League Preview: Wexford Youths -v- Longford Town

• Simon O'Gorman
• Thu, Jul 10 2014




WEXFORD YOUTHS

Last weekend’s 2-1 win over lowly but improving Cobh Ramblers provided some relief for Shane Keegan’s Wexford side who had failed to win any of their previous three league matches and the Youths enter this crucial game against league leaders Longford still within touching distance of the play-off places.

 

Keegan will also have been pleased to see Danny Furlong find the net against Cobh with the striker not having registered a goal since his hat-trick sank Shamrock Rovers B back in early April.

 

Wexford’s home form has been hit and miss in 2014 with half of their eight home fixtures ending in wins while Longford, Galway and Waterford have all stolen three points at Ferrycarrig Park.

 

Nor will the Youths’ form against those above them in the table inspire over-confidence among their support on Friday night. They have played six games against the top three so far this season and have lost five of them, a 1-0 home win over Shelbourne being the exception. And that winning goal from Eric Molloy remains the only time Wexford have scored against the leading bunch.

 

That win over Shels, their eighth game of the campaign, was also the first time Wexford kept a clean sheet this season, a feat they have managed just three times in their 15 league outings to date.

 

So, statistically at least, a home win on Friday night seems unlikely against a Longford team that have won six of their last seven. Wexford, under Keegan, have proven capable of beating anyone on their day but maybe don’t put the mortgage on it this weekend.

 

LONGFORD TOWN

Tony Cousins’ side travel south to face Wexford in flying form with 19 points collected from the 21 available over the last seven games.

 

Only bottom of the table Cobh Ramblers have been able to resist the Midlanders over this period when they managed a scoreless draw at St Colman’s Park in early June. And The Town seem, finally, to have eliminated the defensive inconsistencies that have dogged their promotion challenges over the past few years.

 

Six clean sheets in that same seven match sequence bear testament to the influence of pre-season arrival of defenders Pat Flynn and Pat Sullivan from Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers respectively, while the welcome return from injury of midfielder Mark Salmon has added further strength to a side that already looked like promotion favourites.

 

In seasons past Longford have tended to start well and fade in the run in but if any sign was needed that this trend has been banished last weekend’s game against promotion rivals Shelbourne may have been it.

 

Two of Longford’s three league defeats in 2014 came at the hands of the Drumcondra Reds but a brace from David O’Sullivan and another from Kevin O’Connor handed Cousins’ men a comprehensive win at City Calling Stadium last Saturday.

 

That win lifted Longford above Shels into top spot in the SSE First Division table and, though their lead stands at a slender one point, all the momentum is with the Midlanders.

 

Referee: Simon Rogers

 

 

MATCH STATS

Longford striker David O’Sullivan has cored almost half of his team’s 26 league goals in 2014 with 12. Danny Furlong tops the Wexford goal chart with six.

 

Longford haven’t been beaten by Wexford since the 22nd of October 2010 when goals from Kevin Rowe and Anthony Wolfe handed the Youths a 2-1 win at Flancare Park. Since then Longford have won ten and drawn two of the 12 league fixtures between the teams.

 

The last time Wexford played on a World Cup Final weekend Danny Furlong scored, albeit in a 3-1 defeat to Derry City, the eventual winners of the 2010 First Division title. That same weekend, Longford lost 4-3 away to Mervue United.


 

BETTING

Wexford 4/1; Draw 5/2; Longford 8/13.

 

PREDICTION

A 2-0 win for Longford.


 

Wexford Youths

Injured: Unavailable.
Doubtful: Unavailable.
Suspended: Daragh Walshe.

 

Longford Town

Injured: Unavailable.
Doubtful: Unavailable.
Suspended:Glen O’Connor.