Mervue Utd pay the price for shocking start to game

Longford Town 4Mervue United 2

Mervue United’s poor start to the season continued on Saturday night when they recorded a sixth loss in eight games to remain rooted to the foot of the table.

Pat Hoban scored twice in the second half for Johnny Glynn’s side, but a wretched start by the Fahy’s Field-based side which saw them concede four goals in the opening 25 minutes meant Hoban’s strikes were purely cosmetic in a damage-limitation exercise.

Longford have been the surprise packets this year, and Saturday’s win sees them maintain their lead at the top of the table ahead of the unbackable favourites at the start of the season for the title, Limerick FC.

Tony Cousins’ side opened the campaign with four consecutive wins, before drawing with SD Galway, but they got back on track with a win away to Limerick, only to hit the rails against last week when they were shocked at home by Finn Harps, losing 3-1.

However they got back to winning ways on Saturday night when they blew away the Mervue challenge in the first 25 minutes to end the game as a contest, opening the scoring in the fifth minute from the penalty spot after Kenny Farrell was adjudged to have fouled Karl Bermingham.

The game was held up for a few minutes to allow treatment for Farrell, who was injured in the incident, and had to be replaced by Marc Ludden, but the delay didn’t affect Mark Salmon as he converted the spot-kick for the lead.

Alan Murphy went close a couple of times for the visitors, but the home side extended their lead in the 16th minute when midfielder Colm James fired an unstoppable shot past Forde to double the home side’s lead.

It went from bad to worse for the visitors in the 24th minute when Chris Deans rose highest in the Mervue penalty area to head home a Keith Gillespie corner-kick for a 3-0 lead, and the visitors were still reeling when Alan Kirby added a fourth a minute later afte3r good work from Gary Shaw.

A real rout was on the cards as Mervue were reeling, but they managed to steady the ship and Murphy went close to pulling a goal back before the break from a free-kick, but just failed to find the target.

Half-time couldn’t come quick enough for the visitors, who showed a marked improvement in performance in the second half as they set about trying to restore some pride.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.