Match Report: Shelbourne FC 1-0 Longford Town FC

Fri May 31st 2019

Match Report by James Donnelly

Longford Town players, staff and supporters will feel very disappointed leaving Tolka Park tonight after losing 1-0 to Shelbourne thanks to a 79^th minute penalty courtesy of Conan Byrne.

The home side started the better of the two teams, with James English hitting the post from a header in the 5^th minute before the ball was eventually cleared away by the Longford defence.

Shelbourne kept De Town pinned back for the opening 25 minutes or so before Longford started to come into the game. Dean Byrne, who was probably the Red and Black’s best performer on the night, laid it off to Anto Breslin on the left, he whipped in a cross that was headed just narrowly wide by Aaron Dobbs.

Only 10 minutes later, Byrne sent Breslin on his way again, this time the cross was pulled back for Sam Verdon but his shot went narrowly wide of the post.

Paul O’Conor was replaced by Jamie Hollywood just before half time after he picked up an injury.

The second half was all Longford Town. Neale Fenn’s side could have opened the scoring just 3 minutes in when Aaron Dobbs had a shot from close range but it was well saved by McCabe in the Shelbourne goal.

Longford really pressed the hosts back and had another chance on 57 minutes. Dean Byrne again going close but not close enough. He took a high ball down brilliantly before turning his man but his shot was high over the bar.

Shels struggled to get a foothold in the second half and had scarce opportunities to score as the game progressed. Some great pressure from Shane Elworthy and Aodh Dervin was causing the home side problems and they began to aimlessly hit it out of play.

Longford missed another opportunity just after the hour mark when Dean Byrne again beat his man and foud himself in space before laying it off to Sam Verdon who’s shot was hit straight into the hands of McCabe.

It felt as if it was not going to be De Town’s night and on 79 minutes, Shels got the winner. A challenge by Peter Hopkins was deemed a foul and a penalty was awarded. Conan Byrne stepped up and coolly slotted it into the bottom corner.

Longford bombarded the Shels goal with wave after wave of attack for the remaining minutes but it wasn’t to be as the final whistle blew with the home side gaining all 3 points in a game that De Town didn’t deserve to lose but will rue their missed chances.

TEAM LINE-UPS

Shelbourne: McCabe, Friel, Fitzgerald, Marku, Brennan, Farrell, Rooney, Brennan, English (replaced by Byrne), Moore (replaced by Noone), Kilduff.

Subs: Delany, O’Hanlon, Moorehouse, McKenna, Connolly,

Longford Town: Lee Steacy, Shane Elworthy, Mick McDonnell, Conor Kenna, Anto Breslin, Sam Verdon, Paul O’Conor (replaced by Jamie Hollywood), Aodh Dervin, Dean Zambra (replaced by Jamie Doyle), Dean Byrne, Aaron Dobbs (replaced by Peter Hopkins).

Subs: Jack Menton, Karl Chambers, Joe Manley, Sean Brennan.

Match Report: Longford Town FC 3-1 Athlone Town AFC

Sat May 25th 2019

Match Report by Tony Ghee

Longford Town moved up to second place in the First Division table just a point behind leaders Shelbourne, after a brace from Dean Byrne and a penalty from Sam Verdon earned Neale Fenn’s charges a three-one victory over Midland rivals Athlone Town at the City Calling Stadium.

The home side took the lead on the quarter-hour mark when Verdon was inexplicably shoved over by Athlone centre-half Ciaran Grogan. Verdon dusted himself down, and calmly despatched the penalty, sending keeper Aaron Myles the wrong way.

Longford’s lead was very short-lived as Athlone were back on level terms within two minutes as the home defence were caught napping. Longford failed to properly clear a left-wing cross from Kaleem Simon, allowing Aaron Brilly to slip the ball through to striker Dean Williams and he poked home the equaliser.

Longford regained the lead on thirty-one minutes when Dean Zambra’s corner resulted in Kealan Dillon’s poor headed clearance being put back into the Athlone box by Paul O’Connor and Byrne brilliantly finished to the Athlone net.

The ‘Red & Black’ almost scored a third on thirty-eight minutes but Anto Breslin’s twenty-five yard free-kick struck the Athlone crossbar.

Longford Town started the second-half in whirlwind fashion and were again denied by the woodwork just four minutes after the resumption. Verdon’s exquisite curling shot from just outside the box on the left came back-off the far post and was gathered at the second attempt by Athlone keeper Myles despite being under pressure from O’Connor.

Dean Byrne grabbed his second of the contest and Longford’s third on fifty-three minutes when he created space for himself before rifling his shot to the Athlone net.

The home side created another good chance in the sixty-fifth minute. Aaron Dobbs released Byrne down the left, he skipped past Evan White, got to the end-line and whipped in a cross that was headed narrowly wide by Verdon.

Byrne was denied his hat-trick on seventy-seven minutes when he weaved his way into the Athlone box from the left only for his effort to be saved by Athlone stopper Myles.

TEAM LINE-UPS

Longford Town: Steacy, Elworthy, McDonnell, Kenna, Breslin, Zambra, Verdon, Dervin, O’Conor, Byrne, Dobbs.
Substitutions: Chambers for Verdon & Hollywood for Zambra (both 72 minutes)

Athlone Town: Myles, White, Buckley, Grogan, Casey, Kearney, Hogan, Brilly, Dillon, Simon, Williams.
Substitutions: Stokes for Hogan (63 minutes), Lotefa for Dillon (76 minutes)

Referee: Garvin Taggert

PICTURES BY TIERNAN DOLAN

Match Report: Galway United 2-1 Longford Town FC

Fri May 17th 2019

Match Report by James Donnelly

SSE Airtricity League First Division
Galway United FC 2-1 Longford Town FC
Friday 17^th May 2019 | Kick-off: 7.45pm
Eamonn Deacy Park

Galway United took all three points at Eamonn Deacy Park tonight in what is Longford’s only second defeat of the season so far.

