MATCH PREVIEW: Longford Town v Cobh Ramblers

Preview by Tony Ghee

Longford Town's first match after the mid-summer break is a home clash against Cobh Ramblers at the City Calling Stadium this Saturday night with the big match kicking-off at half past seven.

Neale Fenn's charges are second in the table, four points behind leaders Shelbourne with ten matches to go. Only five points separate the Town from sixth place Bray, and the battle for the play-offs promises to be full of drama and excitement that will probably only be decided on the final day of the regular season.

Longford will be hoping to bounce back from their late collapse away to Bray last time out, as a two-one lead with five minutes to go finished in a three-two loss when Killian Cantwell and towering centre-back Hugh Douglas netted on eighty-eight and ninety-three minutes to sensationally earn all three points for the Wicklow side.

In contrast, seventh placed Cobh go into Saturday's contest with a pep in their step after defeating Galway Utd two-one at Saint Colman's Park with Denzil Fernandes and talismanic Jaze Kabia on the mark.

However, the loss of manager Stephen Henderson who resigned after the victory over Galway is a blow for Cobh, and it will be interesting to see how the Cobh players will react to Henderson's departure.

Cobh are capable of beating big teams as demonstrated by their run to last season's EA Sports Cup Final and their earlier two-one home victory over table-toppers Shelbourne this season.

The earlier league meeting in Saint Colman's Park ended in a goalless stalemate, while last season Cobh won two-one and drew two all with the 'Red & Black' in the two league matches played at the City Calling Stadium, so Longford Town can expect another tough battle on Saturday evening.

On the team news front, Jamie Hollywood, Kevin Knight, and Sean Brennan have all departed the City Calling Stadium and the club would like to wish them well for the future.