Monaghan are almost guaranteed a place in the business end of the national football league after a brilliant 1-11 to 0-10 victory over All-Ireland champions Kerry in Tralee.

The result leaves last year's Division Two winners in second place on the Division One table with one game remaining (Monaghan host Dublin next weekend) and safe from relegation. Only an unlikely sequence of results next Sunday can deny them a place in the last four, while Kerry's trip to Omagh to face Tyrone will be a straight relegation shoot-out.

At Austin Stack Park today, points from Conor McManus (free), Dermot Malone and Owen Duffy had the sides level at 0-7 apiece six minutes into the second half after the Kingdom had led by three at the interval.

With the driving wind behind them, the hosts slotted the first five scores of the game via Paul Geaney (3), Stephen O'Brien and Barry John Keane; it wasn't until the 21st minute that the Farney County raised their first white flag, with McManus on target.

McManus and Geaney traded frees before Monaghan goalkeeper Rory Beggan drilled over a massive free into the teeth of the strong wind from all of 50 metres. Darren Hughes then fisted a point to reduce the gap to two, 0-6 to 0-4 with ten minutes left before the short whistle.

Jonathan Lyne got the only other point of the first half as Kerry's wides tally went into double figures.

Once the border county had drawn level, Johnny Buckley became the second Kerryman to strike the woodwork before collecting a short free from Keane to restore Kerry's advantage. Keane flashed a Kerry goal chance wide in the 44th minute and two minutes later Monaghan were in front when Duffy netted from close range at the other end: 1-7 to 0-8.

Paul Finlay, Beggan and Hughes all spurned chances for the wind-assisted visitors before Finlay and McManus (2) pointed to increase Monaghan's lead to five points.

When David Moran replied five minutes from time, McManus' sixth point of the match restored the five-point margin with two minutes left. Keane dragged a late goal chance wide and converted a last-gasp free as Malachy O'Rourke's men held on for a famous victory.

Monaghan - R Beggan (0-1f); R Wylie, V Corey, D Wylie; F Kelly, K Duffy, K O'Connell; N McAdam, K Hughes; D Mone, P Finlay (0-1), D Hughes (0-1); D Malone (0-1), O Duffy (1-1), C McManus (0-6, 2f). Subs: D McKenna for O Duffy, T Kerr for D Malone.

Kerry - B Kelly; P Kilkenny, S Enright, K Young; M Griffin, J Lyne (0-1), P Crowley; A Maher, D Moran (0-1f); S O'Brien (0-1), A Fitzgerald, J Buckley (0-1); P Geaney (0-4, 3f), K Donaghy, B J Keane (0-2, 1f). Subs: D O'Sullivan for A Fitzgerald (BC), T Walsh for P Geaney, P O'Donoghue for S O'Brien, F Fitzgerald for J Buckley, M O Se for P Kilkenny.

Referee - Marty Duffy.

Large Monaghan crowd applaud their team off the field. Wishing all a safe journey home pic.twitter.com/wkcT6fBudl

- Kerry GAA (@Kerry_Official) March 29, 2015

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