Longford hurlers suffer severe setback in the defeat away to Warwickshire

Warwickshire . . . 2-21    Longford . . . 2-16  

The Longford senior hurlers suffered a severe setback in their bid to reach the Lory Meagher Cup Championship Final when two injury time goals from Warwickshire duo Luke Hands and Jack Grealish saw the Division 3B League Champions turn a one-point deficit into a five-point victory in Birmingham on Sunday last. 

Longford, minus the services of injured captain Johnny Casey, fielded a much stronger side than they did when losing the recent league semi-final against Warwickshire at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park.

But Adrian Moran’s charges were unable to repeat their brilliant second half display in their opening championship encounter that saw them comprehensively defeat Lancashire.

A combination of poor finishing from Longford, along with a couple of debatable points awarded to Warwickshire that looked wide, were crucial factors in the vital victory for the exiles as they bounced back from their unlucky defeat against Cavan in the opening round the previous week.

Eleven points from the impressive Jordan Conway, plus those two late goals, set Warwickshire on their way to the win. Cian Darcy was the top scorer for Longford with eight points while Cathal Mullane and Oisin Gately got the goals for the visitors who held a slender 1-7 to 0-9 lead at the break.

The visitors started quickly building up a four-point cushion by the tenth minute as they were up by 1-03 to 0-02.
A great move involving Mullane and Micheal Mulcahy set-up Darcy for Longford’s opening score in the third minute after Conway had split the uprights for Warwickshire in the first minute.

Paddy Lynam from sixty metres out on the right and a fine score from David Buckley for the midlanders with a free converted by the home side’s Kevin McKernan left just a point between the sides.

Longford then scored their first goal on the ten-minute mark when a long puck from Joe Rabbitt was spilled by Warwickshire keeper Conor Cummins and Mullane pounced to drill a low shot into the bottom left of the net.

Warwickshire reeled off the next two points courtesy of Conway which included a free after Longford keeper Pat Burke had produced a fine save from Conway’s goal effort.

A free from Darcy and Lynam’s second score of the contest restored Longford’s four-point cushion after twenty minutes, only for Conway and McKernan with a seventy-five-metre free to reduce the gap back to two points after twenty-four minutes.

Longford added two further scores from Lynam while what seemed to be a wide from Daniel Lowry was controversially awarded as a point for Warwickshire by the umpires.

David Devine and another McKernan free for the home side completed their first half scoring as Longford led by the minimum of margins.

Adrian Moran’s charges should have made more of their wind advantage but nine wides in the first half to Warwickshire’s four would eventually come back to haunt Longford.

Just like the first half, Longford were firing on all cylinders at the beginning of the second half with Oisin Gately rattling the Warwickshire net in the opening minute after being brilliantly set-up by Mulcahy.

Buckley and Gately then added points for the visitors with Ian Dwyer, Conway twice (one free) and Luke Hands responding for the home side to leave just two points between the sides on the hour mark as Longford were ahead by 2-9 to 0-13.

Darcy with a free for Longford restored a three-point cushion but four unanswered points from the home side put them ahead for the first time since the opening minute.

Another Conway free, and points from McKernan, Grealish from long-range, and substitute Paddy Hands gave the English side a 0-17 to 2-10 advantage with an hour gone on the clock.

Two Darcy frees edged Longford back in front by a point after sixty-two minutes, only for two Conway scores (one free) edging Warwickshire ahead by a point after sixty-eight minutes.

Back came Longford with the next two scores from Buckley and Mullane and as the game entered injury time, the one-point advantage was back in Longford’s favour, only for two Conway scores to swing the one-point advantage back the way of Warwickshire with two minutes of additional time remaining with Warwickshire up by 0-21 to 2-14.

Darcy with a ‘65 levelled the contest, but two goals in the last minute of stoppage time from Hands and Grealish broke Longford’s resistance and despite a late Darcy free, Warwickshire emerged victorious by five points.

Longford will need to bounce back with a win against Leitrim in the Round 3 fixture at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park on Saturday (throw-in 1pm) to keep alive their hopes of reaching the Lory Meagher Cup final at Croke Park.

WARWICKSHIRE: Cummins; Hanley, Ryan, Lenehan; O’Connor, McKeague, Devine (0-1); McKernan (0-4, 3 frees), Brannigan; Slattery, Grealish (1-1), Dwyer (0-1); Luke Hands (1-1), Conway (0-11, 4 frees), Lowry (0-1).

Subs:- Magee for Lowry and Paddy Hands (0-1) for Dwyer (both 46 minutes).

LONGFORD: Pat Burke; Diarmaid Caslin, Eamon Allen, Sean Lancaster; Joe Rabbitt, Karl Murray, Evan Tully; Paddy Lynam (0-3), David Buckley (0-3); Oisin Gately (1-1), Cian Darcy (0-8, 5 frees, 1 ’65), Maitiu O’Donohoe; Micheal Mulcahy, Cathal Mullane (1-1), Reuben Murray.

Subs:- Ryan Moore for M O’Donohoe and Adam Quinn for D Caslin (both half-time).

Referee: Aodhan McAlleer.