Match Report

Match Report: Cobh Ramblers FC 0-0 Longford Town FC

Sat Apr 20th 2019

Match Report by James Donnelly

 

SSE Airtricity League First Division

Cobh Ramblers FC 0-0 Longford Town FC

Saturday 20th April 2019, 7PM, St. Colman’s Park

 

Ramblers and De Town played out fairly even 0-0 draw at St. Colman’s Park in Cobh tonight in a game that neither team fully deserved to win.

With Sam Verdon ruled out through injury, Dean Byrne slotted into the team with Carlton Ubaezuonu taking a place on the bench for the first time this season.

Both teams opened the game cautiously, creating little in the opening minutes. It was Longford with the first chance though as Conor Kenna’s header from a corner was tipped over the bar by Mylod in the Cobh goal.

On 33 minutes Dean Byrne almost opened the scoring for De Town. Shooting from just outside the box, his shot was saved by Mylod who tipped it out for a corner. Only a few minutes later, Byrne had an opportunity again but his shot inside the box was blocked by a Cobh body.

Cobh had the best chance of the first half on 40 minutes. A dangerous free kick floated in by former Town player Shane O’Connor was cleared but only as far as another Cobh man, the ball was whipped back in and headed on for Jaze Kabia who stuck a leg onto the end of it, it hit the Town post and was collected by Lee Steacy.

The second half was pretty much the same. Peter Hopkins had a chance on 52 minutes when he turned his man inside the box and shot but his left foot strike was the wrong side of the post and it went out for a goal kick.

Town goalkeeper Lee Steacy was deemed to have handled the ball outside the box on 71 minutes. The resulting free kick came to nothing and Cobh were left to rue their chances.

On a major positive note, Carlton Ubaezuonu made his debut for Longford, coming on in place of Adam Evans. The former Galway and Dundalk man caused problems for Cobh on the left wing.

Cobh forced a save out of Lee Steacy on 78 minutes but that proved to be the final major chance of the game for the home side.

Carlton went close for De Town in the dying minutes, forcing a save out of Mylod but it wasn’t to be as both teams had to settle for a share of the spoils.

Cobh Ramblers: Mylod, Taylor, McSweeney, O’Riordan, O’Connor, O’Connor, Kenny, Turner, Hurley, Fernandez, Kabia.

Subs: Hunt, O’Rourke, West, O’Leary, O’Driscoll.

 

Longford Town FC: Steacy, Elworthy, McDonnell, Kenna, Breslin, Hopkins, Dervin, Zambra, Byrne, Brennan, Evans.

Subs: Menton, Ubaezuonu (Evans), O’Conor (Brennan), Hollywood, Noack-Hofmann, Chambers, Manley.

 

Attendance: 140 est.

MATCH REPORT: Longford Town 2-0 Bray Wanderers

Sat Apr 13th 2019

Town go top after victory over Bray

Longford Town moved back to the top of the SSE Airtricity First Division as goals from Mick McDonnell and Peter Hopkins earned the Midlanders a comfortable two-nil victory over Bray Wanderers at the City Calling Stadium.

The Town took the lead in the eighth minute when Breslin’s corner picked out the Towering McDonnell whose downward header found the back of the Bray net.

The next decent opportunity arrived on twenty-eight minutes when Adam Evan’s effort from a tight angle on the left was saved by Bray keeper Gabriel Sava.

The Town doubled their advantage on thirty-three minutes when a sumptuous defence-splitting pass from Aodh Dervin put in winger Hopkins, he zoomed in on goal, calmly rounded Bray keeper Sava and slotted in the home side’s second goal.

Bray almost pulled a goal back on forty-three minutes but Killian Cantwell’s shot flashed just wide of the Town post.

The ‘Red & Black’ almost went three up on seventy-eight minutes. A superb reverse pass from Sean Brennan found Sam Verdon in space on the edge of the Bray box, but his curling strike which seemed destined for the bottom right-corner of the net was brilliantly saved by Sava.


TEAM LINE-UPS

Longford Town: Steacy, Elworthy, McDonnell, Kenna, Breslin, Zambra, Hopkins, Brennan, Dervan, Evans, Verdon.
Substitutions: Byrne for Evans (81 minutes), O’Connor for Brennan (87 minutes), Chambers for Hopkins (89 minutes).

Bray Wanderers: Sava, Nolan, Douglas, Heaney, Barnett, McGlade, Purdy, Cantwell, Keegan, Daly, O’Halloran.
Substitutions: Lovic for Heaney (72 minutes), McCann for Purdy (82 minutes).

Referee: Jason Mannix

MATCH REPORT | Longford Town 2-0 Shelbourne

Sat Mar 30th 2019

Town up to second after victory over Shels

Match Report by Tony Ghee

Goals from Peter Hopkins and Karl Chambers helped Longford Town to a two-nil victory over title favourites Shelbourne at the City Calling Stadium, a result that moves the ‘Red & Black’ up to second in the table just one point behind leaders Bray.

