Wexford v Longford Town postponed in SSE Airtricity First Division

Following a pitch inspection at Ferrycarrig Park amid heavy rainfall in the area, tonight’s First Division fixture Wexford FC v Longford Town has been postponed. A new date for the game will be issued in due course

Longford Town were supposed to make the long journey to Ferrycarrig Park on Friday (kick-off 7.45pm) to play Wexford FC who are under new manager Stephen Elliott. 

It was a real coup for Wexford to get the former Premier League and Ireland star to take the hot seat when James Keddy left the club. 

Wexford did very well last season under Keddy, reaching the play-offs in the league and also reaching the FAI Cup semi-final. 

Last weekend they travelled to UCD in their opening game of the season and went home with full points after a most impressive 3-0 victory.

 The goals on Friday night came from James Crawford, leading scorer Aaron Dobbs and substitute Luke Kehir.

 This Wexford side have a mix of experience and youth in their squad and there is no doubt that they will be a team challenging for a play-off position at the end of the season. 

The signing of the Larkin brothers Jack and Dean from neighbouring Waterford gives Wexford extra players to mount a run and challenge for promotion. 

Defender Robbie McCourt, who previously played with Bohemians and West Brom, gives the team stability at the back while 19 year old James Crawford is highly rated and is expected to reach the top. 

17 year old Kaylem Harnett is another player who is expected to be a big hitter this season as he is getting rave reviews. 

Wexford have to be respected as they have a very strong squad and the fact that they beat UCD on the opening day of the season is a very positive start. 

Last season it was honours even between the clubs with one victory each and two draws in the four games played. 

The first meeting in Wexford ended 2-2  as the home side went two up before the hour mark. 

Kaylem Harnett opened the scoring in the 48th minute and Mikie Rowe added no 2 in the 59th minute. Dean O'Shea scored for the Town in the 81st minute and Jordan Adeyemo equalised in the 97th minute.

The second meeting between the clubs at Bishopsgate resulted in a 2-1 win for Wexford.  The next meeting between the clubs ended 2-2 in Ferrycarrig Park in a dramatic  finish.

The final game in Bishopsgate and the Town won 3-0.  Daniel Norris and Jordan Adeyemo (2) were the Longford scorers on the night and they completely controlled the match from start to finish. 

We will be meeting a different Wexford side on Friday but saying that our new look team could cause some  problems.

There is no doubt that the experienced Aaron Dobbs and Mikie Rowe are the players that make Wexford click and the younger lads like James Crawford, Kaylem Harnett and the Larkin brothers along with Robbie McCourt show that Wexford will be hard beaten this season. 

Longford supporters saw the new look Town team for the first time on Saturday night last and despite the defeat there is optimism going forward this season.

 With seven players making their debuts for the Town it was a big night for all the new players and of course the supporters who gave so much to the club over the years. 

The fact that Bray went home with three points from an unfortunate own goal is very annoying for the crowd of almost 700 who braved the bad weather to come out and support the team. 

The game (result) was decided with a very poor goal as we reckon that it should have been saved. Like the Town, Bray had many young lads in their new look side but they hadn't as many debutants as the Town. 

The Longford supporters were irate with the referee who denied the Town a penalty in the closing minutes also.

 New signing Daragh Murtagh was replaced by Emmanuel James on 69 mins but it's hard to believe the local lad didn't get in from the start as he is a great player to pull defenders out and he is one of the fastest players in the squad. 

It was good to see Joshua Giurgi coming on at the 86th minute but bringing on Ross Fay and Emmanuel Milongo in the 91st minute seems very late if you are trying to get a result. 

Emre Topcu was impressive in midfield and we can expect big things from the former Drogheda United player in the coming months. 

New signings Pharrell Manuel and Osaze Irhue, along with Andy Spain,  all showed good promise but it will take some time for all the new players to settle in. 

It was good to see Aaron Walsh on the bench after a long battle with injury and his return to the starting eleven is eagerly awaited. 

The defeat against Bray was very upsetting for the Town supporters on Saturday night but the second half performance was very pleasing for the local fans. 

It was nice to see a good crowd present in such bad weather and we can look forward to a bumper crowd for the next home game against Athlone on Saturday week, March 1st.

Bus to Wexford

The supporters bus to Wexford leaves M1 Axis Centre at 3.15pm on CFriday. Contact Bryan Mullooly. Your support will be greatly appreciated.