Longford Town unfortunate in the harsh defeat against Waterford FC

Longford Town . . . 1   Waterford FC . . . 2

Goals from the Blues striking duo of Phoenix Patterson and Wassim Aouchria gave the visitors all three points after Matthew O’Brien had shot Longford into the lead with a sensational strike in the 4th minute. 

The Town won a throw-in on the left, deep inside the Waterford half. Ben Lynch found O’Brien who spun away from a challenging Waterford player before firing a powerful 30-yard diagonal, swerving shot that dipped over Blues keeper Paul Martin into the far corner of the net. 

Longford’s lead did not last long and they actually found themselves behind just twelve minutes later as Waterford scored twice in the space of 90 seconds.

The equaliser came on fourteen minutes, as Phoenix Patterson scored his 13th goal of the season, with an exquisite twenty-five yard free-kick on the left side of the Town penalty area that flew into the top left corner of the net.

On sixteen minutes, the visitors went ahead with Patterson involved again. Patterson picked up possession of the ball and played the ball out to the right edge of the Town box to strike partner Wassim Aouchiria, and his superb curling effort beyond the despairing dive of Town stopper Colm Cox nestled in the bottom left corner of the net.

The Town had concrete penalty appeals for a challenge on substitute striker Jordan Adeyemo waved away by referee Oliver Moran in the closing minutes of the match after the Town striker was pushed in the back, and they then won a corner on the left. 

Joe Power curled in the corner that resulted in Mick McDonnell’s glancing header going inches wide of the far post. Darren Clarke almost got onto the end of McDonnell’s header but the ball bounced over his leg in stoppage time. 

LONGFORD TOWN (4-4-1-1): Cox, Chambers, Barker, Dunne, Lynch, Corbally, O’Brien, Adam Verdon, Molloy, Power, Magerusan.

Subs:- McDonnell for Barker (injured, 28 mins); Clarke for Molloy (half-time); Adeyemo for Magerusan (67 mins); Hanratty for Corbally (68 mins); McCann for Verdon (74 mins).

WATERFORD FC (4-4-2): Martin, Tunimese Sobowale, Cantwell, Baptiste, Power, Junior, Larkin, En-Neyah, Idowu, Aouchria, Patterson.

Subs:- Taylor for Baptiste; O’Keefe for Idowu (both 67 mins); Uche for Aouchria, Thompson for En-Neyah (both 81 mins).

Referee: Oliver Moran.