Longford Town crash to third consecutive defeat as Treaty United take all three points

Longford Town . . . 2   Treaty United . . . 3

The Limerick side have now moved up to sixth place in the table, five points behind Athlone Town who occupy the final play-off spot with just three games remaining. Longford Town are in eighth place, eight points adrift of the play-off positions as their hopes have disappeared following a poor run of recent results. 

Treaty United started the better, creating the first three chances of the contest. Adam Lennon shot over the Town bar from just outside the box on seven minutes, while Dean George fired narrowly wide from the edge of the box just a minute later.

 On the quarter hour mark, the visitors broke down the right with Lennon racing to the end-line before pulling the ball back to the unmarked Dean George who slipped as he pulled the trigger and the ball went wide from a good scoring opportunity.

The home side almost took the lead with their first chance on sixteen minutes. Kyle O’Connor raced down the left and his low cross picked out the sliding Cristian Magerusan, his shot was blocked by Treaty defender Sean Guerins with the Town striker’s rebound effort going just wide.

The Limerick side had a great chance to open the scoring in the 26th minute when a ball into the Longford box found the unmarked Conor Barry twelve yards out from goal but he headed over the bar.

Treaty continued to create chances in the second half. In the 53rd minute a Barry left-wing cross was headed well wide from a good scoring position by striker Success Edogun.

The visitors deservedly went ahead a minute later. Edogun dispossessed Town centre-half Lewis Temple, charged into the box and although his shot was superbly blocked by Gavin O’Brien, Barry ‘s sliding shot rattled the Town net.

Longford equalised six minutes later when Dylan Hand eventually slotted home from a James Doona corner after the ball pinged around the Treaty United penalty area.

The Limerick club did not have to wait long to regain the lead, as just two minutes later a Dean George cross from the left was superbly headed over Town keeper Jack Brady into the net by Adam Lennon.

Poor defending from the home side resulted in Treaty scoring their third goal in the 67th minute. Town centre-half Temple, under pressure from a Treaty player,  directed  a dangerous pass across his own penalty box that was intercepted by Lennon, and he squared the ball across to Barry who drilled a low shot beyond Town keeper Brady into the net.

Longford came back into the game and were unlucky not to score their second goal in the 83rd minute  as they hit the Treaty United bar twice in the same attack. A long range shot from substitute Derek Daly came back off the crossbar with another substitute Jordan Adeyemo firing the rebound against the bar as well.

The home side did pull a goal back in the 87th minute when Daly powered home a brilliant twenty-five-yard free-kick from the right to the top corner of the Treaty net and  almost equalised deep into stoppage time only for Treaty keeper Corey Chambers to produce a stunning save from Jordan Adeyemo’s close range header.

LONGFORD TOWN  (3-2-3-2): Brady, O’Brien, Temple, Hand, Doona, O’Connor, Hery, Wixted, Fay, O’Brien Whitmarsh, Magerusan.

Subs:- Armstrong for Fay and Jordan Adeyemo for Doona (both 72 mins); Daly for Wixted (74 mins); Boudiaf for O’Brien (78 mins).

TREATY UNITED (4-1-4-1): Chambers, O’Riordan, Guerins, Walsh, Ludden, Devitt, Lennon, Barry, Christopher, George, Edogun.

Subs:- Armshaw for Lennon and Conroy for Barry (both 74 mins); O’Shea for Christopher and Nwankwo for George (both 82 mins).

Referee: Declan Toland.