Tag: tony ghee

MATCH PREVIEW: Limerick v Longford Town

Fri Jul 5th 2019

Match Preview by Tony Ghee

Longford Town travel to the Markets Field this Friday night to take on Limerick FC, hoping to secure a victory to cement their second placed position in the SSE Airtricity League First Division and to keep the pressure on league leaders Shelbourne.

Last weekend, fifth placed Limerick suffered their first home league defeat of the season when they lost one-nil to leaders Shelbourne, as the prolific Ciaran Kilduff scored the all important only goal of the contest. However, the Treaty side were very unlucky not to preserve their unbeaten home record as they missed a penalty before Kilduff’s match winning strike

Longford Town were on the right side of a one-nil score-line as Sam Verdon’s first half strike secured the three points for the Midlanders. Indeed, apart from a ten minute purple patch for Cobh which should have resulted in at least a goal for the Cork side, Longford dominated the contest and should have won by a much bigger margin.

Action from last week’s game v Cobh. (Photo: Syl Healy)

Limerick have beaten Bray, Cabinteely, Cobh, Galway and Athlone at the Markets Field, while they have drawn with Drogheda, Wexford and Longford Town before suffering defeat to Shelbourne last weekend, so their home form has been impressive.

Apart from the opening day stalemate between the sides at the Markets Field, Longford won the other League meeting between the sides with Dean Byrne grabbing the winning goal at the City Calling Stadium in a one-nil victory.

However, before the Town’s winning goal, Limerick’s Shane Tracy missed a penalty which was saved by Town keeper Lee Stacey, and the Munster side also played the last half-hour with ten-men after Sean McSweeney’s dismissal on the hour mark.

Limerick manager Tommy Barrett will be without dangerous striker Conor Ellis who has departed the club and that is a big blow to Limerick’s play-off prospects, but he will be looking to the likes of former Longford Town keeper, Jack Brady, and defenders, Shane Tracy and Robbie Williams to help the home side to keep a clean sheet.

Longford Town have missed a lot of crucial chances in games this season that has resulted in points being lost, and manager Neale Fenn is hoping to sign a striker to rectify that shortfall very shortly.

Apart from midfielder Paul O’Connor’s absence, everyone else is available for selection for the ‘Red & Black’

MATCH PREVIEW: Galway United v Longford Town

Thu May 16th 2019

MATCH PREVIEW BY TONY GHEE

Longford Town will hope to bounce back from last week’s first league defeat of the season against new league leaders Cabinteely FC, when they travel to Eamon Deacy Park to face Galway United.

Due to the postponement of their scheduled clash in March, this will be the first meeting of the sides  this season, and Longford Town FC will be hoping to continue the Tribesmen’s dreadful home league record which has seen Galway win just one of their six home matches, losing the other five.

Indeed, Galway’s only home triumph was a two-nil win over Wexford FC last time out as goals from Conor Barry and Maurice Nugent sealed all three points for Galway. However, all five home losses to Shelbourne, Bray, Drogheda, Limerick and Cobh were by just a one goal margin, which suggests that Longford Town are in for a highly competitive encounter.

While Galway are struggling in ninth place with just three victories and nine points from their opening ten fixtures, Longford Town are flying high in second place just two points off top spot with a game in hand.

The Town are unbeaten on the road with three wins and three draws in their six away matches, and having only conceded three goals in eleven matches, the Midlanders will be quietly confident of keeping a ninth league clean sheet and snatching a narrow victory in their bid to regain top spot.

Neale Fenn’s charges will have to keep a careful watch on dangerous striker Vinny Faherty, and midfielders Conor Barry and Colin Kelly who can also cause problems for opposition defences.

Action from last week’s 1-0 loss against Cabinteely. Picture by Tiernan Dolan

While Longford Town have no injury concerns, they will be missing Jamie Hollywood and Joe Manley who are both exam tied.

Kick-off at Eamonn Deacy Park on Friday night is at 7.45pm. There will be live updates on the match on the Longford Town Twitter account, while on Shannonside-Northern Sound on Saturday, there will be the staple after match interviews and post match discussion with Dave Hooper and guests.


MATCH PREVIEW: Longford Town v Drogheda United

Thu Feb 28th 2019

Match Preview by Tony Ghee

Longford Town host their first league game of the 2019 season on Saturday night as they entertain Drogheda United at the City Calling Stadium with the game kicking off at 7.30pm. 

Neale Fenn’s charges kept a clean sheet at the Markets Field last weekend in their away draw to Limerick FC, while the Louth side recorded an emphatic four-nil victory at home to Cobh Ramblers as Mark Doyle twice, Chris Lyons, and Adam Wixted all rattled the Cobh net.

