Longford Town away to Cobh Ramblers on Friday night

As stated on many occasions Stephen Henderson was facing an uphill battle this season, having been appointed the manager so late in his job to assemble a team capable of competing in the First Division. 

Losing against Treaty United was tough to take for the loyal Town supporters who watched the Limerick club win at Bishopsgate for the second time this season. 

The latest setback on Saturday was Longford’s third consecutive defeat in a major blow to the hopes of claiming a spot in the promotion play-offs, not forgetting the draw against bottom of the table Kerry at Mounthawk Park. 

It is hard to believe that Longford Town beat the First Division league champions Galway United twice at Bishopsgate this season but those great results showed that the midlanders were capable of finishing in a play-off place. 

With the pressure off now we hope that this new look Longford team can be a force to be reckoned with next season and it has been confirmed that Stephen Handerson will be back in charge for the 2024 campaign.

With the club having a big year in 2024 celebrating its centenary, it would be great to be chasing promotion to the Premier Division and no doubt the supporters will also be looking for lots of excitement on the pitch. 

The time is right for the manager to get started on team rebuilding and he has plenty of time to do just that. 

We have spoken about the poor results but we have to look at the overall position. The loss of Shane Elworthy and Aaron Walsh through injury is a big blow, along with the three match suspension for Victor Serdeniuk who was sorely missed in the defeats against Waterford, Wexford and Treaty United. 

Victor will be back for the match against Cobh and he will make a difference in the quest for a positive result at St Colman’s Park. 

Longford are currently in 8th position in the table while Cobh sit in 3rd place as they prepare for the promotion play-offs. 

Cobh are doing very well this season under manager Shane Keegan who is operating a superb job but he is apparently working with a big budget in the bid to get the Cork club promoted to the top flight. 

The teams have met three times  this season and Cobh clearly hold the upper hand with two wins and a draw.

The first meeting between the clubs was at Bishopsgate on the first week in May and that game ended in a scoreless draw. 

The teams clashed four weeks later in Cobh and on that occasion the home side won 1-0 with the only goal coming from Wilson Waweru.

The most recent fixture was at Bishopsgate at the end of July and Waweru was on target again in the 1-0 victory for the visitors. 

Cobh have assembled a very good squad which includes a couple of former Town players in keeper Lee Steacy and Jack Doherty. 

There is no doubt that the long trip to Cobh is a tough fixture but a win is possible in a bid for a boost for the remaining fixtures at home to Bray Wanderers and away to Athlone Town.