Understrength Longford ladies suffer a bad blow in the defeat against Offaly

Shauna Madden pictured in action for Longford against Offaly in the TG4 All-Ireland Junior Football Championship clash at Glenisk O’Connor Park in Tullamore on Sunday Photo: Syl Healy | Syl Healy

placeholder image — Shauna Madden pictured in action for Longford against Offaly in the TG4 All-Ireland Junior Football Championship clash at Glenisk O’Connor Park in Tullamore on Sunday Photo: Syl Healy | Syl Healy

At home to Derry in the TG4 LGFA All-Ireland Junior Championship on Sunday next

Longford’s chance of reaching the LGFA All-Ireland Junior Football Championship semi-finals suffered a bad blow in the heavy defeat against Offaly at Glenisk O’Connor Park in Tullamore on Sunday.

Offaly . . . 1-22 Longford . . .3-2

Longford fielded a much understrength team with key players Michelle Farrell (Colmcille) and Shauna Hagan (Dromard) out of action due to injury while the unavailable Katie Crawford (Carickedmond) was another notable absentee.

A very young and inexperienced squad lined-out against the superior Offaly side who ended up winning by the wide margin of 14 points and Longford must now win at home to Derry at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park on Sunday (2pm) to keep alive their hopes of a last four spot.

Derry sprang a big surprise in beating a strongly fancied Antrim outfit at Celtic Park and will be in a very confident frame of mind in their quest for a crucial second victory in the group stage.

Longford trailed by 1-14 to 1-1 at the break with substitute Shauna Madden scoring the goal in stoppage time while Aoife Darcy converted a free in the 2nd minute.

A further 2-1 was added to the poor tally of just five scores with newcomer Mia Lynn finding the back of the net twice in the second half.

LONGFORD: Aoife Cooney (Clonguish); Aisling Scanlon (Mullinalaghta), Leanne Keegan (St Brigid’s Gaels Ardagh), Emma Doris (Killoe); Emma Bleakley (Dromard), Sorcha Dawson (Ballymore), Emma Farrell (St Brigid’s Gaels); Sian Gallagher (St Brigid’s Gaels), Funmi Talabi (Mostrim); Zara Drake (Ballymore), Aoife Darcy (Clonguish, 0-2, 1 free), Ailbhe Brady (Mostrim); Katherine Kilduff (St Brigid’s Gaels), Kamille Burke (Clonguish), Ailbhe Mulligan (Killoe).

Subs:- Shauna Madden (Clonguish, 1-0) for A Scanlon (23 mins); Aoibheann O’Brien (Killoe, making her senior debut) for F Talabi (first half stoppage time); Lauren Maguire (Dromard) for A Brady (half-time); Mia Lynn (Mostrim, making her senior debut, 2-0) for K Kilduff (half-time); Riane McGrath (Killoe) for Z Drake (55 mins).