Ferguson out of Cup final

Longford Town captain Barry Ferguson will have to sit out the FAI Cup final later this month after picking up a one-match ban.

Ferguson was issued with ban by the eircom League’s Disciplinary Commission at their meeting today after reaching eight penalty points and the suspension will be effective from October 20, four days before Longford are to meet Waterford United at Lansdowne Road.

Other players issued with one-match suspensions today were Shelbourne winger Ollie Cahill, David Mooney of Shamrock Rovers and Alex Nesovic of Dublin City, who each accumulated four penalty points while Drogheda United’s John Flanagan was banned as a result of his sending off against Waterford United on September 24.

Cahill and Nesovic miss the game between their two sides on October 21 while Mooney and Flanagan will be unavailable when their clubs meet in Dublin on October 22, assuming the Hoops take to the field given today’s threat of industrial action by the players.

Rovers will also be without Pat Dunne in the dugout for that game after the goalkeeping coach was sent from the technical area during the game against Shelbourne on September 24.

Dunne has been suspended for two competitive matches, fined €100 and warned as to his future conduct.

Drogheda’s goalkeeping coach Jody Byrne, meanwhile, has been fined €50 and warned as to his future conduct as a result of being sent from the technical area by the referee against Waterford United last month.