The Town took the lead on nineteen minutes after a dreadful mistake by Shelbourne keeper Delany. The visiting goalie’s throw was intercepted by Town winger Peter Hopkins, he waltzed past the challenge of central defender Luke Byrne, and drilled a low shot into the bottom right corner of the Shel’s net from the edge of the box.

It was almost two-nil to the home side just sixty seconds later, only for Delany to superbly tip-over Dean Zambra’s twenty-five yard thunderbolt.

MATCH PICTURES BY KEN KEENAN

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Nine minutes into the second-half, a superb pass from the right from Shane Elworthy picked out Dobbs just inside the Shel’s box but his angled shot was well saved by Delany.

Shelbourne almost levelled the contest on fifty-eight minutes when Ryan Brennan’s downward header from a Lorcan Fitzgerald corner was headed off the line by Town winger Hopkins.

The visitors put the Town under severe pressure for the rest of the second-half but failed to test home keeper Steacy and deep into injury time, substitute Chambers sealed the three points with a fine strike that went in off the post.

TEAM LINE-UPS

Longford Town: Steacy, Elworthy, Kenna, McDonnell, Breslin, Zambra, Hopkins, Dervin, Verdon, Byrne, Dobbs.

Substitutes: Chambers for Hopkins (79′), Doyle for Dobbs (81′), O’Connor for Verdon (89′).

Shelbourne: Delany, Ross-Wilson, David Byrne, Luke Byrne, Fitzgerald, Oscar Brennan, Conan Byrne, Noone, Ryan Brennan, Moore, Kilduff.

Substitutes: Rooney for Conan Byrne (19′), English for Noone (59′)

MATCH REPORT: Longford Town 3-0 Drogheda United

Sun Mar 3rd 2019

Match Report by Tony Ghee

Longford Town recorded their first opening home league win since 2013 with a three-nil triumph over Drogheda United at the City Calling Stadium and in the process kept a second consecutive clean sheet, although the Town had to rely on the heroics of keeper Lee Steacy to remain in the contest at the interval.

The Town created the first opening in the fourth minute when Sam Verdon’s pass picked out striker Aaron Dobbs but his crisp, low shot was well saved by Paul Skinner.

On eleven minutes, Drogheda’s dangerous right-winger Adam Wixted weaved his way past two Town defenders only to hit his shot straight at Town stopper Lee Steacy.

Longford had a very lucky let-off on eighteen minutes when keeper Steacy came to the home side’s rescue. A superb ball over the top of the Town defence from Luke Gallagher located Mark Doyle inside the Town box, but Steacy produced an excellent save, and moments later, he was called into action again, as he tipped over a long range strike from Mark Hughes.

The ‘Red & Black’ nearly took the lead in the twenty-second minute as Dean Byrne’s brilliant pass released striker Dobbs, however, his shot across goal from the right whistled narrowly wide of Drogheda’s far post.

Longford keeper Steacy was in outstanding form and denied the visitors Hughes twice within sixty seconds on thirty-four minutes. Firstly, he produced a magnificent save to keep out a close range effort from the Drogheda man, and that was followed by an incredible save from a Hughes header after magical play from Wixted had created the chance.

A great knock down at the back post across goal from Verdon set-up Paul O’Connor, but just as the Town player was about to pull the trigger, Sean Brennan’s brilliant sliding challenge rescued the visitors.

Longford broke the deadlock in the sixty-second minute, Byrne seized possession after a mistake from Doyle and ran between the two Drogheda centre-halves before calmly guiding the ball past Skinner, into the bottom left-corner of the Drogheda net.

Dean Byrne opened the scoring for De Town in a 3-0 victory over Drogheda United

Shortly afterwards, Town came close to extending their lead but Breslin’s ball from the left was headed inches over by Dobbs.

Longford sealed the victory on eighty-three minutes with a stunning second goal. Verdon played a perfectly weighted pass to Elworthy on the right, his marauding run took him past Kane and his pin-point cross resulted in Dobbs’ diving header rattling the Drogheda net.

Longford rounded off the scoring in the ninety-first minute when substitute Hopkins beat the offside trap to run onto a Doyle pass, he rounded keeper Skinner and slotted home into the empty net.

TEAM LINE-UPS

Longford Town (4-3-2-1): Steacy, Chambers (Elworthy 81 minutes), Manley, Kenna, Breslin, Verdon, O’Connor, Dervin, Zambra, Byrne (86 mins), Dobbs (Doyle 84 mins)

Drogheda Utd (4-2-3-1): Skinner, Brown, Gallagher, McNally, Kane, Brennan, Hughes, Wixted, (Meaney 73 mins), Byrne, Doyle (Heaney 63 mins), Lyons

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