Young exiles aid Longford dream
A big pitch exposes a team’s flaws. They must employ good technique, good organisation, and confidence in using the ball constructively, if the team performance is not to be fragmented and un-even.
Longford were more balanced in their teamwork than St. Pat’s, and particularly impressive was the movement and combined play of their centre-forwards, Shane Barrett and Sean Francis.
Barrett hails from Enfield in County Meath, and Francis was brought to this country from Birmingham City almost ten years ago by Cobh Ramblers.
These two mobile and alert centre-forwards made good use of the wide-open spaces at Lansdowne. The players servicing them showed an awareness of what was needed, by delivering the ball in the most advantageous way to them.
The team’s performance reflected great credit on their young manager, Alan Matthews of Dublin. Afterwards an intense Matthews spoke sensibly and seriously about the growing importance of clubs here to catering for the increasing number of young players returning from England.
This point was effectively illustrated by the make-up of the Longford team. The 12 players who saw action included Eric Lavine from Barbados, six players from Dublin, Alan Murphy from Drogheda, Alan Kirby from Waterford, the previously mentioned Francis and Barrett, and Sean Prunty from Ballinalee, County Longford.
More relevant is the fact that no fewer than nine of the ten Irish players in the group spent time in England with league clubs, before being told they were not good enough to be offered a professional contract.
One of those, centre-back Brian McGovern, spent time with Peterborough United and Arsenal, and made over 40 appearances for Norwich City in the Nationwide First Division before being released. He was voted ‘Man of the Match’ in the final on Sunday.
The important changes governing the transfer of players who are U-18 will put some form of check on the march of youngsters to England, but what is more important is that the clubs here are geared to pick them up, offer them fresh hope and, ideally, an opportunity to make a career out of football here.
Eoin Hand is doing invaluable work with the FAI, by offering them education courses on their return, in tandem with football coaching and training.
Longford are playing their part with an excellent stadium, Flancare Park with upwards of 7,000 seat capacity, and a training area with two pitches measuring 40 x 20m, and a floodlit Astro-turf playing surface.
They have so many players from the Dublin area that much of the senior team’s training is done in Rathcoole.
They are working towards filling their senior team with more local players, and after winning the National U21 Cup last season, and bidding to follow that up by winning the U-21 League this season, that aspiration is well advanced.
The club PRO, Donal Keogh, spoke of the excellent relationship Longford Town have with the local schoolboys league: “We have an agreement that we will not field an U-15 team.
“They support us fully, and come forward every season with the names of players eligible for our U-16 team they believe have the potential to become senior players.
“It is a real community effort.”
Team manager Alan Matthews reviewed their historic success with the comment: “I think it shows there is life outside the top four Dublin clubs.
“Longford have done an awful lot of work behind the scenes to get the ground and the pitches up to standard. If your structures are right off the pitch, from a financial point of view and an organisational point of view, you can provide a proper environment for lads to prosper.
“Not all of the boys have to come back to Shels or Bohs, or Rovers. Our success might encourage lads to see an opportunity with Longford, not as some form of failure, or second option, but as an opportunity to make a good career for themselves.”
Congratulations Longford. These are worthy ideals from a worthy group of people.
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