Aodh Dervin’s brilliant strike earns Longford Town a draw against Finn Harps

Finn Harps . . .  1  Longford Town . . . 1

Longford midfielder Dervin scored the stunning equaliser in the 42nd minute to cancel out Filip Da Silva’s opener for Harps. 

In front of the 1,306 attendance at Finn Park, both sides had chances to win it, with Harps having the better moments in the second half.

Harps broke the deadlock in the 34th minute. Ryan Flood’s corner dropped in the penalty area and Da Silva fired in his third goal of the season.

Flood might have doubled the lead for the home side within two minutes but Town keeper Jack Brady saved low from the American who was fed by Ellis Farrar and the visitors scrambled the ball to safety.

Longford levelled three minutes before the break as Dervin wonderfully finished from the edge of the area when his own corner kick was headed perfectly into his path by a Harps defender. It had taken a good save by Tim Hiemer to prevent Dervin from equalising with the effort that led to the corner.

Longford arrived in Ballybofey with just one win from the opening ten games of their league campaign but it was the midlanders who had two big chances in the first quarter-of-an-hour.

First, Joshua Giurgi latched onto a ball over the top in the ninth minute and his cut-back was met by Jamal Ibrahim, whose first-time effort from the edge of the box was taken off the goal-line by Harps defender Daithi McCallion.

Five minutes later, Harps ‘keeper Hiemer reached out to superbly beat away Ibrahim’s header after Darragh Lynch recycled from a corner at the far post.

Hiemer was called into action again in the 21st minute and the German saved at his near post from Giurgi, who combined well with captain Shane Elworthy down the right channel.

Harps were stirred into action and Shane McMonagle rose to head inches over the top from a well-placed Seamus Keogh free-kick.  

Keogh was thwarted by a fine save from Jack Brady soon after when his powerful effort was turned around the left-hand post by the Longford goalkeeper.

Captain Keith Cowan was back in the Harps team for the first time since the corresponding fixture at Bishopsgate, a 1-0 win for the Donegal side six weeks ago.

Just after Dervin restored parity, Darragh Lynch wasn’t far off giving Longford the lead with his headed attempted deflecting behind the posts. 

Three minutes into the second half, the diving Farrar got on the end of a Flood free kick, delivered from just inside his own half.

On the hour, Keogh had a big chance to restore the Harps lead, but he side-footed wide after good work by Ryan Rainey, while Flood drove over from a good position a minute later.

In the dying moments, Rainey drove narrowly wide as neither side could muster a winner.

Longford Town are back in action against the unbeaten league leaders Galway United at Bishopsgate on the Bank Holiday Monday, kick-off 7.30pm. 

FINN HARPS: Tim Hiemer; Daithi McCallion, Keith Cowan (Michael Harris 80 mins), Ellis Farrar; Caoimhin Porter (Katlego Mashigo 65 mins), Noe Baba, Seamus Keogh, Ryan Rainey, Shane McMonagle (Okwuy Okwute half-time); Ryan Flood, Filip Da Silva.

LONGFORD TOWN: Jack Brady; Shane Elworthy, Viktor Serdeniuk, Cian Byrne, Kyle O’Connor; Adam Verdon (Evan Farrell 90 mins), Gary Armstrong (Ross Fay 75 mins); Jamal Ibrahim (Mohammed Boudiaf 75 mins), Aodh Dervin, Darragh Lynch (Stephen Meaney 66 mins); Joshua Giurgi.

Referee: Paul Norton.