Longford Town make a point with late equaliser against Finn Harps

Longford Town and Finn Harps shared the spoils for the fourth time this season as they played out a draw at Bishopsgate on Friday night with substitute Emmanuel Oluwafemi’s late equaliser cancelling out Hans Mpongo’s stunning goal for the visitors.

Longford Town . . . 1   Finn Harps . . . 1 

This draw means that Longford Town have not beaten Finn Harps at home since 2014 and manager Wayne Groves has yet to record a victory over the Ballybofey side in seven attempts. Kevin McHugh’s charges continue their impressive form as Harps are now unbeaten in six matches.

The visitors had the game’s first opportunity in the second minute when a super pass from Yacine Idir found striker Hans Mpongo, but his shot from a tight angle from the right was straight at Town keeper Kian Moore.

On sixteen minutes, Harps almost found the net but Oran Brogan’s close-range header from Kieran Cooney’s left-wing cross went over the Town bar.

The home side had to wait until the 20th minute for their first real effort on goal when Daragh Murtagh’s pass from the left picked out Danny Norris, but his twenty-two-yard strike drifted wide of the Harps’ post.

In the 24th minute, Harps’ striker Mpongo’s brilliant run along the end-line from the left which took him past Longford defender Eric Yoro almost produced the lead goal but Town keeper Kian Moore was well positioned to block Mpongo’s rasping shot.

Two minutes later, the Donegal outfit were very unlucky not to rattle the Town net as Joel Bradley-Walsh hit a sumptuous curling free-kick from twenty-five yards out that seemed destined for the top corner of the net only for the ball to come crashing back off the crossbar with Longford keeper Moore rooted to the spot.

It was the midlanders who hit the woodwork next as a 32nd minute corner floated in from the left by Aaron Doran resulted in Emre Topcu’s looping header from the right sailing over Harps’ keeper Lorenzo Barbosa but it dropped onto the butt of the left post.

In the same minute, Harps almost took the lead in bizarre fashion. Cooney delivered an aimless cross from the left that should have been easily dealt with by Longford stopper Moore, but as he gathered the ball, it bounced off his chest towards the goal but it fortuitously came back off the post.

A breakaway quickfire clearance from Town keeper Moore in the 57th minute almost resulted in a Town goal. His clearance should have been dealt with by Harps defender Michael Plaice but he completely misjudged the ball which went past him and that allowed Norris to race in on goal with just opposing keeper Barbosa to beat, but Norris lost control of the ball allowing Plaice to recover brilliantly to dispossess the Town winger.

Harps hit the Longford woodwork for the third time on 65 minutes when Mpongo’s shot from sixteen yards out on the right-hand side grazed the top of the crossbar.

The visitors broke the deadlock on 71 minutes when an exquisitely inch perfect chipped pass from Tony McNamee resulted in the unmarked Mpongo running on to the ball and firing a thunderous twenty-yard shot on the bounce over the outrushing Town keeper Moore into the roof of the Longford net.

Longford substitutes Emmanuel Oluwafemi and Kyle Robinson combined on 81 minutes to severely test the Harps rearguard. Oluwafemi’s curling low cross into the danger area was cleared by the head of Plaice, but the ball landed at the feet of Robinson sixteen yards out but instead of finding the target he pulled his shot badly wide.

Longford Town equalised in the 87th minute with a brilliantly worked goal. A quick free-kick saw Doran and Yoro exchange short passes and Doran’s cross was headed on by Robinson into the path of Oluwafemi, and he planted a low shot beyond the outstretched arms of keeper Barbosa into the bottom corner of the net. 

The home side should have gone ahead just a minute later with a glorious chance when substitute Dean George found himself totally unmarked just twelve yards out from goal but he tamely shot straight at keeper Barbosa.

Harps also missed a glorious chance to take all three points. In the last minute of stoppage time a cross from Mpongo was headed narrowly over the bar from close range by substitute Shaunie Bradley.

LONGFORD TOWN (4-2-3-1): Kian Moore, O’Brien, Hand, Yoro, O’Shea, Sean Moore, Topcu, Doran, Manuel, Norris, Murtagh. 

Subs:- Robinson for Manuel, Oluwafemi for Norris and George for Murtagh (all 71 minutes), Ugbesia for Topcu (86 minutes).

FINN HARPS (4-2-3-1): Barbosa, Place, Hutchinson, Bradley-Walsh, Cooney, Brogan, McNamee, Lomboto, Idir, Bangoura, Mpongo.

Subs:- Hodgins for Bangoura (60 minutes), McDaid for McNamee (83 minutes), Bradley for Lomboto (90 minutes).

Referee: Lucas Keating.