Longford's Cup of joy after thriller

Longford Town 2 St Patrick’s Athletic 0

It was hugely entertaining.

Picture the scene: the match is in added-time and St Pat's are seeking frantically the goal they need to take this final to a replay. Forward goalkeeper Chris Adamson for a corner-kick.

Disaster loomed for a St Pat's side down to 10 men from the 76th minute and the dismissal of Keith Fahey and growing in desperation.

The corner was cleared to half-way, to where substitute Eric Lavine ran clear. He had an unimpeded run on goal with an empty net in front of him. But, where positive action was called for, he chose to vacillate.

He finally made it to the edge of the penalty area and turned the ball square to Philip Keogh, who calmly lined up his shot from 18 yards and then fired it against an upright!

Such wanton waste. Such painful indecision. Surely now they would suffer for spurning a heaven-sent opportunity to make their triumph secure. Isn't that the way of life? You pass up your opportunity and you then suffer the consequences.

A desperately-seeking St Pat's charged forward one last time with three minutes of added-time elapsed. Again, Adamson charged forward, his manager exhorting him to get there quickly. We waited with bated breath for Longford to pay the ultimate penalty.

It was not to be. The corner was cleared, Brian McGovern's firm header reached Lavine 20 yards inside Longford's half.

He tripped as he tried to offload, but McGovern took charge and reached the ball again to point a clear path to goal with an accurate pass for Shane Barrett. He strode on, high on confidence after a great performance, and rolled the ball into the empty net.

Now, at last, it was over. Now, at last, Longford could relax. Now, at last, St Pat's were beaten and the small-town club celebrating 80 years in football had a substantial trophy to mark their achievements.

It was a remarkable climax, all the more so because there should have been no need for those last-minute excesses. Longford should have had the game won before 45 minutes had elapsed and they were so far in advance of St Pat's in performance, in style and in effect, they should have had a hat-full of goals to spare.

"Over the 90 minutes Longford deserved to win," said disappointed losing manager Eamonn Collins.

"It is a very special privilege for me to manage the team that brings the first major trophy back to Longford," said the victorious Alan Matthews. "I played with Longford when they were based in Abbeycarton today is a reward for the many people who have brought the club to where it's at now."

Talk to anyone in the National League and they will point to Longford Town as one of the most progressive clubs in the country. They have drawn up the template for the rest with their 7,500 capacity, all-seater Flancare Park, their synthetic training areas, their underage structure.

"I am delighted with this success for the club and for the many people who contributed to its success the players, the directors, the supporters. The bond between supporters and the club is like that of a GAA club and that's very encouraging for the players."

Matthews deserved a lot of credit himself. His team played exemplary football on the big pitch at Lansdowne. They were composed and constructive on the ball, hard-working and organised.

Nobody played more effectively than centre-forward Shane Barrett. Quick, mobile and inventive, he led St Pat's defence a merry dance and made their big defenders look ponderous.

But this was a good day all round for Longford's players, who were uniformly in sparkling form. Brian McGovern and Barry Ferguson were masterful at centre-back, Philip Keogh a huge influence in midfield.

"We played as a unit," said Matthews. "We defended from the front-players back and I would not single anyone out for special praise above the others."

There was no room for complaint from any quarter even if Sean Francis' left foot strike for the first goal in the 33rd minute owed much to Colm Foley's deflection. It was an "own goal" beyond doubt. But Longford's superiority was illustrated again when they forced a penalty in the 37th minute.

Remarkably, Ferguson suffered the same disappointment he endured in the final of the League Cup by failing to score - his weak shot was comfortably saved by Adamson.

Longford Town (4-4-2): O'Brien; Murphy, Ferguson, McGovern, Dillon; Kirby (Lavine 83), Perth, Keogh, Prunty; Barrett, Francis.

St. Patrick's Athletic (4-4-2): Adamson; Prenderville, Foley, Delaney (Foy 79), Maguire; Dunne, Byrne (Donnelly (30), Osam, Fahey; McPhee (Freeman 55), Bird.

Referee: Mr A. Kelly (Cork).