Dublin dig deep to hold Monaghan to draw
Any Dublin supporters wondering if their five-in-a-row All-Ireland winning heroes would dig deep for new manager Dessie Farrell got their answer as the hosts rescued a remarkable Allianz football league draw at Croke Park.
Behind by nine points with 10 minutes of normal time remaining, it looked like Dublin were poised to slip to a third consecutive Division 1 defeat to bogey team Monaghan.
But in a fightback that will give new boss Farrell real heart early in his tenure, they outscored Monaghan by 1-7 to 0-1 from there on to grab the draw, matching their earlier stalemate with Kerry.
Full-back David Byrne emerged as the unlikely hero with an 80th minute point off his left foot at the Hill 16 End to tie up the scores.
Having conceded a goal to Monaghan after just 43 seconds, it was the only time in the entire game that Dublin were on level terms with Seamus McEnaney's side.
Monaghan led by 1-14 to 0-8 at the hour mark but Dublin subs Kevin McManamon, Sean Bugler and Colm Basquel had a big impact, striking 1-4 between them.
McManamon's 70th minute goal was the crucial score, igniting the comeback and giving Dublin the belief that they could rescue a result.
Bugler flicked the ball on for veteran McManamon to score yet another goal for Dublin and the provider then turned poacher with back to back points before Byrne stepped up at the death for that leveller.
It was tough on Monaghan who felt they were on the verge of a landmark win themselves under new boss 'Banty' McEnaney.
McManus scored 1-4 for them while goalkeeper Rory Beggan and midfielder Niall Kearns all had strong games.
They got the best possible start with that goal inside the opening minute when McManus latched onto a long diagonal ball from Ryan McAnespie, skipped away from Michael Fitzsimons and stuck a low shot in the net.
Monaghan then reeled off seven points without reply between the fifth and 22nd minutes to lead by 1-7 to 0-1 and while they were 10 ahead at one stage they retained a nine-point lead at half-time.
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