Sporting Fingal 0-0 Longford Town
Friday, 19 September 2008Sporting Fingal failed to break down a dogged Longford Town in this stalemate at Morton Stadium as their promotion push suffered a second set-back in a week.
The result leaves Fingal eight points adrift of leaders Dundalk with eight matches remaining and they have it all to do now if promotion is to be achieved in their debut season.
Fingal Manager Liam Buckley rang the changes to the team which lost 3-2 to Wexford Youths on Monday, dropping five players including captain Paul Caffrey.
Robbie Doyle was missing, too, due to suspension and the absence of the league's leading scorer from the Fingal side was evident as they lacked cutting edge in attack.
Longford created the first chance of note on six minutes when Jason Oladele cut in from the left past both Brian Gannon and Philip Byrne before slicing his shot over the bar.
Fingal's new strike pairing of Paul Byrne and Daniel Corcoran both could have scored in the same passage of play with 14 minutes gone.
Byrne's volley from the edge of the box brought the best out of Town goalkeeper Neil Gallagher and the stopper recovered brilliantly to deny Corcoran who followed up with the rebound.
Conan Byrne, after one of his trademark bursts from midfield, had an attempt on goal four minutes later which Gallagher again dealt with capably.
Fingal continued their dominant spells of possession in the second
half and carved out plenty of opportunities.
Philip Byrne should have opened the scoring on the hour mark but he somehow miscued his close-range volley from a Colm James cross before Fiachra McArdle blasted his shot over from ten yards with the goal at his mercy eight minutes afterwards.
Paul Byrne and Aidan Collins were both off-target as Fingal peppered the goal in the closing stages and Town caretaker manager Vinny Perth keeps his unbeaten record since taking over three matches ago.
Sporting Fingal: Clarke; Gannon, Ferguson, Philip Byrne,
Frost; C. Byrne (P. Caffrey 85), James (Hynes 85), Collins, McArdle
(Morrisroe 72); Corcoran, Paul Byrne
Longford Town: Gallagher; Gough (Garry 73), Bermingham, Doyle, O'Riordan; Rushe, Hardy, Harte; Oladele, McKenna (Weiss 89), Lynch (Frawley 87)
Referee: Sean Doyle (Wexford)
