulnerable at the back, they failed to create any better chances in the following seventy minutes. At times Dundalk would look dangerous, with Haylock looking dangerous everytime he was on the ball. He forced several corners with threatening crosses in the opening period, which took the pressure off the Dundalk defence. Still, it was a lot of huff and puff and little quality with both Flanagan and Prizeman performing below par
The first decent Dundalk move of the match provided the first goal of the game. It was a goal that was brilliantly executed, yet looked so easy, similar to the way Dundalk cut through the Derry defence last Thursday when they got the ball on the deck. It started from the back with Stuart Connolly receiving the ball and passing the ball forward to Gary Haylock whose strength allowed him to hold off his marker and release James Keddy who had made an excellent run. Keddy used the ball well, taking it on for a few strides before slipping Martin Reilly through with a simple slide rule pass. In the style of the Martin Reilly of last season, the Dubliner took the ball into the box and put the ball beyond Downey in the Monaghan goals to make it 1-0. From one end to the other in the matter of seconds with a decent passing move - great goal.
This seemed to give Dundalk some confidence, and another decent move minutes later saw Keddy yet again make a good run down to the left and this time put a cross onto the head of Haylock whose clever header almost put Kavanagh in. However, he was adjuged to have fouled a Monaghan defender. After the edginess early on, it was a little bit more encouraging from Dundalk.
The first half display was poor, but the team was playing straight into the wind and every kickout was coming straight back at the Dundalk defence. Monaghan were winning everything from the kickouts, but with the ball holding up in the wind the attacking players are always going to have the impetus when going for the challenge. This showed in the second half when Dundalk were winning the balls in the air due to exactly the same reason
Monaghan won two corners early in the second half, but after that it became a case of whether Dundalk could find the second goal to make the game safe - a problem the side could not overcome in the recent game against Longford. Still, Haylock was looking very lively up front and was the most likely to score the crucial goal. His touch was good, and he brought other players into the game - he wasn't afraid to try a cross the field pass to bring the full backs into play. Connolly and Keddy were also prominent, with the latter unable to get past the final man at times. Martin Reilly was getting into decent positions, but still looked quite sluggish at times. However, he was unlucky on sixty four minutes when a pull back from Johnathan Prizeman found the striker eight yards out, but his effort was blocked by a despairing Monaghan challenge
On seventy two minutes, the crucial goal came. Again, it was Haylocks strong play outside the box that was the instigator. He received the ball back to goal twenty five yards out and cleverly turned to put Kavanagh through with a slide rule pass. Kavanagh's cross into the box nearly found Reilly but was cleared by a Monaghan defender as far as the incoming Haylock twenty five yards out who met the ball running with a terrific left footed shot into the top corner of the net. A stunning strike to crown an excellent home debut
The three points were in the bag at that stage, and Chris Lawless was introduced for Johnathan Prizeman after the latter received a yellow card. Dundalk were playing with more confidence, and the quality of play improved marginally in the closing stages without creating any clear cut chances. Keddy fired wide on seventy five minutes from outside the box after a decent move, but it was hardly a guilt edged opportunity. Despite one lapse of concentration, Connolly and Keddy actually worked well together on the left side. Connolly is a nice alternative to Crawley, looking to play the ball on the deck when he gets into the opposition half. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him get into a goalscoring position in one of the upcoming games.
The game progressed with little action into injury time, as most of the crowd decided to leave early, perhaps looking to get the first pint in before the rush. The fools that did leave early missed a quality strike in injury time. With the wind behind him, John Connolly launched the ball out of his hands towards the Monaghan penalty area. The ball bounced over a Monaghan defender and into the path of Martin Reilly who judged the flight of the ball before perfectly before firing a fantastic right footed volley over Downey and into the far corner of the net off the crossbar. Another magical strike that like the Haylock strike was met not just with wild celebrations but with gasps of amazement at the quality of the strike.
Every goal is important, and the third is significant as not just does it embellish goal difference, it also puts a more polished look on the scoreline that might give people encouragement that Dundalk are on the way back. Monaghan may be bottom of the table, but let us not forget, they were reportedly unlucky only to take a point off Cork City on Sunday last. They have also gone to Richmond Park and got a result this season, so they are capable of causing a surprise. They are a side with nothing to lose, and in many ways that can make them difficult to play against
Still, the Oriel Park patrons expected no less than a win, and it was duly delivered - the first home win since September. There's a long way to go, and this performance was by no means earth stopping. However, the goals will give the two strikers confidence and that will be valuable on the run in. We've played better and lost, so we can be grateful for these three points. In man of the match Haylock, we have found a player of great quality who will be crucial in the games ahead. Despite what some may think, we have a real chance of avoiding relegation. We've just got to string two wins together, with the game against UCD next Thursday now replacing this one as the most important game of the season so far !
1 John Connolly........................6
Not much to do really
2 David Hoey........................... 6
Caught out badly at one stage in first half, but good second half
3 Stuart Connolly......................7
Decent performance
4 Arron Callaghan..................6
Adequate display
5 Stephen McGuinness...............6
One dodgy moment almost gifted Mons goal
6 John Flanagan..........................6
Much better after half time
7 Ciaran Kavanagh...................... 7
Worked hard, and played part in second goal
8 Martin Reilly.............................7
Can't knock him after the way he took his goals
9 Gary Haylock............................9
Different class. Used the ball well and great goal to boot
10 Johnathan Prizeman................6
Disappointing enough on the night
11 James Keddy......................... 7
Was pivotal to some of the best Dundalk moments of the game
SUBS
13 Chris Lawless 6 for Prizeman
Quiet enough in his time on the pitch