MONAGHAN UNITED HAVE won promotion to the Airtricity League Premier Division with a 3-1 second-leg play-off victory against Galway United at Terryland Park.
The hosts could not defy expectations and recover from a 2-0 first-leg deficit, as they failed to gain inspiration from the presence in the crowd of newly-elected Irish President and longtime fan Michael D Higgins.
Monaghan secured their aggregate victory with a professional display. Declan O’Brien scored twice in the first-half to end the game as a contest, before Ryan Brennan added a third shortly after the break.
And while Alan Murphy scored a late consolation for Galway, it was too little too late for the cash-strapped home side, as they were relegated.
The result ends Galway’s five-year stint in the top flight, concluding what has been statistically their worst season ever.