Two second half goals from talisman Vinny Faherty saw the tribesmen cancel out Dean Byrne’s first half opener and seal the win for the home side.

Galway had the first major chance of the game on 6 minutes when a mix up between Town defender Mick McDonnell and goal-keeper Lee Steacy saw the ball come loose but Steacy did well to get down and gather the ball under pressure from a Galway player.

De Town opened the scoring on 11 minutes when a mistake by Nugent in defence for Galway saw Dean Byrne punish the home side to put Longford in front. A high ball from the Red and Black was headed back towards goal by Nugent but he mistakenly thought Horgan was there to collect when in fact he was just behind him. Horgan and Byrne raced after the ball but it was the Longford Town player who got there first and he tapped it under the arms of the Galway keeper and into the net.

Galway could have been level on 34 minutes when Cian Flaherty had a looping header magnificently saved by Lee Steacy in the Longford goal. Only moments later, Steacy was called into action again when he denied Conor Melody’s low flying shot.

At half time, Longford probably deserved to be leading but Galway had their chances and knew it was still all to play for in the second half.

Dean Byrne who got Longford’s only goal v Galway United tonight.

The home side got their equalizer within minutes of the restart. Marc Ludden with a cross to Vinny Faherty who placed a perfect header beyond the reach of Lee Steacy in goal on 49 minutes.

Galway could have had their second on 52 minutes when Donal Higgins dispossessed Conor Kenna and went through 1 on 1 with Lee Steacy but once again, De Town goal-keeper got down well to make another save.

Substitute Sam Verdon had a chance to put Longford ahead just aftet the hour mark. Some good build up play saw Shane Elworthy receive the ball down the right wing, his cross was headed clear but it eventually found Verdon and his shot forced a good save from Horgan in the Galway net.

Longford had another missed opportunity on 69 minutes when Aaron Dobbs raced clear of the Galway defence and was 1 on 1 with Horgan but he sliced his shot wide. Dean Byne then had a chance only 5 minutes later. Leaving two Galway players in his wake, he drove from midfield at the Galway defence but his shot was straight into the hands of Horgan.

Galway looked the more likely to score in the remaining minutes and they did just that. Nearly a carbon copy of his first goal, Vinny Faherty again got in between the Longford defenders to place a header into the back of the net with only 5 minutes remaining.

De Town tried for an equaliser but the home side ran out deserving winners in the end.

Pictures by Ken Keenan

TEAM LINE-UPS:

Galway United: Kevin Horgan, Christopher Horgan, Marc Ludden, Stephen Walsh (C), Maurice Nugent, Conor Melody, Vinny Faherty, Cian Murphy, Wilson Waweru, Ivan Gamarra, Donal Higgins.

Subs: James Tierney (GK), Iarfhlaith Davoren (replaced Higgins), Colin Kelly, Ronan Asgari, Mark Hannon (replaced Faherty), Shane Doherty (replaced Waweru), Matthew Barrett.

Longford Town: Lee Steacy, Shane Elworthy, Anto Breslin, Mick McDonnell, Conor Kenna, Peter Hopkins, Aodh Dervin, Dean Zambra, Adam Evans, Dean Byrne, Aaron Dobbs.

Subs: Jack Menton (GK), Jamie Doyle (replaced Hopkins), Carlton Ubaezuonu (replaced Evans), Sam Verdon (replaced Dervin), Karl Chambers, Sean Brennan, Kevin Knight.

MATCH REPORT: Longford Town 0-1 Cabinteely

Sat May 11th 2019

Town lose unbeaten record in top-of-the-table clash

Match Report by Tony Ghee

An eighty-fifth minute goal from striker Kieran Marty-Waters ended Longford Town’s unbeaten ten game run as Cabinteely recorded a priceless one-nil victory at the City Calling Stadium to replace the home side at the summit of the first division.

Cabinteely started the brighter and fired the game’s first salvo in the tenth minute. The division’s top scorer, Rob Manley, charged down the right, he cut inside to the end-line and his brilliant pull-back found Marty-Waters sixteen yards out from goal, but his shot was smartly saved by Town keeper Lee Steacy.

On eighteen minutes, a Marty-Waters’ free-kick from twenty-five yards out on the right forced a save from Town stopper Steacy.

The Town’s first real chance did not materialise until a minute before the interval. Anto Breslin whipped in a thirty yard free-kick from the right that picked out striker Dobbs, but his header was well saved by Cabinteely keeper Stephen McGuinness.

The visitors responded immediately but substitute Eoin Massey’s shot was saved by Steacy.

A very non-descript second-half came alive in the eighty-fifth minute when Cabinteely took the lead. A superb through ball on the turn from Manley picked out Marty-Waters, he skipped past Town defender Conor Kenna and blasted the ball to the roof of the Longford net from just inside the box.

Town substitute Sam Verdon’s injury time free-kick was deflected narrowly over the Cabinteely bar, and Pat Devlin’s charges secured all three points with a deserved victory.

TEAM LINE-UPS

Longford Town: Steacy, Elworthy, McDonnell, Kenna, Breslin, Zambra, Hopkins, Brennan, Dervin, Byrne, Dobbs.
Substitutions: Verdon for Brennan (65 minutes), Ubaezuonu for Hopkins (65 minutes), O’Connor for Zambra (87 minutes)

Cabinteely FC: McGuinness, Hudson, Tuite, Keeley, Hurley, Dalton, Labutis, O’Neill, Aspil, Marty-Waters, Manley.
Substitutions: Massey for Labutis (13 minutes), Carlin for Hurley (72 minutes).

Referee: John McLoughlin