Longford penalty earns them a point at Shels

Shelbourne 1 Longford Town 1

Town staged a second half revival with skipper Barry Ferguson scoring a gutsy penalty to earn them a point and reduce Shels' lead to three points.

Ferguson, who missed spot kicks in both the League Cup and FAI Cup finals of last season, stepped up to blast home form 12 yards on 70 minutes after Graham Gartland had been pulled down.

Shels ran the first half after Jason Byrne gave them a nine-minute lead with a stunning volley.