Pictures from Longford Town’s 1-0 victory over Drogheda United
Pictures by Tiernan Dolan
Pre-match pics….it’s always encouraging to see so many young faces enjoying real, live action.
Some action pics from our 1-0 win against Drogheda United that puts us into the play-off places before the mid-season break.
MATCH PREVIEW: Longford Town v Drogheda United
Preview by Andrew Dempsey
After two consecutive away trips to Ballybofey and Cabinteely, Longford Town will be returning to home comforts for the first time in 14 days as Neale Fenn’s side welcome Tim Clancy’s Drogheda United to the City Calling Stadium in a colossal First Division clash on Friday evening. Kick-off is at 7.45pm.
After last week’s disappointment at Stradbrook, Longford Town will be keen to get back to winning ways as the Red and Black look to catapult themselves back into the Playoff places before the mid-season break.
As for our opponents Drogheda, they will also be looking to bounce back with a big win after Tim Clancy’s side fell to a bitterly disappointing two nil defeat against top of the table UCD at the UCD Bowl last week. A brace from the in-form Georgie Kelly sealed the deal for the Students on that occasion.
Last time we met Drogheda United, Neale Fenn’s side played out an entertaining one-all draw as Ciaran Kelly popped up with a late, late strike to break Town hearts on Boyneside after Dean Byrne’s sumptuous thirty-yard strike looked to have sealed the deal for De Town at United Park.
After having our recent unbeaten run snapped by Cabinteely last week, Neale Fenn will surely be hoping that his side can bounce back from last week’s defeat, and with good measure too, as the last time his side fell to defeat away from home, they won the very next home game which was the 5-1 derby day demolition job win over Athlone Town at the City Calling Stadium.
In terms of team news for De Town, Evan Galvin and Darren Meenan must sit out this vital clash due to suspensions picked up in recent games while Alan Kehoe and Cian Byrne remain out with injuries.
In a game that promises to be a fantastic footballing spectacle, be sure to get out and support the Red and Black of Longford Town in our final game before the mid-season break at the City Calling Stadium.
MATCH REPORT: Athlone Town 1-1 Longford Town
Match Report by Tony Ghee
Longford Town had to settle for a share of the spoils at the Athlone Town Stadium in the second El Classico of the season between the two Midlands rivals as the ‘Red & Black’ came from behind to snatch a draw but ended the contest with ten players as Mulhall was sent-off late on. It was a disappointing result for Neale Fenn’s charges as Athlone secured only their second point of the season and a Longford win was expected.
A repeat of the earlier five-one victory for Longford was always going to be highly unlikely as the Athlone defence have tightened up at the back since Terry Butler took over the helm and that was certainly the case in this match.
The first twenty minutes of the contest failed to produce any chances worthy of the name. The visitors played the better football but quality final balls were often the missing link for Longford as the Athlone keeper Lawless was not even tested once. At the other end, the Town defence were rarely tested as they comfortably dealt with the home side’s long ball game.
The best opportunity in that poor opening twenty minute period fell to the home side, as Hamzat muscled Dervin off the ball and raced in on goal from the right, but as he was about to pull the trigger, Noack-Hofmann crucially made a goal saving tackle.
The game burst into life on twenty-one minutes when Athlone took the lead with a brilliantly worked goal. Athlone won a free-kick and Grogan shaped to play the ball over the Town wall, but then suddenly played a clever low ball towards the right side of the box into the path of Brilly whose intelligent diagonal run from the right wing caught the Longford defence napping, and the former Longford player kept his composure to drill a low diagonal Shot into the bottom left corner of the Longford net.
The visitors responded with three opportunities in the remainder of the first half. In the twenty-fifth minute, a perfectly weighted pass from Dervin set-up McGlade but his shot was straight at Athlone keeper Lawless.
On thirty-four minutes, Galvin was thwarted by home keeper Lawless who raced off his line to make a fine save from the Longford winger’s sixteen yard effort, however, Galvin retrieved the ball and his chipped cross picked out striker Byrne, but Byrne’s shot came back off the Athlone post.
Four minutes before the interval, Mulhall headed an Elworthy cross wide of the Athlone goal, but Brilly’s goal gave Athlone a one-nil interval lead.
Athlone almost scored a second goal within two minutes of the resumption as Cabraley set-up striker Stokes only for Longford keeper Brady to produce a sharp save.
Longford’s first opportunity of the second-half arrived in the fifty-eighth minute. Elworthy and O’Reilly combined to snuff out an Athlone attack and O’Reilly launched a long clearance out of defence that Mulhall headed on into the path of Verdon, he shrugged off one Athlone defender but his shot was saved by Lawless.
Longford equalised just after the hour mark. McGlade’s corner was headed on by Verdon to O’Reilly on the right-edge of the Athlone six-yard box and his header back across goal was finished by Mulhall from virtually on the line.
Chris Mulhall, who equalised for De Town and also received a red card.
A spectacular overhead kick from Galvin on sixty-six minutes whistled narrowly over the Athlone bar and although Longford pressed for the winner, they could not find a winner.
