Longford Town facing a difficult task away against Wexford FC

Longford Town are on the road again this Friday when they travel to Ferrycarrig Park to take on Wexford FC, kick-off 7.45pm.  

 After last weekend’s games (2) Wexford have moved to third place in the table on 22 points just a point ahead of our near neighbours Athlone who picked up two points over the weekend from two draws. 

Wexford won one game over the weekend when they beat Finn Harps at home with two goals from in-form Mikie Rowe on Friday but Treaty United beat them 1-0 in the Markets Field on Bank Holiday Monday which was a big surprise. 

Twenty two points is a great return from 14 games played and there is no doubt that Wexford will be a tough nut to crack especially at home. 

When you look at the Wexford squad you can see that it has some outstanding players. Keeper Paul Martin is one of the best in the league while their defence can call on Dylan Hand, Robbie McCourt and Max Murphy who will miss the game as he was red carded against Treaty in the most recent game.

 Mikie Rowe is their stand out performer in midfield and who would walk into most Premier Division sides here. 

Strikers Jake Doyle and Calum Flynn are dangerous players also which makes them hard to beat. 

When Wexford came to Longford recently the Town won their first match of the season against them with a 2-0 victory. 

Daragh Murtagh and Osaze Irhue were the Town scorers on that occasion.

 Last season the Town and Wexford met on four occasions and the Town had the bragging rights after winning two, drawing one and losing one of the games. 

Wexford have a strong panel of players and they seem to be almost unbeatable down there. 

This year’s league campaign has been so topsy-turvy with almost all the teams capable of winning games. 

Going into last weekend’s fixtures the Town were one of the form teams picking up seven points from three games and keeping a clean sheet in all three games. 

The Town were in action at Belfield on Friday last against  a UCD side who are playing some outstanding football and were full value for their 2-0 victory. 

Saying that that wasn’t the usual Town performance as most of the team seemed to be only going through the motions against UCD. 

Over the years UCD were the best footballing side in the First Division. 

After beating the Town and Cobh over the weekend and Cork losing to Cobh and Kerry, UCD have moved to the top of the First Division table on goal difference but Cork have a game in hand against Treaty. 

A few weeks ago Cork would be odds on favourites to win the games against Cobh and Kerry but recent performances from Cork would suggest that they are having a bit of a blip in form. When you look at the Cork squad you can see many talented players who played at the highest level. There is no doubt that Cork will get back into the groove and start winning games again. Friday’s game will be a big test for the Town and Wayne Groves needs to get the team back into the form of the last month or so. 

It was nice to see two familiar names on the team sheet against Athlone on Monday that were missing for so long. 

Aaron Walsh and Jamie Egan were both on the bench on Monday evening and Aaron got a few minutes on the pitch near the end of the game. Both these players need game time and manager Groves must be so happy to have two such experienced players coming back into his playing squad. 

The Town basically have a very inexperienced squad compared to many other teams in the First Division. 

Anyone present on Monday evening at the local derby could see that some of our team lack experience but have lots of commitment. 

The scoreline on Monday will show that we scored but that is only part of the story as we need to bring in some new players in the mid term to strengthen our team especially in the striking department. 

Last season when things were not great on the team up front we had the ace in the pack called Emmanuel James who was so strong when he was introduced from the subs bench. 

The team need players who can fill in up front and score vital goals. The next three or four weeks are crucial and we need to be able to pull out results and improve our scoring rate. 

Big crowd at midlands derby 

As expected there was a big crowd at the midlands  derby on Monday evening and one once again has to compliment our Section O supporters who are doing their best to support the team vocally. 

We know it’s hard for clubs to provide facilities for their younger supporters and it’s great to see and hear them at all home games. The Town need to bounce back into the form of the previous month. Alex O’Brien and Conor Errity missed the game on Monday while it is hard to be without the experience of some of our missing players.

Good support

Thanks to all the supporters who turned out in great numbers for the midlands derby. Both teams battled for the full 90 minutes and there were some hard contests between both sets of players. 

The Town club needs your support both on and off the pitch and there seems to be a new group of young supporters coming through. Make a date for our next home game on Saturday week against Cork City. 

Car Boot Sale

We had possibly our biggest ever crowd at our Bank Holiday Monday Car Boot Sale at our grounds at Bishopsgate.

Car boot sales have been a big fundraiser for the club for many years now and the commitment shown by everyone from stall people to our hard working committee members who worked so hard over the years. Thanks to everybody for their help and support. Keep this in mind. Next Car Boot Sale on the June Bank Holiday Monday.