Section O Says Hello (03/07/14)

Good evening ladies and gents from the other side of the ground.  Tonight we welcome Shelbourne to the CCS. Well when I say welcome I mean….! After the previous meeting between the two sides in the CCS resembled a scene from Black Hawk Down, tensions are mounting in this Midland town.

On a more serious note, tonight’s game is shaping up to be a great one.  Shels have beaten us twice already this season, undeservingly so on at least one occasion I think most Town fans would feel and so we owe them one tonight! With both teams coming off huge wins last weekend in their respective games it should be a lively affair from the start! Let’s hope for a good game, 3 points for the town and that all supporters from both clubs just have a lovely time..…

What a difference a year makes…

While this would be a more fitting heading for this time next year IF we somehow finally manage to escape from this division, as the bus full of Town fans was escorted from the gates of Lissywollen 4 weeks ago it was hard not to compare it to another game between the two sides almost exactly a year before.

9 points clear going into a League game just before the summer break arrogantly laughing at the jibes from Roddy and his team in their efforts to knock us off the top. How foolish we were, Athlone pulled 3 back that night and our captain Mark Salmon suffered a horrendous injury ruling him out for the rest of our season. That night has been pin pointed by many Town fans as the night our season collapsed as things just went from bad to worse after the break and we let Athlone sail past us and away with the League title. The slagging from certain elements of their fans was hard to take as we watched them prepare for their first season in the Premier in nearly 20 years with, although none of us would admit it at the time….pure and utter jealousy.

Almost exactly one year later and we’re drawn against them in the cup, we’ve had one of our poorest starts to the season in years but nothing compared to Athlone’s which for the spiteful among us just couldn’t really have went any better. From ridiculously poor performances to conceding last minute goals to losing their saviour Roddy to problems paying their rent to even having their sponsorless jerseys robbed from their Club shop….it genuinely couldn’t get much worse!

Two teams going into a derby in pretty poor form but one with even more of a point to prove then usual….and prove it we did! It is unusual to play a team a division above you in a cup match and regard it as your most comfortable win of the season but it truly was. Athlone caused us no threat with two long range shots on target as we controlled the game from start to finish.

As Salmo, who had to be stretchered off the pitch a year previously, slotted home the peno to make it two nil, red smoke filled the sky as stand up if your Longford Town rang around the Athlone stadium!! The hurt from the year before seemed a million miles away at that moment.  As the bus pulled out of the stadium, escorted by squad cars clocking up overtime, it passed a group of Athlone fans at the gate. The same fans who had wasted no time in telling us who the big club were the year previously as they celebrated their first time to finish above us in over 14 years. They’d had a tough season so far and were about to suffer their next embarrassment as they were harshly banned from games while voicing their concerns for their club. There was no need for the Guards to step in, they didn’t shout or taunt the bus as they had done before; they just stared blankly as the bus, almost bouncing at this stage, left the ground. They knew they were still the superior club in terms of being in the Premier Division if nothing else and at that moment I’m sure a shadow of doubt crossed their mind as to how long that was going to last. PRIDE OF THE MIDLANDS!

Away Days

After tonight’s game we face the prospect of two tough away days over the next two weeks! Firstly we have Wexford away on the 11^th followed by the long trip to Cobh (yes..we’re playing them again) on the 19^th! If you are interested in booking your place on the bus please contact Kieran on 0831670304! For anyone who was unfortunate to have travelled to Cobh on the bus at the start of the season for no more then a bag of chips, there may be deals available for you this time around so get in contact!

World Cup Sweepstakes

Many thanks to everyone who took part in our World Cup Sweepstakes! We managed to fill two draws with a total of 64 people entering allowing us to raise instant money for the club. In the end we probably could have filled another draw if we’d had the time which is a shame with some of the players even having to be turned away just before the draw was due to take place. With the Competition really hotting up now as we enter the Quarter Finals it is hard to know who is going to all the way. One member of Section O however already has one of the prizes in the bag with Ross Thompson’s Cameroon bravely fighting to secure the title of the worst team of the World Cup, a fitting prize for the most optimistic man in Section O!!

Chant of the Week

The saying “If Messi scored that they’d be talking about it for weeks” is probably one of the most overused irritating sayings any football fan can use, if you usually say it, stop it, you’re impressing no one. However Salmo’s goal last week was something special and to put a more realistic saying on it, if Chris Forrester scored it, they’d be talking about it for weeks…well at least Soccer Republic would anyway! Anyway given his wonder goal last week as well as his impressive performance in Athlone, this week’s tune is dedicated to Captain Fantastic, Mark Salmon, certainly not the most original of chants we have had in these notes but it does the job....

“There’s only one Mark Salmo,

There’s only one Mark Salmo,

With a touch and a pass,

He’s pure (eh.....)  class,

Walking in a Salmo Wonderland”

Tweet of the Week

A good week for Salmo this week with this section of our notes also mainly concerning him.

“ Great win for Longford Town lads away to Galway last Saturday. Seen Salmo’s goal on youtube. Wow!Great to see Salmo back amongst it”   @KeithGillespie7

“Special mention to Mark Salmon who overcame a horrendous injury to get back playing for Longford. Not for money but for #loveofthegame”  @KeithGillespie7

Horrendous use of a hashtag there Keith and we are actually paying him as well but yeah…we get the point!!

Supporters Club

As has been mentioned before some members of Section O are heavily involved in the Official Supporter’s club this year. It is for this reason that we would like to encourage as many people as possible to join the Supporter’s club for the year and try and make it as a successful year as possible! Membership is €10 for adults and €5 for Children and envelopes can be collected from the Clubhouse or from any member of the Supporter’s club.

Keep updated

As always to keep up to date with the latest Section O news, like our page on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @section_o_ltfc!