Fri Feb 22nd 2019

Town earn a point in League opener away to Limerick

Match Report by Tony Ghee

Longford Town came away from the Markets Field with a point after a goalless draw away to Limerick FC in their opening game of the 2019 First Division campaign.

Limerick came very close to opening the scoring on five minutes when Karl O'Sullivan headed just over from a Darren Murphy corner, while Town striker Aaron Dobbs blazed well over from a good position on twelve minutes.

The Town tested Limerick stopper Jack Brady in the fourteenth minute but Adam Evans thirty yard thunderbolt was tipped over by the former Longford keeper.

Limerick were the better side in the early stages of the second-half and almost took the lead on fifty minutes, as O'Sullivan ran onto McSweeney's superb headed flick-on, only to fire his shot into the Longford side-netting.

Longford came back into the contest to create a chance on fifty-five minutes. Anto Breslin charged down the left and whipped in a brilliant cross to pick out Dobbs but his glancing header failed to find the Limerick net.

The home side almost caught the Town defence napping on sixty-seven minutes when a long clearance found Kieron Hanlon but his stinging shot was brilliantly saved by Steacy.

Longford should have scored on eighty-four minutes after a brilliant move. Peter Hopkins weaved his way past several defenders and sprayed the ball out to Dean Byrne, his pin-point cross to the back post was headed back by Paul O'Connor to Dobbs but the Town striker incredibly shot wide from close range.

TEAM LINE-UPS

Limerick FC: (4-2-3-1) Brady, Kelly, O'Connor, Williams, Treacy, Hughes, Murphy (Fitzgerald 89 minutes), O'Sullivan, McSweeney (Hanlon 61 minutes), Russell (Walsh-O'Loughlin 84 minutes), Ellis.

Longford Town: (4-3-2-1) Steacy, Chambers, McDonnell, Kenna, Breslin, Elworthy (Byrne 78 minutes), O'Connor, Dervin, Zambra, Evans (Hopkins 66 minutes), Dobbs (Doyle 83 minutes)

Referee: Jason Mannix