Finn Harps 1 - 2 Longford Town

• Aidan O'Donnell
• Fri, Apr 22 2011


Longford Town showed no mercy as they inflicted a fourth league defeat on sorrowful Finn Harps in Ballybofey on Friday night.

First half goals from Jacques Morley and Austin Skelly helped the Flancare Park outfit pick up their fifth win of the season and consign Harps to their third defeat in seven days.

Such form inevitably led to speculation around the ground over Harps manager James Gallagher’s position, with Harps now boasting a dire three points from seven games played.

The other main talking point circulating the environs of Finn Park prior to kick-off was the worrying absence of talismanic striker Kevin McHugh and centre-half Paddy McLaughlin from the Harps squad.

Marc Brolly returned from a two-match suspension to act as the lone-striker in McHugh’s notable absence, while Ciaran Coll was restored at left-back following a knee injury picked up in Cork last week.

Longford, having won two of their last three games, came into the game sitting pretty in fourth place and hoping to keep the likes of Limerick and the steadily improving Athlone at arm’s length.

Indeed, recent form was reflected in the opening thirty minutes or so, as Longford offered a variety of options in attack, while Harps lacked the navigation to trouble their opponents on a frequent basis.

Cross-channel legend Keith Gillespie showed glimpses of what made him one of the best wingers in the Premier League during the nineties, but it was his team-mate Don Cowan who proved to be the biggest thorn in Harps’ side all night.

The forward gave his namesake Keith Cowan a torrid night and, in fact, it was a foul from the Harps defender on the Town striker that gave the away side the chance to break the deadlock on thirty-two minutes.

After a free was awarded on the edge of the area, left-winger Jacques Morley stepped up to flight a glorious effort up and over the wall past Ciaran Gallagher, who got a hand to it but not enough to prevent it from nestling in the top corner.

It was a deserved breakthrough strike for the midlanders who had earlier threatened with a twenty-yard volley from Chris Deans and an audacious long range lob from Austin Skelly.

Longford doubled their lead four minutes from the break when Niall O’Reilly directed a long free-kick deep to the back post and Austin Skelly climbed, completely unchallenged, to head back across goal past Gallagher.

The first half ended without a single shot on target for the home side, but within a minute of the restart they had reduced the deficit when Brolly rose between a mass of Longford bodies to head home from a tantalising corner delivered by Conor O’Grady.

The goal brought an end to one of the longest droughts in the history of the club, with Kevin McHugh’s goal in the sixty-fifth minute against Monaghan in the second game of the season the last time Harps hit the back of the net. Between that strike and Brolly’s, Harps went a total of 551 minutes without scoring.

The goal also was brought the crowd and the game to life – Harps showing the inevitable hunger to complete the comeback, while Longford maintained their organisation at both ends of the pitch.

Harps then had to two shouts for a penalty but neither given after Brolly and Harkin both went tumbling to the ground under hefty challenges inside the area.

The home side continued to seek out an equaliser but were thwarted every time, with second half sub Paddy Collins getting back to clear off the line from Christy Connaghan in what was the best chance of a leveller.

Finn Harps: Ciaran Gallagher; James Doherty, Packie Mailey, Keith Cowan, Ciaran Coll; Christy Connaghan, Mark Forker, Conor O’Grady, Tommy Bonnar, Gareth Harkin; Marc Brolly.
Subs: Oisin McMenamin, Gary Whoriskey, Aaron O’Hagan, Gary Merritt (Connaghan, 81 mins), Aaron McElwee, Blaine Curtis (Harkin, 81 mins).

Longford Town: Paul Hunt; Neil O’Reilly, Des Hope, Chris Deans, Gary Cronin; Keith Gillespie, Thomas Hyland, Mark Salmon, Jacques Morley; Don Cowan, Austin Skelly.
Subs: Paddy Collins (O’Reilly, 50 mins), Craig Walsh (Skelly, 73 mins), Cahill Brady (Gillespie, 76 mins).

Referee: Rob Daly.

Extratime.ie man of the match: Jacques Morley for his wonderfully executed opener and tireless display down the left side.