Early goals put Longford on course

Leeds 0 Longford Town 3

The goals, of course, effectively decided the tie but Leeds were undaunted as they faced the onerous task of trying to recover their pride and their reputation. The fact that Longford had to wait until the final minute of the match for their third goal spoke volumes for their commitment.

With Jason Yelverton and Brian Burke in defiant mood and defending effectively they made Longford work hard for their goals. Leeds attempted to play a fluid system that saw them switch from having five in midfield and a lone striker, to operating with Liam O’Connor and Liam Murphy filling more forward roles alongside Dave Welch when they were in possession. They played to a more defined 4-5-1 system in the second half when Murphy operated wide on the right and gave full-back John Kelly more support in limiting the impact of Longford’s winger Sean Prunty.