Longford Town back on track with vital victory over Bray Wanderers

Longford Town bounced back in fine style from their Easter Monday loss away to Athlone with victory over Bray Wanderers at Bishopsgate on Saturday night as Andy Paraschiv’s first goal of the season in the second half sealed all three points for the midlanders in the Airtricity League First Division. 

Longford Town . . . 1    Bray Wanderers . . . 0 

The home side created the first big chance of the match in the tenth minute when a poor kickout from Bray keeper James Corcoran to his full-back Kizenga was intercepted by Sultan Adenekan and he passed down the left to Andy Paraschiv, he ran along the endline skipping past a Bray defender and his ball came to Daragh Murtagh with the ball eventually finding Daniel McKenna but his twenty-yard shot whistled just past the post.

Two minutes later, Wanderers prised open the Longford rearguard when Declan Osagie threaded through an excellent low pass to put in striker Ifunanyachi Achara but his low shot from fifteen yards out was well saved by Town keeper Kian Moore.

On nineteen minutes, the Town had a golden opportunity to hit the front when Paraschiv whipped in a brilliant pacy, curling cross from the left that picked out Taylor McCarthy unmarked on the right edge of the Bray six-yard-box, but instead of bringing the ball down and shooting to the net, the Town defender’s attempted header over Bray keeper Corcoran went straight into his arms.

Four minutes before the interval, the home side had the Bray defence under pressure when Murtagh found himself clear inside the box but instead of firing off a shot, he tried to pass across to the inrushing Aaron Doran, but Bray defender Kizenga crucially cleared the ball with a sliding challenge.

In the forty-ninth minute a flowing move from the Town resulted in Murtagh and Doran combining to find Pharrell Manuel on the right-edge of the Bray box, but he fired wide.

Somewhat against the run of play, the ‘Red & Black’ took the lead on seventy-one minutes. Just two minutes after being introduced, substitutes Francis Campbell and Dean Williams both played pivotal roles in the goal that was eventually fired home from Paraschiv.

Campbell received the ball on the right and cut inside before playing a superb pass into fellow substitute Williams, he zoned in on goal and although his strike produced a fine save from Seagulls’ keeper Corcoran, Paraschiv was on hand to turn in the rebound.

Longford Town (4-2-3-1): Moore, O’Brien, McCarthy, Errity, Irhue, Adenekan, McKenna, Manuel, Doran, Paraschiv, Murtagh.

Substitutes: Williams for Doran & Campbell for Murtagh ( both 69 minutes), Ndebumadu for Adenekan (80 minutes).

Bray Wanderers (4-2-3-1): Corcoran, Kizenga, Osagie, Duggan, O’Shea, Brennan, Doyle, Nyembo, McCormack, Sammy, Achara.

Substitutes: Ring for Achara & Ferizaj for Doyle (both 63 minutes), Kelly for O’Shea & O’Neill for Sammy (both 79 minutes), Knight for Nyembo (88 minutes)

Referee: Glen Geraghty.