Galway United's play-off hopes suffered what may prove a fatal blow as they lost 2-1 at Monaghan yesterday to slip eight points behind third-placed Limerick, who had won at Longford on Saturday night.

Aaron Shearer scored Monaghan's first at Gortakeegan after 17 minutes when he shot home after Darryl Mooney's flickheader had created the opening. Monaghan's second goal came just before half-time in a bizarre fashion. Goalkeeper John Grace was injured racing from his line to clear from John Brennan, but the clearance put Lee King free down the right and he got to the ball before Galway goalkeeper, Gabriel Higgins, to clip it over him and into the net.

Eric Levine headed Galway's consolation goal on 65 minutes.

Bray Wanderers and, to a lesser extent, Limerick kept the pressure on top-of-the-table Waterford with good away wins at Cobh Ramblers and Longford Town respectively on Saturday night.

Bray left it extremely late to beat a much-improved Cobh with a goal four minutes into injury time at St Colman's Park, when Kieran O'Brien headed home Phil Keogh's corner. A Conor Frawley own goal, incredibly his third and Longford's fourth in six league matches, set third-placed Limerick up for a deserved 2-0 win over Longford at Strokestown Road. Darren Browne scored Limerick's second.

St Francis's right-back, Noel Griffin, was sent off for kicking out at Home Farm/Everton's Mark Gill in a 1-1 draw at Whitehall. Brendan Wynne gave St Francis the lead with a headed goal on 29 minutes, but Home Farm deservedly equalised through Owen Heary midway through the second-half.

Home Farm should have won the game but for a dreadful refereeing decision which deprived them of a penalty when Terry Berry clearly took down Gill.