This article is from page 63 of the 2011-04-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 63 JPG
Newmarket Celtic 2 – Bridge United 0 at McDonough Park, Newmarket-on-Fergus
NEWMARKET Celtic boss Liam Murphy handed a first Premier League start to Tom Monaghan for their Sunday morning local derby against Bridge United.
And what an inspired selection it proved to be as Monaghan, who has plied his trade in the B team to date, notching three goals in the season parachuted into the A team with stunning effect as his two-goal blast in the first half kept them on course for a first league title in four years.
Monaghan was the man, making an instant impact on top flight football with his goals that helped Newmarket stroll to the three points.
The first came 15 minutes in when Monaghan latched onto a perceptive through ball from junior international Davy Wall and fired a wonder gaol into the top corner of the net from 25 yards.
Then on the half-hour mark Monaghan doubled his tally when he got on the end of Seamus Considine’s cross from the left wing, hitting a sidefooted volley confidently past Derek Fahy in the Bridge United goal.
There was no way back for Bridge, even though they felt hard done by the fact that they weren’t awarded a penalty in the first minute when Tervor Maxwell was tackled from behind in the area by Mark Donnellan.
But afterwards Bridge had no complaints, while Newmarket could have ran riot, such were the plethora of chances that they missed over the 90 minutes. Eoin Hayes was most guilty after opportunity knocked a number of times, while sub Michael Crosby also had gilt-edged chance when Derek Fahy lost the ball outside the area, but he proceeded to kick the ball tamely at Fahy.
Newmarket Celtic
Ciaran McGlynn, Mark O’Malley, Seamus Lawlor, Mark Donnelann Daren Culinan, Eoin O’Brien, Mike O’Malley, Michael Devitt,TomMonaghan, Seamus Considine (Crosbie), Eoin Hayes, David Wall (Kieran Devitt)
Man of the Match
TomMonaghan (Newmarket Celtic)
Referee
Julian Stanford