Straight from the whistle Cookstown were dispossessed allowing the Monkstown forwards to stride into the home side's circle. Only strong pressure put on the striker by Paul Thompson saved the Reds from going one goal down with only seconds on the clock.

This set the tone of the match as both teams kept their play to a high tempo, leading to a number of chances at both ends.

As in recent weeks, Cookstown's main goal threat came down the right where Timmy Smyth, Stephen Sloan and Mark Crooks again showed their pace and skill, setting up three chances that went unconverted.

The Reds' breakthrough finally came on twenty minutes when captain Ian Cheevers found Stuart Smyth, who carried the ball into Monkstown territory before feeding Crooks on the right. The winger squared the ball to Greg Allen who turned impossibly to lose his marker and thumped the ball into the net with a powerful push to make it 1-0.

Cookstown were unable to stretch their lead despite several short corners which were dealt with by the well drilled Monkstown defence leaving the Reds just one goal up at half time.

Things went from bad to worse for Monkstown as their former schoolboy international, Alec Barrett, received a period in the sin bin for violent conduct on Stuart Smyth after the whistle.

However, as Cookstown pushed forward to extend their lead, ten man Monkstown counter-attacked at pace. The Reds' defence crumbled, marking forgotten and their striker made no mistake as he put the ball in the net to make it 1-1.

The Tyrone men were furious at themselves and unbelievably were caught napping again as the Dubliners broke down the Cookstown left.

Flooding their right with players, they cut straight through the Cookstown left and then crossed the ball into the circle to find an unmarked player. Thom saved well from the initial shot but was unable to get to the rebound which was defiantly put away to make it 2-1 to the visitors.

Almost straight away Monkstown forced their way back into the Cookstown circle earning a short corner. Second runner Cheevers snuffed out the danger and as Butler broke up field he was felled by a sliding tackle from a Monkstown midfielder. The Dubliners were back down to ten men when the player received a yellow card.

With just five minutes remaining, Derek Falls finally breached the defence of the on-form Monkstown 'keeper to make it 2-2, drawing relieved cheers from the large crowd.

However, Cookstown went into the golden goal extra time with just ten men when Butler was sin binned by the umpire for both sides' persistent stick tackling.

Monkstown were now the dominant team in the match and fashioned two good opportunities to finish the game. However, the ten-man Cookstown refused to give in and doggedly defended for their Irish Junior Cup lives.

Martin Sloan, who had come on in central midfield, proved the difference between the two teams, calmly drawing Monkstown into several rash challenges, allowing the Reds to edge up the pitch via free hits.
From one of these, the Dubliners were slow to reorganise allowing Sloan Senior to find Greg Allen in the box who again easily lost his marker and lashed the ball high into the net to win the match with the golden goal.

The Seconds are now through to the semi-final stage of the Irish Junior Cup with Banbridge the only other team to have progressed with them.
Squad: Alastair Thom, Paul Thompson, Timmy Smyth, Derek Falls, Ian Cheevers (c), Stephen Sloan, Gavin Butler, Paul Barrett, Mark Crooks, Greg Allen, Pete Cunningham, Mikes Costelloe, John Howard, Michael Millar, Martin Sloan

Millar, Shearer & Black Man of the Match: Greg Allen; his runs off the ball and work in the box was impeccable.