Chris Shields saves keeper's blushes as Dundalk draw at Longford Town

Longford availed of two howlers to run up a 2-0 lead inside 14 minutes

Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe scores Dundalk's first goal at Bishopsgate. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Longford Town 2 Dundalk 2 

Captain Chris Shields saved the blushes of his goalkeeper Peter Cherrie to salvage a point for Dundalk with a late equaliser at Bishopsgate.

Their first goals from play in seven games were enough to lift Longford off the foot of the table on goal difference after they availed of two howlers to run up a 2-0 lead inside 14 minutes.

Dylan Grimes worked a one-two with Dean Byrne to run on and see his low shot bounce past the feeble dive of Cherrie and find the bottom corner for a sixth-minute lead.

Cherrie then fumbled a Karl Chambers cross to allow Rob Manley shoot home his first goal of the season.

Dundalk needed a response and got it on 20 minutes from their first corner of the game. Michael Duffy’s delivery to the far post was nodded down by Dan Cleary for Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe to tap the ball over the line from close range.

In end-to-end action, Byrne and Grimes came close for Longford before another Dundalk corner should have seen them equalise a minute before the break. Again Cleary got his head to Duffy’s ball into the area. This time Andy Boyle just couldn’t apply the finish at the back post.

A mistake by Boyle, who allowed Michael Kelly’s long kick-out bounce past him, let Manley in on goal two minutes after the restart. Cherrie redeemed himself somewhat with a fine save one-on-one.

Dominating over the last half hour, Dundalk kept pressing and were rewarded nine minutes from time.

Junior slipped a pass through for the run of Shields who showed ample composure to find the bottom corner with a right-foot drive.

Longford Town: Kelly; Elworthy, McDonnell, O’Driscoll, Chambers; Dervin, Zambra (J. Manley, 77), Robinson; Grimes, R. Manley, Byrne.

Dundalk: Cherrie; Jurkovski, Cleary, Boyle, Adedokun; Murray (Kelly, 75), Sloggett (Zahibi, 62), Shields; McEleney (Midtskogen, 62), Ogedi-Uzokwe, Duffy.

Referee: Damien MacGraith.