Longford Town crack Cobh in big boost for promotion bid

Longford Town moved up to fifth place with a well deserved victory over Cobh Ramblers at Bishopsgate on Saturday night as first half goals from Dean Williams and Pharrell Manuel moved Wayne Groves’ charges into the promotion play-off positions in the SSE Airtricity League First Division.

Longford Town . . . 2 Cobh Ramblers . . . 1

It was an impressive dominant display from the Town and they should have gone in at half-time leading by four goals instead of the two-nil interval lead they had secured.

The home side got off to a brilliant start as they went ahead in the very first minute.

Pharrell Manuel received possession down the right and with a superb manoeuvre he squeezed his way between two defenders, and although he nearly lost his footing, he recovered to deliver a pin-point ball to Alex O’Brien, and the Town captain whipped in a sumptuous curling cross that was clinically finished to the net from close range by striker Dean Williams.

The three-hundred attendance was treated to a magnificent entertaining attacking display in the opening forty-five minutes by the Town, and the ‘Red & Black’ almost doubled their lead on nine minutes.

The home side won a free-kick on the left and Andy Paraschiv’s precision pass from the set-piece was headed across the Ramblers’ goal by the towering Jamie Egan towards the inrushing Williams but his shot on the stretch was narrowly off target.’

Longford’s constant attacking pressure paid dividends for the second time in the match on fourteen minutes as they rattled the Cobh net again.

Williams was the architect on this occasion as he ran into the Cobh box from the left and squared the ball across to the unmarked Manuel who made no mistake with his eight-yard finish to put the Town two up.

Another excellent move from the home side four minutes later resulted in Daragh Murtagh’s low twenty-yard effort flashing just wide with the Cobh keeper Timothy Martin struggling to get across to the ball.

Twenty-six minutes had elapsed before Fran Rockett’s side had their first opportunity. Rhys Brennan released Luka Le Bervet down the left with a clever pass and his cross picked out the rising Wilson Waweru, but his header was straight at the Town keeper Kian Moore.

Longford Town should have scored a third goal on the forty-minute mark, when an Osaze Irhue left-wing cross found striker Williams just inside the Cobh box but his shot was straight at the Ramblers’ stopper Martin.

The Munster side had the last chance of the half three minutes before the interval. Rhys Gourdie was fouled just outside the Town box on the left only for Shane Griffin’s rising free-kick to be brilliantly saved by keeper Moore.

The second-half lacked the urgency and entertainment of the first half as the home side played much deeper and conceded much more possession to the visitors, and this allowed Cobh to come more into the contest in the second-half.

However, it was the home side who had the clearer chances. On fifty-three minutes, Jake Hough whipped in a free-kick from the right that resulted in a deft flicked backwards header from Egan being saved by Martin.

The Ramblers were handed a lifeline on seventy-seven minutes when Waweru turned a Town defender inside the box and played a pass into the feet of substitute Kai O’Neill who was felled by Town skipper O’Brien. Up stepped Griffin to dispatch the spot kick to the net and reduce the deficit to just a goal.

Despite putting the home defence under pressure in the closing stages, the Town rearguard was resolute and kept Cobh at bay.

The Town should have made it three-one deep into stoppage time on the counter as substitute Stefan Ugbesia broke clear and his superb pass put in Murtagh one-on-one with Cobh stopper Martin, but the latter won the dual as he easily saved Murtagh’s panicked shot.

LONGFORD TOWN (4-2-3-1): Kian Moore, Irhue, Egan, McCarthy, Hough, O’Brien, Sean Moore, Manuel, Murtagh, Paraschiv, Williams.

Substitutes: - Adenekan for Sean Moore, Ugbesia for Williams, & Omorehiomwan for Egan (all 81 minutes).

COBH RAMBLERS (4-3-3): Martin, Le Bervet, Curtin, Shane Griffin, Frahill, Shane Griffin (2), Carroll, Brennan, Abbott, Waweru, Gourdie.

Substitutes:- Kelly-Noonan for Abbot (18 minutes), Coleman for Brennan (half-time), Adenopo for Curtin (68 minutes), & O’Neill for Gourdie (72 minutes).

Referee: Alan Patchell.