Longford Town 3-1 Sheriff YC
Two quick-fire goals inside as many minutes early in the second half ended non-league Sheriff YC’s FAI Cup dream as Longford Town eased into the semi-finals at the City Calling Stadium.
David O’Sullivan put Longford in front on 25 minutes.
Joseph Flood equalised for the AUL champions totally against the run of play right on half-time.
But strikes from Ayman Ben Mohamed and Lorcan Shannon put Longford deservedly through as Sheriff finished with ten men.
Sheriff were forced into a change in goal with the injured Lee Murphy, who saved two penalties in their shoot-out win over Athlone Town, replaced by Peter Halpin.
And Halpin was in the thick of the action after just four minutes, off his line smartly to save with his feet from O’Sullivan who had been played through by strike-partner Gary Shaw.
Halpin was there again with a parry save from O’Sullivan’s shot on the turn nine minutes later
Longford maintained their positive start with midfielder Kevin O’Connor firing not far over the top minutes later from distance.
Poor defending from a Shannon corner presented Stephen Rice within another Longford chance on 22 minutes, the midfielder drilling narrowly wide at the back post.
O’Connor then let fly again from some 30 yards a minute later, his effort shaving the top of Halpin’s crossbar before dominant Longford got their deserved lead on 25 minutes.
O’Connor and Shaw produced some clever footwork inside the area, before the latter set up O’Sullivan to shoot home from 15 yards.
Rhys Gorman wasn’t far off doubling the lead with a thumping header from a Ben Mohamed corner that flashed wide on 39 minutes.
Though they had a goal disallowed for an infringement, Sheriff had scarcely been in the game before levelling with a sublime strike in first half stoppage time.
With nothing seemingly on, midfielder Flood looked up and dipped a 30-yard shot over Longford keeper Paul Hunt for a spectacular goal.
But two goals inside as many minute from the start of the second half all but ended the game as a contest.
Ben Mohamed restored Longford’s lead less than a minute after the restart, racing through to drill a low shot to the corner of Halpin’s net.
Less than two minutes later, Longford got a third. The impressive O’Connor threaded a terrific ball through for the run of Shannon who did well to place his shot from the edge of the area into the corner of the net.
Sheriff skipper Paul Murphy brought a terrific tip-over save from Hunt on 52 minutes as the Junior side tried to get back into the game.
But it wasn’t to be for Alan Reilly’s minnows. They did have a second goal correctly disallowed late on before substitute Darren O’Brien was sent off on 90 minutes for a second booking.
LONGFORD TOWN: Paul Hunt; Noel Haverty, Rhys Gorman, Mark Rossiter, Conor Powell; Lorcan Shannon, Kevin O’Connor (Mark Salmon 85), Stephen Rice, Ayman Ben Mohamed (Kaleem Simon 73); David O’Sullivan (Philip Gannon 65), Gary Shaw.
SHERIFF YC: Peter Halpin; Paul Murphy, Anthony Kavanagh, David Browne; John Lester (Darren O'Brein 71); Mark Higgins, Joseph Flood (Daniel Joyce 81), Darren Dunne, Kevin Lynch; John Rock, Stewart Glen (Thomas Dunne 63).
REREREE: Neil Doyle (Dublin).
