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Longford Town -v- Cork City
- Deniese O'Flaherty
- Sat, Jul 23 2011
Longford Town will be looking for their third win in a row when they welcome second place Cork City to Flancare Park on Saturday night (kick-off 7.30pm).
After a slump in form the Town have got back to winning ways in recent weeks with wins over Finn Harps and Salthill Devon and will be out to add Cork City to their list of victories. The last time they recorded three wins on a spin was back in late April.
Although they have performed well against the teams in front of them they have only picked up one point in their meetings with any of the top four sides; that came away to Cork City. A late equaliser denied them a famous win on Leeside back in early May.
Town midfielder Craig Walsh is out to avenge that result in Cork. He is delighted the Town have found some form again and is hoping to sign off for the summer break with a win. “It’s nice to get back to back wins and get it going again. We would like to get the win now against Cork. Down there they got their equaliser in the last minute. Hopefully we can get a result then before the break.”
In the run-up to this game Cork City manager Tommy Dunne has emphasised the importance of this fixture for both sides. Although City are eight points ahead of their hosts their boss believes the Town are still capable of challenging for a promotion spot. “While Longford are a bit behind the top four, they are not out of the promotion race at all. Even if we pick up points, I would still think they have a chance, as there are plenty of games remaining. Any team that puts a run of wins together at this point will give themselves a great chance, and Longford are well capable of doing that.”
The injury list at the Town has reduced significantly in recent weeks, which is a huge boost for manager Tony Cousins. Goalkeeper Paul Hunt got injured last weekend against Salthill but should be fit to take his place between the posts against City. They also welcome back midfielder Mark Salmon from suspension. The visitors have Gavin Kavanagh back from serving a three match suspension but have injury doubts over Graham Cummins, Greg O’Halloran and midfielder Shane Duggan.
Longford Town
Injured: Niall O’Reilly (groin)
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Cork City
Injured: None
Doubtful: Graham Cummins (knee), Greg O’Halloran (hamstring), Shane Duggan (groin)
Suspended: None
Referee: Sean Grant (Wexford)
Paddy Power Odds: Home 5/1 Draw 12/5 Away 4/7
Extratime prediction: A draw. Games between these two sides are always tight with very little between them and this one will be no different.
About Deniese O'Flaherty
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