Wexford FC hold firm to frustrate Longford Town and bag three vital league points

Wexford made the journey home with all three points after overcoming Longford Town 2-1 in the SSE Airtricity Men's First Division on Saturday evening at Bishopsgate.

The visitors led one nil at the break before Longford Town’s Daragh Murtagh restored parity early in the second half, only for Wexford to respond with what proved to be the decisive winning goal.

Play was halted for an extended period during the opening moments of the first half following a serious injury to Wexford defender Rhys Bartley.

The visitors' number six received treatment on the pitch before being stretchered off, with the incident leading to eight minutes of added time before the interval. Everyone connected with both clubs will be wishing Bartley a full and speedy recovery.

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Wexford FC, who lie in 4th place on the First Division table with Longford in fifth on the same of points (31), looked lively from the opening exchanges and fashioned the first clear opportunity after 16 minutes when a well-struck effort from Zak O'Sullivan forced Kian Moore into a fine save, with the resulting corner eventually cleared by the Town defence.

Longford gradually settled into the contest and threatened from set-pieces, although clear-cut chances were at a premium in a competitive opening half hour.

The breakthrough arrived on 31 minutes when Wexford capitalised on hesitant defending. Jamie Wynne played the ball into the area where Mikie Rowe found space before firing beyond Moore to give the visitors a deserved lead.

Longford looked for an immediate response and almost found one before the break. Alex O'Brien saw a shot well blocked inside the penalty area, while another dangerous attack was snuffed out before Wexford survived a lengthy spell of added time with their advantage intact.

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The hosts emerged with renewed purpose after the restart. An early free-kick flashed dangerously across the face of goal before Longford eventually found the equaliser seven minutes into the second half.

A slick passing move involving Jake Hough and Pharrell Manuel created the opening, with Daragh Murtagh applying a composed finish to level matters at 1-1. It was a well-worked goal that lifted both the home side and the Bishopsgate crowd.

The game became increasingly physical, however, Wexford responded well to the setback and continued to pose a threat going forward.

Their persistence was rewarded midway through the half when Longford failed to deal with a defensive situation inside their own penalty area. The loose ball fell kindly for Zak O'Sullivan, who reacted quickest to slot home from close range and restore Wexford's advantage.

Longford introduced fresh legs from the bench in an attempt to ignite another comeback, but the visitors remained organised defensively and restricted the home side to few meaningful opportunities during the closing stages.

Despite Longford pushing forward in search of a late equaliser, Wexford held firm to record an important away victory and take all three points back to the south-east.

For Longford, there were encouraging spells, particularly in the opening stages of the second half when they briefly seized the initiative through Murtagh's equaliser. However, defensive lapses at crucial moments ultimately proved costly against a Wexford side that showed composure in possession and took their chances when they came.

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The result means the Town are still searching for valuable points to secure a play off place coming into the closing stages of the season.

They will look to respond when they travel to Markets Field to face Treaty United next Friday before returning to Bishopsgate on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon to host Finn Harps.

LONGFORD TOWN: Kian Moore; Alex O’Brien (C), Cole Omorehiomwan, Taylor McCarthy, Jake Hough, Sultan Adenekan (Matthew Harris, 76), Daniel McKenna (Sean Moore 63), Pharrell Manuel, Andy Paraschiv, Stefan Ugbesia (Dean Williams 63), Daragh Murtagh.

WEXFORD FC: Paul Martin, Ryan Butler (Gavin Hodgins, 85), Kian Dignam, Robert McCourt, Max Murphy, Adam Verdon (Zayd Abada, 76), Kaylem Harnett (Dylan Hand, 85), Mikie Rowe (C), Rhys Bartley ( Ryan Ritchie 8)( Gideon Tetteh, 57), Jamie Wynne, Zak O’Sullivan (Ivan Voloshyn, 76).

Referee: Mark Patchell.