Longford Town FC countdown to the start of 2023 season at home to Athlone

With all the pre-season training and friendlies almost finished the new look Town team are getting ready for the opening game of the season. 

Longford’s first game of the new season is the midlands derby against near neighbours Athlone Town and it's at Bishopsgate. 

The Town supporters will remember Athlone's last visit to the Strokestown Road venue when the visitors came and went home with full points after a really embarrassing performance from the home side -  Athlone's first victory over the Town in almost 20 games. 

Games between the teams in recent years have been close encounters no matter where the clubs were in the table. 

As we prepare for the kick-off to the season the Town will have a very unfamiliar look about it with almost twenty new players coming in as new manager Stephen Henderson was left in a bit of a spot due mainly to his late start as manager of his new club. 

Looking at the latest list of players one has to say that this is a very young team with many around the 20 year old mark. 

Henderson has a good record of unearthing good young players and let's hope that he has assembled a squad good enough to challenge for at least a play-off spot.

Newmidfielder Viktor Serdeniuk is highly rated and a lot will be expected of him as he has a big job on his hands to replace Aaron Robinson who was one of the best midfielders in the league last season. 

The return of goalkeeper Jack Brady will be a big plus for the Town as he is undoubtedly one of the top keepers in the League. 

Young Jack Harrington who joined the club from Dundalk is only 18 but he is a very highly rated keeper and manager Henderson expects him to be pushing Jack Brady for the no 1 jersey. 

Another highly rated prospect is 19 year old Ross Fay who is a midfielder who came through the ranks at previous club St Patricks Athletic. 

The Town played Kilnamanagh last Saturday in a pre-season game and the game ended 1-1 with new signing Fay scoring his first goal for the Town in this game. 

The next few weeks will show how the team are progressing under new manager Henderson. He has proven himself over the years as a no nonsense manager and his win rate has also been impressive.

 Henderson has a big job on his hands and let's hope our very loyal supporters will come out and get behind him and his new look team. 

There is no doubt that this year's First Division will be tougher than previous seasons as we have the likes of Waterford and Galway who are the pre-season favourites to move back to the Premier Division but you also have recently relegated Finn Harps who undoubtedly will have a big say in the destination of the title and the experience of new manager Dave Rogers could prove to be a vital factor. 

Cobh Ramblers, under Shane Keegan, will be no pushovers this season and the fact that former Town keeper Lee Steacy has signed for the Cork club shows that they mean business.

Another Southern team this time we are talking about are Wexford who have assembled a very strong squad under our former assistant manager James Keddy who has taken the manager's job down there.

There could be eight or nine former Town players in the Wexford squad this season and some are very good players.

 Darren Craven, who was very impressive for the Town last season until he was sidelined with a bad injury ,has rejoined his former club Bray Wanderers who are now being managed by Ian Ryan. 

Longford Town play their final pre-season friendly against Bohemians this Saturday at a venue tbc. Kick-off 12 noon. 

SSE Airtricity League First Division Round 1 

Longford Town v Athlone Town

at Bishopsgate

Saturday February 18

Kick-off 7.30pm