Longford Town fight back to hold Finn Harps to a draw at Bishopsgate

Showing considerable resilience to get back on level terms after conceding an early goal, brave Longford Town withstood a lot of late pressure in holding out for a draw against promotion play-off contenders Finn Harps in the First Division clash at Bishopsgate on Friday night.  

The first game after the mid-season break ended up all square with Patrick Ferry’s sixth minute goal for the visitors cancelled out by Jordon Tallon’s 59th minute equaliser for the midlanders. 

Finn Harps had won the previous two league encounters between the sides this season in five goal thrillers, but this drab encounter failed to match the fierce excitement of those two games. 

In the opening minute of the contest a clever corner from Ferry picked out Ryan Rainey’s run away from his marker but Rainey blasted his 15-yard shot over the Town bar. 

Five minutes later, Harps took the lead with Success Edogun combination with Ferry unlocking the Town defence. Edogun’s low pass from the right found the unmarked Ferry and he slotted the ball to the net from close range. 

On 13 minutes, a left-wing cross from Kyle O’Connor was met by Jordan Adeyemo’s 15-yard diving header but Harps’ keeper Tim Oliver-Heimer produced a smart save to keep his goal intact. 

In the 21st minute, Edogun and Ferry combined superbly again and this time Longford had a lucky escape as Ferry’s close-range shot from Edogun’s right-wing cross came back off the Longford post. 

In the 27th minute, Serdeniuk headed a Bastien Hery free-kick over the Finn Harps bar and a minute later another Hery free-kick resulted in a Dean O’Shea header striking the post in a very close call for the Donegal club.  

The last real opportunity of the first half came the way of the visitors on 37 minutes when McNamee’s glancing header just flashed wide of Jack Brady’s far post with the Town keeper beaten.  

Finn Harps almost made it 2-0 in the 51st minute when Watson played a superb diagonal ball across to Edogun but his shot was saved by Brady. 

Two minutes later Ferry shot across the face of the Town goal with his effort going narrowly wide. 

Longford equalised just before the hour mark when excellent set-up play by Ross Fay ended with Tallon rattling the Harps net with his 14-yard shot. 

Finn Harps then produced the next four chances but Town keeper Brady thwarted the visitors each time. 

Jack Brady brilliantly saved a close-range shot from Edogun in the 81st minute and moments later the excellent Longford keeper, so often the saviour in the past, stopped a deflected 22-yard curling effort from substitute McAteer. 

Almost immediately Brady came to the rescue yet again when he produced a good save from Max Johnston. Finally, with Edogun clean through with just the Town netminder to beat, the cool and competent Brady kept his composure to make a stunning save. 

Next up for bottom-of-the-table Longford Town is a trip to the Carlisle grounds on Thursday night to take on Bray Wanderers.  

Longford Town: Jack Brady, Mohammed Boudiaf, Viktor Serdeniuk, Dean O’Shea, Ross Fay, Jordon Tallon, Bastien Hery, Karl Chambers, Kyle O’Connor, Francis Campbell, Jordan Adeyemo. Subs: Adam Wixted for Chambers (80 mins); Emmanuel James for Chambers (88 mins). 

Finn Harps: Heimer, Watson, Baba, Makinson, Doherty, Edogun, McNamee, Rainey, Cawley, Ferry, Johnston. Sub: McAteer for McNamee (79 mins). 

Referee: Lucas Keating.