Longford Stalwarts Leave Their Goodbyes

Not one but three long-serving players tweeted that they had not been offered new deals for the 2016 season as Longford begin preparations for their second Premier Division campaign.

 

The first to confirm he would no longer call the City Calling Stadium his home turf was midfielder Stephen Rice.

 

 

The midfielder joined Longford ahead of the 2014 season after he was surprisingly allowed to leave Shamrock Rovers. He went on to make twenty-five league appearances for the club, sometimes deputising as captain, as Longford charged towards the First Division title and promotion. Stephen then played in thirty games in the Premier Division, scoring three times in big matches including two in wins over Drogheda United and Cork City late in the season. He thanked the fans and everyone at the club before wishing them all the best for the future.

 

 



Soon after the co-second captain announced his departure, the captain himself was next to say he would not be turning out in the black and red for the 2016 season.

 

 

The current longest serving player at Longford, with six years in Town colours behind him, was clearly sad to leave having been a regular in the team ever since signing from rivals Athlone Town before the start of the 2010 season.

 



Mark made sixty appearances in the First Division, scoring ten times, in his first two seasons in the Midlands before the 2012 season saw he and Longford lose in the play-offs to Waterford United, with the captain raking up another twenty-six appearances.

 

2013 would see Longford get past the first play-off but it was the defining one where they fell as Bray Wanderers defeated them as Mark reached one hundred league appearances for the club, while netting fifteen times during that time. The next season would see both Mark and Longford have a brilliant season as the captain played twenty-five times, scoring five goals, during the title winning campaign.

 

His long wait for Premier Division football was realised and Mark made twenty-eight appearances in the Premier Division, adding two more goals, as Longford finished sixth in the table. The captain leaves having made one hundred and seventy-five appearances and scoring thirty-two goals in all competitions during his time at Longford. (Credit to Martinho II)

 

And finally, when Longford fans had finally thought the dust had settled on the previous outgoings, the second current longest-serving player Paul Hunt also confirmed that he would also not be between the sticks for De Town any longer.

 

 

The goalkeeper moved to the Midlands from St. Patrick’s Athletic ahead of the 2011 season, making twenty-three league appearances in his first three seasons at the club, although twenty of them came in his first campaign as Longford agonizingly missed out on promotion through the play-offs twice.

 

However, 2014 would be Paul and Longford’s season of triumph as the Stevenage born man forced his way back into the side after being on the bench for the first eight games of the 2014 First Division campaign. He went on to keep thirteen clean sheets in nineteen appearances , losing only one of those matches, as Longford captured the First Division title and promotion to the top table of football in the Republic of Ireland.

 

Paul made seventeen league appearances for Longford, conceding thirty and keeping three clean sheets, and he thanked the fans all the management for “their support towards me during my time at the club.”

 

 

All three players leave Longford having seen the club go from a languishing, then bridesmaid, First Division side to finishing in the top half of the Premier Division.

 

 

 

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