The Farney men were 0-8 to 0-6 to the good at the interval, with Paul Finlay, captain Darren Hughes and Dick Clerkin all standing out.

But Padraic Joyce’s introduction gave the Tribesmen some added impetus in attack and in a nail-biting finish, two Paul Conroy points and Cummins’ goal saw Galway prevail in front of an attendance of just 578.

Man-of-the-match Conroy finished with 0-5 and Joyce hit 0-4 as Alan Mulholland's side secured their place in the second tier for next year's league.

They could yet push for promotion to Division 1 in the final round however, as this result sets up a fascinating meeting with Kildare in Tuam in two weeks' time.

Monaghan, on the other hand, are third-from-bottom in the table and face Ulster rivals Tyrone in their last game as they look to avoid the drop to Division 3.

Monaghan's appeal to have home advantage for today's clash failed, so it was moved to Pearse Park in Longford where a small crowd watched on.

It was an even enough start as late call-up Michael Hehir traded frees with Monaghan's ace marksman Finlay and Chris McGuinness and Darren Hughes also chipped in with points from play.

Monaghan stretched their lead to 0-4 to 0-2 after Clerkin followed up on some excellent work from Kieran Hughes. Michael Martin replied for the Tribesmen to make it a one-point game.

Finlay increased his influence with a well-taken brace, the second point coming from a free set up by pacy substitute Ciaran Hanratty.

In between, Galway wing back Garreth Bradshaw had a bad miss from kickable range and Monaghan made a notable switch as Darren Hughes was moved into midfield to thwart the influence of Joe Bergin.

Another pinpoint free from Finlay and a second point of the afternoon from a busy Darren Hughes extended the lead out to 0-8 to 0-3, but Galway put on a spurt as the first half came to a close.

Full-forward Conroy added two points and Hehir converted a free to reduce the margin to three at the turnaround. Conroy seemed to benefit the most from Joyce's arrival on the pitch and spurred on by the veteran forward, the St. James' clubman had an excellent second half.

By the midpoint of the half, Monaghan were still leading (0-10 to 0-9) despite Joyce, Conroy and wing forward Gary Sice adding to the Galway tally. Points from substitute Shane Smyth and Gary McQuaid kept the scoreboard ticking over for Eamonn McEneaney's side.

The wind was in Galway's sails when Joyce, who replaced Damien Burke, landed a free and punched an effort over from play, adding to a first of the day from wing back Gary O'Donnell.

Suddenly, Monaghan were beging overwhelmed and 0-12 to 0-10 adrift on the scoreboard. The outstanding Finlay dragged the 'home' side level with four minutes remaining, clipping over a free and then pointing from play from a very acute angle.

Both sides were pushing hard for a precious win and it was Galway who showed the greater desire in the end. Finlay missed a free, leaving Conroy to take centre stage again and Cummins' neat goal in the final seconds was the insurance score.