Longford Town miss a penalty in the disappointing defeat against Cobh Ramblers

Longford Town . . . 0   Cobh Ramblers . . . 1 

In the space of a week, Longford Town went from producing a superb performance in their narrow FAI Cup defeat to high flying Premier Division St Patrick’s Athletic to a disjointed and extremely poor display against a well organised Cobh side who sit third in the table.

Cobh were the superior side in the first half and deservedly went in 1-0 up at the break, despite the Town missing a penalty with the last kick of the first half.

In the third minute, Town’s new signing Charles Mutawe fouled Cobh midfielder Pierce Phillips on the edge of the box, but Mikie Rowe’s free kick was straight at Town keeper Jack Harrington, replacing the suspended Jack Brady.

The Cork side came very close to scoring on fourteen minutes. A long throw from the right from Cian Browne was headed goalwards by the towering Dean Larkin from just ten yards out but Town stopper Harrington brilliantly got down low at the post to produce a magnificent save.

The home side struggled to create chances in the opening half-hour with a Shane Elworthy shot that was blocked away by Cobh defender Brendan Frahill and a follow-up shot from James Doona that was well over the Cobh bar. 

Ramblers took the lead on twenty-eight minutes from Cian Browne’s left-wing corner. Town keeper Harrington tamely punched away his corner but only as far as Waweru at the back post and he scored with a close-range header.

Longford almost equalised four minutes later but Christian Magerusan’s header from Kyle O’Connor’s cross clipped the outside of the Cobh post.

The visitors should have gone two-up in the thirty-fourth minute when a poor mistake from Town centre-half Aaron Walsh presented a good chance to Phillips just twelve yards out from goal, but Harrington came to the rescue with an excellent save.

The Town missed a glorious chance to equalise with the last kick of the first half when they were awarded a penalty after Cobh defender Dean Larkin tripped Magerusan inside the box, but O’Brien Whitmarsh fired his spot kick well wide.

A very lack-lustre second half produced very few opportunities for either side. The first twenty-four minutes were very pedestrian with both defences rarely troubled.

Eventually, chances came for both teams inside the last twenty minutes of the contest. On sixty-nine minutes, a Waweru cross was headed just wide by Mikie Rowe, while at the other end on seventy-seven minutes, a cracking thirty-yard effort from Town substitute Mo Boudiaf went narrowly over the Cobh bar.

On eighty-three minutes, a Phillips delivery into the Town box was volleyed wide by Ramblers substitute Jack Doherty.

Longford’s last chance of snatching an undeserved draw was in the eighty-ninth minute when Boudiaf’s low cross from the left was turned wide from inside the six-yard box by fellow substitute Olajuwon Adeyemo.

There were eight yellow cards in the game, three for the Town and five for the visitors, but all eight were correctly awarded by referee Chris Sheehan who had an excellent game in the middle, and he gave a good display of officiating which other referees could learn from.

Next up for Longford Town are two difficult away games against Treaty United on Friday and Bray Wanderers on the Bank Holiday Monday.

LONGFORD TOWN: (4-4-2): Harrington, Elworthy, Walsh, Temple, O’Connor, Giurgi, Armstrong, Mutawe, Doona, Magerusan, O’Brien Whitmarsh.

Subs:- Daly for Doona, Wixted for Mutawe, Boudiaf for O’Connor (all half-time), Jordan Adeyemo for Magerusan, Olajuwon Adeyemo for O’Brien Whitmarsh (both 73 minutes).

COBH RAMBLERS (4-1-3-2): Steacy, Eguaibor, Larkin, Frahill, Browne, Abbot, O’Brien, Phillips, Holland, Waweru, Rowe.

Subs:- Byrne for Holland (76 minutes), McCarthy for Rowe, Doherty for O’Brien (both 82 minutes), McKevitt for Waweru (90 minutes).

Referee: Chris Sheehan.