Wexford whacked as Longford Town score first win of the season

Goals from Daragh Murtagh and Osaze Irhue gave Longford Town their first victory of the season when they defeated Wexford FC by two goals to nil at Bishopsgate on Saturday night  in this SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division encounter, a result that moves the Town five places up the league table from bottom to fifth.

Longford Town . . . 2      Wexford FC . . . 0

Longford Town played some lovely football in the first half, dominated possession, and created the best opportunities.

As early as the fifth minute, an overhead kick from ten yards out from Town striker Dean Williams was straight at the Wexford keeper Paul Martin.

Eleven minutes later, a Pharrell Manuel free-kick picked out the towering Cole Olemorehiomwan inside the Wexford box on the left but his header was easily saved by Wexford stopper Martin.

The home side deservedly took the lead on nineteen minutes when a ball down the right channel released Williams and his brilliant low cross resulted in his fellow striker Murtagh expertly shooting home on the spin to give the Town a one-nil advantage.

The ‘Red & Black’ almost made it two-nil in the twenty-fourth minute with a superb move. Town skipper Alex O’Brien received the ball down the left, he cut back inside his marker and played an excellent pass to Murtagh in a central position and he in turn played an exquisite low diagonal pass that picked out Williams on the left edge of the Wexford box, he shimmied to his right evading his marker, but his curling shot beyond the visiting keeper Martin went just inches wide of the far post.

Despite the Longford dominance, Wexford almost equalised in the thirty-third minute when a dangerous low cross from the right from Jake Doyle just missed the outstretched foot of the inrushing James Wynne, when any sort of touch surely would have found the back of the net.

The Midlanders came agonisingly close to doubling their lead in the thirty-ninth minute when once again they prised open the opposition defence down the right when Manuel’s brilliant ball put Murtagh in the clear and his clever pull-back to Williams resulted in Williams smashing a shot against the Wexford crossbar.

Wexford started the second half in much better fashion and created two good chances in the opening four minutes after the resumption.

On forty-seven minutes, Mikie Rowe raced clear only to fire his shot into the side netting, and two minutes later, Town keeper Kian Moore had to produce a magnificent save to keep his side ahead when he superbly tipped over a stunning curling shot from the left edge of the box from Doyle that seemed destined for the top corner of the Longford net.

Eight minutes later, the Slaneysiders had another chance to draw level when a ball behind the Town rearguard found Jamie Wynne but his low shot was well saved by Town stopper Kian Moore.

Against the run of play, Longford doubled their lead in the sixty-second minute with a superbly worked goal. Murtagh passed to Williams down the right and his perfectly flighted cross resulted in Irhue’s diving header sending the ball to the bottom right-hand corner of the Wexford net.

The visitors tried to get back into the contest but the closest they came to scoring was in the eighty-fifth minute when good work by Wexford’s best player Wynne set-up a chance for Doyle but his effort was saved by Kian Moore.

Longford Town (5-3-2): Kian Moore, McKenna, Omorehiomwan, McCarthy, Errity, Irhue, Sean Moore, O’Brien, Manuel, Williams, Darragh Murtagh.

Substitutes: Ugbesia for Williams, Paraschiv for Manuel (both 75 minutes), Adenekan for Sean Moore, Robinson for Murtagh (both 89 minutes).

Wexford FC (4-4-2): Martin, Murphy, Hand, Butler, Osam, Rowe, Verdon, Larkin, Wynne, Harnett, Doyle.

Substitutes: Ritchie for Verdon (63 minutes), Oladiti for Larkin (74 minutes),  Flynn for Harnett (81 minutes).

Referee: Arnold Hunter.