Ulster Junior Cup
Letterkenny Rovers 8 - 0 Monaghan Town
Letterkenny Rovers delivered a dominant display, overpowering Monaghan Town 8-0 to progress in the Ulster Junior Cup on a cold, damp day. The home side controlled the match from start to finish, demonstrating sharp attacking play and rock-solid defense.
Rovers opened the scoring in the 12th minute when Keith Cowan headed in a well-placed cross from Joel Gorman at the back post. Just seven minutes later, Gorman set up another chance, playing a precise ball down the line for Caolan McConnell, who crossed for BJ Banda to slot into the bottom-right corner.
Monaghan struggled under pressure but managed their first real chance in the 24th minute. Jamie Krisivlevicus rose to meet a cross from Shay Kelly with a header that went wide. Rovers responded quickly, nearly adding another in the 26th minute when McConnell chipped a ball to Dylan Woods, who chested it down but sent his shot just wide.
Letterkenny continued to press, and in the 42nd minute, Nathan Plumb delivered a pinpoint cross from the right, which Banda met with a powerful header to make it 3-0. Monaghan’s Niall McKenna had a strike from distance as halftime approached but couldn’t find the target.
Rovers began the second half with the same intensity, pressing for more. Just a minute in, Joel Bradley Walsh headed back into the box for Chris Malseed, whose strike was saved by Monaghan’s Alan Ballantine. Moments later, Banda completed his hat-trick, leaping to head in Adrian Delap’s cross over the keeper.
The onslaught continued, and in the 50th minute, Dean McCarry made it 5-0. Eight minutes later, Banda’s clever backheel set up Delap to cross for Woods, who slotted in an easy finish.
In the 69th minute, Monaghan’s keeper was caught out of position as the ball reached McConnell, who rounded a defender and walked it into an open goal. Despite Monaghan’s attempts in the closing minutes, with McKenna creating a few promising moves, Rovers’ defense held strong.
Rory Gallagher capped off the scoring in the 89th minute, set up by Delap, sealing a comprehensive 8-0 victory for Letterkenny Rovers.
Scorers:
Keith Cowan (12’), BJ Banda (19’, 42’, 48’), Dean McCarry (50’), Dylan Woods (58’), Caolan McConnell (69’), Rory Gallagher (89’)