MATCH REPORT: Longford Town 1-0 Cobh Ramblers

Match Report by Tony Ghee

Longford Town moved back up to second in the SSE Airtricity League First Division after a one-nil victory over Cobh Ramblers at the City Calling Stadium, courtesy of a thirty-second minute goal from Sam Verdon.

The Town dominated the opening twenty minutes creating three good opportunities.

In the fifth minute, Aodh Dervin's pass picked out Verdon on the left and his lob dropped narrowly wide of the far post.

Within sixty seconds, Town striker Aaron Dobbs' glancing header from a Dean Zambra corner flashed just wide of the far post.

On nine minutes, Longford came closest to hitting the front as Conor Kenna's looping sixteen yard header from another Zambra corner was headed off the Cobh line by defender Kevin Taylor.

The visitors recovered well after the twenty minute mark and played much better football, testing the Town defence twice on twenty-one and twenty-seven minutes, however, Town keeper Lee Steacy came to the rescue both times.

In the twenty-first minute, Cobh striker Cian Leonard threaded a brilliant defence-splitting pass through to Jaze Kabia whose strike was brilliantly saved by Steacy with Leonard's rebound effort producing another outstanding save from Steacy.

Six minutes later, Steacy again came to Longford's rescue with a fine stop from Greg Henry's low shot after a one-two between Henry and Leonard had opened up the Town rearguard.

Just as Cobh appeared to have got the upper hand, they suffered a hammer blow on thirty-two minutes as Longford Town took the lead courtesy of a one-two between Dobbs and Sam Verdon with Verdon rifling home from just inside the Cobh box.

Zambra came close to extending Longford's lead on sixty-six minutes when his curling twenty yard free-kick sailed just over the Cobh crossbar.

Cobh keeper Paul Hunt kept the visitors in the contest on seventy-five minutes with a superb save from Dean Byrne's curling effort after the tricky winger had jinked his way past two Cobh defenders.

Sam Verdon almost doubled the Town's advantage ten minutes from time when his audacious lob from inside his own half sailed over the advanced Cobh stopper Hunt, only to go narrowly wide.

Team Line-Ups

Longford Town: Steacy, Elworthy, McDonnell, Kenna, Breslin, Zambra, Hopkins, Dervin, Verdon, Byrne, Dobbs.
Substitutes: Doyle for Dobbs (84 minutes), Chambers for Verdon (84 minutes)

Cobh Ramblers: Hunt, Taylor, McSweeney, Lyons, O'Riordan, Henry, Lambe, Kabia, Christopher, Harison, Leonard.
Substitutes: O'Leary for Christopher (60 minutes), Murphy for Kabia (65 minutes), O'Rourke for Harison (80 minutes).