Longford Town 2 - 2 Mervue United

• Deniese O'Flaherty
• Sun, Oct 03 2010


If Longford Town are going to produce an end of season DVD it should be entitled ‘How not to defend’ because at the moment that’s all they are consistent at doing. On Saturday night they dropped two points against a Mervue United side they should be beating.

In their three games with Mervue the Town have dropped five points. Not good for a side that have ambitions of finishing mid-table.

Credit to Mervue they battled hard in this dour game that failed to sparkle at all. There were flashes in the first half but the second half was one of the worst halves of football seen in Flancare Park in a long while.

Yet again the same mistakes cost the Town. Defensively they were caught badly for the first goal and goalkeeper Stephen Conlon didn’t cover himself in glory for their second. They worked hard to get back into the game after falling behind twice but overall a draw was probably the fairest result.

It was the visitors that started the game with purpose. Ten minutes in and the lively Rory Gaffney tried his look from about 25 yards out but his superb strike just went inches wide with Conlon beaten.

Thomas Hyland’s looping header caused problems in the Mervue box in the 14th minute; the midfielder got his head to Dave Freeman’s free- kick but the visitors were able to clear for a corner.

Five minutes later and the deadlock was broken. James Casserley wasn’t picked up at the near post, his header caught out the Town defence as well as their goalkeeper and in the scrabble defender Eric Browne stabbed the ball home from close range.

The home side were stunned and so were the supporters. Mark Salmon should really have done better with his effort in the 23rd minute but he shot straight at Mervue keeper Ger Hanley who had made an easy save.

Dave Goldbey should’ve doubled Mervue’s advantage in the 25th minute but after going through on goals and with a goal on he somehow failed find the net and his shot hit the side netting instead.

Town weren’t looking solid at the back at all and Mervue tried to expose that. The next effort on goal though came from the home side but Don Cowan headed over form Cathal Brady’s pinpoint cross.

In the 29th minute the Town found themselves back on level terms and what a goal to bring them back into the game. Thomas Hyland’s superb strike from over 30 yards out left Hanley stranded in the Mervue goals.

If the football on show in the first half was poor the second was even worse with neither side creating much of note. The only chances either side had after the break resulted in goals.

Mervue regained their lead in the 68th minute; Gaffney’s cross found Casserley and with Conlon off his line the defender looped his header over the netminder.

Ten minutes from the end the Town restored parity when John Lester headed home Mike Lee’s corner.

Longford Town: Conlon, Ekanem (Roche ht), Deans, Lester, Cronin, Brady (Oladele 85), Hyland, Salmon, Lee, Cowan, Freeman (Hynes 58).
Subs not used: Mooney, Byrne.

Mervue Utd: Hanley, Casserley, Conneely, Browne, Cunningham, Lee, McEntee, Crehan, Ludden, Gaffney (Collins 92), Goldbey.
Subs not used: Varley, Elwood, Boyle, Glesson.
Yellow card: Ludden 54

Referee: John McLoughlin (Athlone)