The major talking point of the week for the Midlanders was the return of talismanic midfielder Sam Verdon to the club. Verdon was a stand-out player for the ‘Red & Black’ last season until injury ended his season prematurely as Longford just missed out on the play-offs. Sam joined Premier Division side Finn Harps in the new year, but after his contract was cancelled last week, he jumped at the chance to rejoin the club, and he is a major acquisition for the season ahead.

Drogheda made the play-offs last season after coming from behind to beat Longford Town 2-1 at United Park in their third and final league meeting. The victory virtually assured that Drogheda would make the top four at Longford Town’s expense as two Gareth McCaffrey goals earned them all three crucial points after the Town had taken the lead courtesy of Dean Dillon.

In the earlier encounters, Longford won one-nil at the City Calling Stadium with the returned Sam Verdon bagging the contest’s only goal on twenty-seven minutes, while the opening encounter ended in a draw as Ciaran Kelly snatched a last gasp equaliser for Drogheda to cancel out Dean Byrne’s earlier salvo for Longford.

On the team news front, the newly re-signed Sam Verdon goes straight into the match day squad, but winger Carlton Ubaezuono and defender Kevin Knight remain sidelined through injury.

The returning Sam Verdon, who makes a welcome return to De Town.



MATCH REPORT: Longford Town 1-0 Drogheda United

Sat Jun 16th 2018

Match Report by Tony Ghee

Longford Town bounced back from their away defeat at Cabinteely with an excellent one-nil victory at home to promotion challengers Drogheda United to move back into the play-off places, as Sam Verdon’s sixth league goal of the season sealed the crucial three points for Neale Fenn’s charges at the City Calling Stadium last night.

The Town were missing the suspended Meenan and Galvin, and the injured Hopkins and Byrne, but Dervin was back in the panel after having completed his Leaving Cert. Drogheda were missing Conor Kane after he was injured at the City Calling Stadium on Tuesday during the Irish Colleges and Universities 2-1 victory over their French counterparts.

Drogheda were by far the superior team in the opening twenty-five minutes but failed to convert their dominance into goals.

In the eleventh minute, Drogheda striker Lyons should have scored but he fired his swivel shot straight at Town stopper Kelly from no more than eight yards out.

Two minutes later, Jake Hyland came very close to opening the scoring for the visitors but Kelly was alert to palm Hyland’s twenty yard curling strike around the post. Kelly was again called into action from the subsequent corner when he produced a fine save from Doyle’s header.

The home side had another lucky escape in the twenty-first minute when Purdy’s crisp twenty yard shot with the outside of his left boot from a Hyland cut-back came crashing back off the Longford post.

However, against the run of play, Longford hit the front on twenty-seven minutes when the towering Verdon rose above his markers to brilliantly head home from a McGlade free-kick.

Once the Town scored, they grew in confidence and proceeded to play much better for the rest of the contest. A superb weaving run into the visitors box from McGlade had the Drogheda defence in turmoil and his clever pull-back picked out Verdon, but his goalbound shot was magnificently blocked by defender Farragher.

Drogheda came close to equalising on 31 minutes when they struck the post for the second time as Mark Doyle’s 15 yard shot was pushed onto the post by Town keeper Kelly.

The second-half produced very few chances for either side, but the Town played the better football. Drogheda’s best opportunity came early in the new half as a Lyon’s volley from a Deacy cross rocketed narrowly over the Town bar, while at the other end, the Town should have scored a second goal on eigthty-five minutes, however, Mulhall’s shot from Hollywood’s excellent pass was straight at Drogheda keeper Skinner.

There were some excellent individual displays from Elworthy, McDonnell and McGlade but one player who deserves special mention is Karl Chambers. Just like Dervin, and Noack-Hoffman, Chambers has graduated from the underage ranks into the first team and his superb all round display last night proved what a valuable asset he is to the ‘Red & Black’s’ promotion push.

The Town have now won their last three matches against fellow top six sides with victories over Galway United, Finn Harps, and Drogheda to build momentum going into the summer break. Hopefully, they can make it four in-a-row against leaders UCD at the Belfield Bowl in their next fixture on Friday, June 29th.

TEAM LINE-UPS

Longford Town: Kelly, Elworthy, McDonnell, O’Reilly, Hofmann, Zambra, Chambers, Hollywood, Dervin, McGlade, Verdon.
Substitutes: Mulhall for Verdon (81 minutes).

Drogheda United: Skinner, Deacy, Gallagher, Farragher, Kelly, McCaffrey, Doyle, Hyland, Purdy, Brennan, Lyons.
Substitutes: Hondermarck for Purdy (63 minutes), Duffy for McCaffrey (78 minutes).

Match highlights and post match interviews are all on our Longford Town TV YouTube channel. 

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