Mountmellick well beaten by table-toppers Monksland United

CCFL Senior Division

It was top against bottom in the CCFL Senior Division on Sunday morning as Mountmellick United 'A' welcomed Monksland United to Conor Davis Park. Dylan Jinks scored a first-half hat-trick to send the league-leaders on their way to collect all three points.

The visitors started the game with a high tempo, looking to impose themselves from the word go. But it was Mountmellick who had the game’s first clear-cut chance when David Kelly got a header on goal off Luke O’Conner’s corner kick. Kelly was Mountmellick’s best player in the first half, but it just was not clicking for the hosts in midfield. 

Monksland Utd 4

Mountmellick Utd A 1

Monksland had five genuine goal chances in the first fifteen minutes as the gulf in class became evident. They were leaving their front three of Matt Scally, Johnny Kiernan and Jinks up for corners, not even bothering to fully defend, instead focusing on attack.

And the positive mindset paid off in the 26th minute when Scally chipped the ball over the Mountmellick defenders. Jinks was first to react and dinked the ball over Mick Spain to open the scoring. 

Jinks got his second goal in the 34th minute. Kiernan made a fine run down the left wing and pulled the ball back into the box where the waiting Jinks made no mistake. 

Mountmellick came back into the game after the goal with front pair, Conor Comiskey and Mark Grennan causing real problems for the Monksland back four. But the support simply was not coming from midfield.

But Jinks completed his hat-trick on the stroke of half time, somewhat against the run of play. Denzel Da Costa played a lovely ball in behind the Mountmellick back line which Jinks hit first-time to ripple Mick Spain’s net.  3-0 to the away side at half time.

Monksland had their fourth goal, six minutes in to the second half. Jinks, this time turning provider, cutting back in from the left wing where he picked out Aidan Reilly on the edge of the box. The ball sat up nicely for the midfielder who hit a sweet shot into the back of the net. 

Oran Murphy pulled one back for the hosts in the second half with long-range strike after some great work down the right wing from Jack Gorman. Gorman beat three defenders before getting the ball off to Murphy who’s shot from 25 yards gave Darren Quinn no chance. 

The result cements both side's respective positions in the league, with Mountmellick looking increasingly destined for a return to Division 1. The teams will meet again next week, back in Mountmellick, this time in the 3rd Round of the Combined Counties Cup.

SCORERS - Monksland: Dylan Jinks (x3), Aidan Reilly Mountmellick: Oran Murphy.

MOUNTMELLICK UTD: Mick Spain; Jordan Collins, Colin Murphy, Conor Dunne, Shane O'Connell; Jack Gorman, Oran Murphy, David Kelly, Luke O'Connor; Mark Grennan, Conor Comiskey. Subs: Brandon Cooper for Grennan (65 mins), Cian Thomson for Collins (66 mins), Ryan Conron for O’Connor (75 mins), Mick McDermott for O’Connell (80 mins). 

MONKSLAND UTD: Darren Quinn; Michael Harrington, Callum O'Brien, Kevin Dunne, Brian Francis; Aidan Reilly, Stephen Francis, Denzel Da Costa; Dylan Jinks, Matt Scally, Johnny Kiernan. Subs: John Shine for Reilly (60 mins), Sean Ryan for Kiernan (69 mins), David O’Brien for Scally (75 mins), Brian McCarthy for Dunne (75 mins)