Finn Harps responded to the urgings of their huge travelling support to stake an emphatic claim to promotion from the eircom League of Ireland First Division when they swept a shell-shocked Monaghan United aside 4-0 at Kingspan Century Park.
In a sensational start, Harps were ahead within 20 seconds of the kick-off, a sweeping passing movement concluding with Michael Funston crossing from the right for Conor Geithns to stab the ball in at the near post.
Gethins almost made it two goals inside two minutes, outpacing the United defence and chipping the advancing Alvin Rouse only to see the cheeky effort cannon back off the crossbar.
Monaghan briefly stabilised, but found themselves two goals in arrears after 25 minutes. Eloka Asokuh swept forward from his defensive post and, after exchanging passes with Gethins on the edge of the box, drove an emphatic shot low past Rouse.
Stephen Parkhouse extended Harps' lead just after the half-hour, his goal the easiest of tap-ins after Declan Divin had torn the Monaghan defence asunder in a run down the left flank.
Gethins and Parkhouse missed good chances to extend the visitors' lead further before half-time.
Any faint hopes Monaghan harboured of staging a second half recovery were dashed within two minutes, when Rouse and centre-half Luke Fitzpatrick got in a terrible muddle on the edge of the box and the ball was collected by the grateful Gethins to roll in his second goal.
Harps took their foot off the pedal after that. Gethins, Parkhouse and influential captain Tony Shields (a doubtful starter for the game through injury) were all substituted and a non-event of a second half wound down to a conclusion with only Harps substitute Chris Breen, with a fierce curling shot in the 75th minute that Rouse did well to save, threatening to add to the scoreline.
Monaghan United: Rouse; Gannnon, Fitzpatrick, Whelan, Williamson; Byrne, Tierney, Meenan, McCartney; Farrell, Doyle. Substitute: Cousins for Doyle, 40.
Finn Harps: Gallagher; Asokuh, McLaughlin, Holmes, Minnock; Funston, McGowan, Shields, Divin; Parkhouse, Gethins. Substitutes: O'Loughlin for Shields, 51, Brown for Parkhouse 62 and Breen for Gethins, 70.
Referee: D Tomney (Meath).
