19.45 8 Sep 2015 -
Referee:
Leinster Senior Cup Preview: Longford Town -v- Shamrock Rovers
- Macdara Ferris
- Mon, Aug 24 2015
LONGFORD TOWN
Having lost 2-1 in the 2014 Leinster Senior Cup Final to St. Patrick’s Athletic, Longford Town are looking to make it into the semis for the second year in a row on Tuesday when they face in form Shamrock Rovers in this quarter-final clash (kick off 7.45pm).
The only other time the Town made it to the final of this competition was way back in 1955 when they were a non-league team. They faced Shamrock Rovers that day and the Hoops emerged 2-1 victors in the final played in Dalymount Park.
In the Third Round of the FAI Cup last Saturday, Longford overcame Cockhill Celtic 2-0 in the Charlie O’Donnell Sportsgrounds in Buncrana with Lorcan Shannon adding to an earlier own goal to earn Longford the win. The Town were handed a home draw for the next month's FAI quarter-final against either Athlone Town or Sheriff YC.
That victory was Longford’s first win in eight games; a sequence which includes four defeats that has dragged them back into the Premier Division relegation battle. Last time out in the league however, the Town put a stop to Limerick’s run of three victories by claiming a point in Markets Field.
Rhys Gorman and Mark Salmon returning from suspension got them back into the game after going 2-0 down but they required a 71st minute equaliser from Stephen Rice to gain a 3-3 draw. Tony Cousins’ team now sit seventh in the league table but they are just three points above Sligo Rovers who currently are languishing in the relegation play-off position.
Tuesday gives the Town another welcome cup distraction as they face a Hoops side who have won all three league meetings between the sides this season (making it five wins in a row in matches between the teams). The most recent game earlier this month was a 3-1 win for Rovers in Tony Cousins team's last home game. In Longford’s first home game of this season, the Hoops won 2-0 and in Tallaght back in May the Town lost 3-2.
Pat Sullivan, after picking up a second yellow card suspension having broken the eight card mark earlier in the month, is back available for selection.
SHAMROCK ROVERS
Damien Duff, the two time Premier League champion with Chelsea, now playing for the Hoops had done his homework on Longford ahead of Rovers’ last away league game. His watching of Soccer Republic recordings of Tony Cousins’ team were not put to use when Duff was an unused substitute against Longford in the league but they may be for this Leinster Senior Cup clash.
Duff had an entertaining cameo in Rovers’ last league outing, coming on for a spirited three minute debut, at the end of the Hoops’ 3-0 comprehensive win over Cork City - Rovers' fifth win out of their last six league games. With the Hoops elimination from the FAI Cup giving them a free Friday last week, this match provides Pat Fenlon's team with valuable game time ahead of next Saturday’s league match in Sligo.
St. Patrick Athletic's 2-0 win in Tallaght at the beginning of August put a dent in Rovers’ European ambitions but the Hoops got things back on track with a 3-1 league win in Longford a week later. Danny North and Mikey Drennan linked up really well together for Rovers that night with Drennan scoring off a rebound following Paul Hunt’s penalty save. North provided some fine all round link up play that night in addition to scoring two goals in a man-of-the-match performance on the night.
The Hoops played the previous round of this competition way back in April when they overcame Athlone Town away from home 3-1. North scored on the night with under 19 Rovers player Shane Hanney scoring twice as Pat Fenlon started four players from their underage squad.
With Rovers’ under 19 team winning 2-1 on Sunday in Galway, Fenlon may not want to start too many from that squad who play Bohs in Tallaght at midday on Saturday. However two young members of the Hoops' senior squad Dylan Kavanagh and Cian Kavanagh are likely to feature in the game in Longford.
Like Longford's Pat Sullivan, Patrick Cregg missed his club’s last game due to suspension but is available again. Cregg, with nine bookings, has the most yellow cards of any player in the Premier Division.
MATCH STATS
Pat Fenlon won one trophy as a player with Shamrock Rovers. That was the 1997 Leinster Senior Cup when the Hoops beat Shelbourne 1-0 in the final played at Tolka Park. Longford Town manager Tony Cousins was on the winning Rovers team that night in a season where he won the club’s player of the year award.
Longford Town’s first ever match against Shamrock Rovers came in this competition. Back in 1952, Rovers won 1-0 in a match played at Longford Park.
The teams have met in FAI Cup action twice in the last five years. In 2010, Rovers were lucky to take a 2-1 win away from Longford en-route to that year’s final. Last season, the Town travelled to Tallaght in the Third Round but lost 3-0. Sean O’Connor, Gary McCabe and Patrick Cregg scored the goals for the Hoops that night.
PREDICTION
2-0 away win to Shamrock Rovers.
Longford Town
Injured: Unknown.
Doubtful: Unknown.
Suspended: None.
Shamrock Rovers
Injured: Sean O'Connor.
Doubtful: Stephen McPhail, Dylan Kavanagh.
Suspended: None.
About Macdara Ferris
Macdara Ferris is a contributor since 2007 to Hoops Scene (Shamrock Rovers' match day programme) and is the co-author of two books on Shamrock Rovers - 'Tallaght Time: Shamrock Rovers 2009 to 2012' (with Karl …