The victory of Longford over Dublin in the Leinster MFC, secured in an exhilarating period of extra-time, made Monday’s fixture in Tullamore a game to be remembered. Such a win is always momentous for the smallest county in the region.
Dublin’s missed opportunities at the goal played a significant part in the final outcome. Despite this, Longford had to exhibit remarkable resilience, especially as they had not managed to surpass dublin’s score until the latter half of overtime, despite landing the first point of the match.
In the midst of the game, team captain, Mark Cooney, performed an extraordinary 48-metre free from the ground during injury time in the second half— a just reward for a team performance brimming with spirit and dynamism.
Post their victory in the round-robin game against Dublin, Longford stepped into the battle without any fears. Yet, they initially found themselves struggling when Dublin’s Senan Bolger netted a close-range goal, after the initial attempt by Donach Magee was fended off by Longford’s goalkeeper, James Ross.
Longford’s response was laudable, marked by powerful forward surges and impressive goals from Alan Mimnagh and James Hagan. However, as Dublin demonstrated their athletic prowess and efficient handling of the ball, openings for them inevitably increased.
Rían Doherty’s precise dead-ball shooting led to a half-time score of 1-4 to 0-3. Though, the margin could have been broader had not Bolger, Ross and Charlie Loughran missed significant opportunities at the goal.
Despite the ongoing trend in the second half of the game, it appeared that Dublin would emerge victorious, boasting a three-point lead with just over ten minutes left on the clock.
Instead, it was Longford’s resilience that ultimately saw them through. Their fightback was led by Ben Blessington with a phenomenal shot, Luke Doherty with effective striking and the captain, Mark Cooney, with a remarkable free-kick. These efforts collectively pushed the game into overtime, leading to their unforgettable victory over Dublin.
Dublin initially seemed to command the upper hand, Kris Costello and Cillian McCabe scoring for them. However, the advantage was countered by Liam Greene’s skillful play, reducing Dublin’s lead to just one score by intermission. In the final moments of the game, Longford was a team unleashed. Defensive duos Mark Cooney and Conor McHugh, along with two impressive scores by Cian O’Donnell, kept the momentum high. The spectators, numbering in the thousands, erupted with enthusiasm when Karl O’Hara seized upon Hagan’s apt move to seal a landmark victory in the game’s closing offence.
The Longford team included J Ross, C McHugh, D Mulligan and A Mimnagh who scored a point. Others contributing to the scoreboard included C Doherty, M Cooney with a free point, B Blessington with a point, S Fagan, P Farrell, C Flynn with a point, C O’Donnell with two points, J Shannon, J Hagan scoring two frees and three points, J Marsh, and L Donnelly who scored thrice. The game underwent multiple player changes with K O’Hara scoring twice for C O’Donnell, K Hudson substituting Shannon, M Glennon for Mimnagh, C O’Donnell for Marsh, Flynn for Farrell, Greene scoring once for Kane, and Marsh for Fagan.
On behalf of Dublin, F McDonnell, J O’Keeffe, D O’Sullivan, S Devane, J Kennedy, F McGinnis, R Ennis scored a point. Other contributors included C Gavin, K Costello, C Loughran with a point, S Bolger with a goal, D Magee, D McGill, F Lydon, and R Doherty who scored five frees and a total of six points. Player substitutions saw F Costello scoring once for Gavin, C McCabe scoring for Lydon, E O’Donovan for Devane, Gavin for Costello, J McNair for Ennis, H O’Neill for Doherty, and Devane for Kennedy. The game was officiated by referee Darragh Byrne from Wicklow.
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