Longford suffer sickening blow in letting a vital victory slip against Tipperary

Tipperary . . . 3-13   Longford . . . 1-18 

The concession of three soft goals at crucial stages of the game cost Longford dearly in the narrow defeat against Tipperary in the National Football League Division 4 clash in Clonmel on Saturday last with Mark Russell landing a massive two-pointer winning score in stoppage time. 

Showing just one change from the team that started in the hard earned draw at home against Limerick in the opening round the previous week - James Moran replacing the injured Peter Lynn - Longford led by 0-11 to 2-3 at the break.

Matthew Carey and Oran Kenny landed a two-pointer apiece before the brace of Tipperary goals (Sean O’Connor and Luke Boland) in quick succession midway through the first half changed the course of the game.  

Inspired by impressive substitute Aaron Farrell (brought on in the 14th minute for casualty Dylan Farrell), the visitors were looking good for another positive result when the alert Cathal McCabe pounced to finish the ball to the net with a couple of minutes gone on the changeover.

McCabe was denied a second goal soon after the Tipp keeper produced an excellent save and Longford let a comfortable six-point lead slip from their grasp to allow the home county shoot 1-3 on the trot, the goal a real calamity that should have been averted. 

The exciting encounter developed into a real ding-dong battle for the remainder of the game with Aaron Farrell clocking up another brace of scores to bring his total to 0-4.

Just when it appeared as if Longford (ahead by a point) were going to hang on for a very important win, Russell popped up to snatch the lucky success for Tipperary much to the sheer frustration of the new Longford manager Mike Solan. 

Solan was justifiably infuriated with some of the dubious decisions that went against Longford in the closing stages and the bitterly disappointed midlanders are now facing a must win Round 3 fixture away to Wicklow in Aughrim on Sunday week (February 16) to keep alive their hopes of promotion. 

Bringing the game to his hometown Clonmel venue proved a masterstroke for new Tipperary manager Philly Ryan as the crowd support helped to drive the team to victory.

Conor Fahey gave Tipp the perfect start with a two pointer after six minutes but by the 15th minute they were 0-6 to 0-2 behind – Longford scores from Iarla O’Sullivan and Oran Kenny and then Matthew Carey and Kenny hitting back-to-back two pointers in the space of a couple of minutes.

With the game threatening to drift from Tipperary, they hit back in style. Mikey O’Shea began the move that saw Sean O’Connor finish decisively to the Longford net in the 19th minute. Sixty seconds later Cathal Deeley broke from midfield and fed Luke Boland who first-timed the ball off the ground to the Longford net.

Tipp failed to build on the momentum and only scored one further point before the break, from Steven O’Brien, while Longford tagged on five points from Aaron Farrell (2), Cathal McCabe, Kenny and a Carey free, for a 0-11 to 2-3 interval lead.

The visitors started the second half in blistering fashion, with Matthew Carey pointing another free two minutes in, and Cathal McCabe following up with a goal a minute later, when he pulled first time on a loose ball to beat Shane Ryan in the Tipp goal.

That put them six ahead and Longford looked threatening whenever in attack. But when Tipp needed a response they got it from Mark Russell whose superb two pointer revitalised the side.

And when Micheal Freaney added the side’s third goal a minute later – showing great determination to first field a high ball, evade the Longford defence, and then slide the ball across goal and out of the reach of goalkeeper Patrick Collum – it brought the Longford lead back to a single point, 1-12 to 3-5, and four minutes later a Sean O’Connor free left it level.

Aaron Farrell and Tipp’s Ben Comerford swapped points before Jayson Matthews restored the Longford lead that they held up to the final minutes of injury time.

A Sean O’Connor free was sandwiched between Longford points from James Moran and Aaron Farrell.

But then Tipp fell foul of the new rules when they were penalised for not keeping three players in the opposition half and Oran Kenny pointed an easy free to make it a three point game approaching the 65th minute, 1-17 to 3-8.

A brilliant two pointer from a Sean O’Connor free brought it back to one again as excitement mounted among both sets of fans. And that was still the margin after Dessie Reynolds and Tipp substitute Cian Smith, from a free, traded points – Smith coming on for Steven O’Brien late in the game.

With time running out, Tipp had one final chance and it fell to Mark Russell whose calm finish split the Longford posts from outside the arc.

Scorers – Tipperary: M Russell 0-4, 2 2pt; Sean O’Connor 1-4, 2pt, 1f; M Freaney 1-0; L. Boland 1-0; C. Fahey 2pt; S. O’Brien 0-2, 1 ’45; B. Comerford 0-1. 

Scorers - Longford: Oran Kenny 0-5, 1 two-pointer, 1f; Matthew Carey 0-4, 1 two-pointer, 2f; Aaron Farrell 0-4; Cathal McCabe 1-1; James Moran 0-1; Iarla O’Sullivan 0-1; Dessie Reynolds 0-1; Jayson Matthews 0-1; 

TIPPERARY: S. Ryan, M. McFadden, J. Feehan, J. Harney, E. Power, L. Boland, M. Stokes, C. Deeley, M. Russell, M Freaney, S. O’Brien, B. Comerford, C. Fahey, S. O’Connor, M. O’Shea.

Subs:– J. O’Neill for Power, P. Feehan for Deeley, M. Barlow for Fahey, T. Condon for Stokes, C Smith for O’Brien.

LONGFORD: Paddy Collum (Fr Manning Gaels); Paddy Fox (Mullinalaghta St Columba’s), Sean O’Sullivan (Sean Connolly’s), Bryan Masterson (Abbeylara); James Moran (Killoe Emmet), Ryan Moffett (Killoe Emmet Og), Iarla O’Sullivan (Rathcline); Dessie Reynolds (Sean Connolly’s, Daire Duggan (Sean Connolly’s); Keelin McGann (Kenagh, Dylan Farrell (St Brigid’s Killashee), Jayson Matthews (Mullinalaghta St Columba’s); Oran Kenny (Rathcline), Matthew Carey (Clonguish), Cathal McCabe (Colmcille). 

Subs:- Aaron Farrell (Dromard) for D Farrell (injured, 14 mins).

Second half:- Oisin O’Toole (Dromard) for K McGann; Daniel Reynolds (Sean Connolly’s) for Dessie Reynolds.

Referee: N. Quinn (Clare)