The Town had striker Mulhall dismissed in the eighty-seventh minute for an off the ball incident after Mulhall and Athlone substitute Gaffey became entangled, although the collision seemed accidental.
Next up for Longford Town is a home game against Galway next Friday night at the City Calling Stadium.
TEAM LINE-UPS
Athlone Town: Lawless, Raftery, Smith, Nyakambili, Fletcher, Hamzat, O’Leary, Grogan, Brilly, Cabraley, Stokes.
Substitute: Kavanagh for Stokes (63 minutes), Gaffey for Hamzat (70 minutes), McCullough for Cabraley (81 minutes).
Longford Town: Brady, Elworthy, McDonnell, O’Reilly, Noack-Hofmann, Galvin, Verdon, Dervin, McGlade, Mulhall, Byrne.
Substitutes: Zambra for Byrne (55 minutes), Ryan for Dervin (81 minutes), Meenan for Hofmann (89 minutes).
Referee: Garvan Taggert.
MATCH REPORT: Lively stalemate between Longford and Shels
Match Report by Tony Ghee
Longford Town and Shelbourne played out a one-all draw in an entertaining SSE Airtricity League First Division encounter at the City Calling Stadium with David O’Sullivan and Dylan McGlade both scoring goals against their former clubs as both sides had to settle for a share of the spoils.
Shels dominated the opening half hour creating six good opportunities but the Town eventually worked their way back into the contest in the latter stages of the first half and produced a much better second-half performance.
In the eleventh minute, Evan’s firmly struck twenty-yard shot was palmed away by Town keeper Kelly and just a minute later, Kelly was called into action again as he saved a downward header from English after an excellent cross from Brown.
Two minutes later, another Shellbourne attack resulted in Hughe’s crisp low drive from the edge of the Town box producing another fine save from Kelly.
On eighteen minutes, the visitors created another chance when a sublime diagonal long pass from the left from Kavanagh picked out the unmarked English on the right edge of the box, but he blazed narrowly over the Longford bar.
Two minutes after that, Shels came at the Town defence again with a pin-point Hughes right-wing cross picking out Evans only for his volley to crash into the Town side-netting.
Shels came closest to taking a deserved lead on twenty-three minutes when Fitzgerald’s inswinging right-wing corner was missed by Town keeper Kelly, but he redeemed himself by superbly tipping over Mulcahy’s goalbound effort that seemed destined for the top corner.
After being outplayed for the opening half-hour, the Town suddenly woke up and played much better in the last fifteen minutes in which they created some good opportunities. In the twenty-ninth minute, a looping Noack-Hofmann header took a deflection off Shelbourne defender Prendergast and landed on top of the visitors net.
On thirty-five minutes, an Elworthy cross from the right was headed over by Verdon, but the best Town chance came two minutes later. A brilliant curling right-wing cross from McGlade found Verdon whose effort was blocked, the ball was then threaded into the path of Hollywood by McDonnell, but Hollywood’s strike was brilliantly pushed around the post by Shelbourne keeper Stacey.
The Town almost broke the deadlock two minutes after the resumption when O’Reilly’s shot from a McGlade free-kick was blocked on the line by a Shelbourne defender.
The Dubliners opened the scoring on fifty minutes when Longford Town’s all time record goalscorer, David O’Sullivan, who bagged a hat-trick against his former club in the earlier clash at Tolka Park, struck once again, as he lost his marker and timed his run to perfection to head home Fitzgerald’s corner.
Longford struck back with a sixty-first minute equaliser when a stray pass from English was intercepted by Town winger McGlade and he charged forward before drilling a low shot from just inside the box past Stacey into the Shels net.
De Town missed a glorious chance to take the lead on seventy-seven minutes when McGlade trickery on the left bamboozled two Shels defenders and his cross picked out the unmarked Verdon at the back post, but somehow, Verdon headed wide when it seemed easier to score.
A chipped cross from Town defender Noack-Hofmann a minute later almost ended up in the net, but the back-peddling Stacey managed to tip the ball over the bar.
The home side had a very lucky escape on eighty-six minutes when substitute Rooney crashed a shot off the underside of the Longford crossbar with the ball bouncing narrowly over inrushing striker O’Sullivan, but at the other end, the impressive McGlade almost won it for Longford in the last minute of normal time, however, Stacey produced a sharp save to keep his goal intact.
Next up for Neale Fenn’s charges is a Midlands Derby clash away to Athlone Town next Friday.
TEAM LINE-UPS
Longford Town: Kelly, Elworthy, McDonnell, O’Reilly, Noack-Hofmann, Hopkins, Hollywood, Dervin, McGlade, Verdon, Mulhall.
Substitutes: Meenan for Hollywood (62 minutes), Galvin for Hopkins (62 minutes), Byrne for Mulhall (90 minutes).
Shelbourne: Stacey, Brown, Mulcahy, Prendergast, Fitzgerald, English, Byrne, Hughes, Evans, Kavanagh, O’Sullivan.
Substitutes: Rooney for Kavanagh (67 minutes), Boyne for Hughes (85 minutes).