St Patrick's lift the eircom League Cup
Monday, 25 August 2003 22:07This season's first piece of silverware will reside on Emmet Road following David Freeman's dramatic 87th minute winner for St Pat's against Longford Town in tonight's eircom League Cup final at Richmond Park.
A highly charged first half saw Longford take a strangehold on possession yet the only two goal opportunities of note fell the way of Eamon Collins' home side. In the fifth minute a poor kick-out from Stephen O'Brien nearly caught the Longford netminder out as Saints' midfielder Keith Fahey attempted a lob from the halfway line from the keeper's misguided kick and was just inches wide.
Fahey turned provider eight minutes later as he flashed a cross for striker Charles Mbabzi Livingstone to just head wide. Some robust challenges resulted in the substitutions of Pat's Barry Prenderville and Longford's on-form striker Shane Barrett, with Livingstone and Town's Philip Koegh picking up bookings.
The second period swung the way of the Flancare Park side but yet again they failed to trouble Chris Adamson in the Pat's goal, with former Saints' striker Sean Francis, on for Barrett, going closest.
The winning goal came with three minutes left on referee Eddie Barr's watch. Fahey looked the likely candidate to take a 25-yard free kick right in front of the Town goal, but substitute and skipper Paul Osam stepped up to plant a curling effort up and over the six-man wall and down off the left upright. Freeman reacted the quickest to prod home to an empty net as keeper O'Brien watched on, having dived to his left to save Osam's effort.
Longford however were gifted a chance to equalise soon after as Livingstone was ajudged to have fouled Eric Lavine in the Pat's area, but Ferguson, recently returned from injury, put his penalty low, left and wide of Chris Adamson's goal.
Filed by Rob Wright
