Longford OUT of Setanta Cup

[Slash/ED]

A 1-0 loss to Linfield and they are out. Thought they had more possession but they're shocking in the final third, the final ball was all over the place and they lack a real dangerman in the box who can hound out goals. Linfield were fairly poor too imo but their season is over so I wouldn't expect much more, their goal was awful from Longfords point of view, what was digger at?

It means the final is North V South which was what Setanta wanted I'd imagine.

[A face]

Linfield knock Longford out of Setanta


Longford Town crashed out of the Setanta Cup tonight with a 1-0 defeat to Linfield in Windsor Park, Belfast.

Peter Thompson scored the only goal of the game on 25 minutes. The move started when Danny O'Connor was caught in possession by Linfield's Ryan McCann and McCann tore the Longford defence apart with a pin-point over the top ball to Thompson. Thompson made no mistake in beating goalkeeper Stephen O'Brien.

It was a bitter blow for Longford who failed to make earlier possession count and Linfield could well have been two up before the break.


Read more at www.irishfootballonline.com

[Troy.McClure]

what was digger at?

Playing fly keeper?

[BohDiddley]

A 1-0 loss to Linfield and they are out. Thought they had more possession but they're shocking in the final third, the final ball was all over the place and they lack a real dangerman in the box who can hound out goals. Linfield were fairly poor too imo but their season is over so I wouldn't expect much more, their goal was awful from Longfords point of view, what was digger at?

It means the final is North V South which was what Setanta wanted I'd imagine.

Longford were brutal. Their main player in setting anything up was O'Brien, and they got their just desserts, even though I thought the ref was harsh and seemed to especially harbour a grudge against poor Keego (although he should have been carded for that dive).
Thought Linfield looked dangerous once they settled and they took their goal well. Before that it was torture to watch.
Still think that having the final at Tolka if Shels are in it makes a nonsense of the competition.

[fosterdollar]

Personally I thought Dillo rather than Digger was found lacking a bit more when the goal happened. He lost his concentration (it seemed) and i suppose then Digger coming out compounded the inevitability of the goal.

As an aside, i would just like to say BohDiddley's CRAZY...

Keep singing that every time i see your name BD, had to get it off my chest

[CuanaD]

Longford were brutal. Their main player in setting anything up was O'Brien, and they got their just desserts, even though I thought the ref was harsh and seemed to especially harbour a grudge against poor Keego (although he should have been carded for that dive).
Thought Linfield looked dangerous once they settled and they took their goal well. Before that it was torture to watch.
Still think that having the final at Tolka if Shels are in it makes a nonsense of the competition.

Chances are that Cork will get their 2:0 win & be in the final

Dont think Keegan should have been carded - he went down easy but got straight back up - honestly think he wrong footed himself & wasn't looking for the penalty - hard to be sure though.

[Wiseguy]

Yeah we were shocking last night and got what we deserved.Digger didn't need to come out so far and it was him who made up the strikers mind.I don't think we had a good player on the pitch and most of them need to take a long hard look at themselves because our season is already falling apart.The ref was poor but that's no excuse and Keego went down much to easy and Fitzy should have walked.I can't think of a positive to take from the match.matthews should have made the changes at half time and set the tempo of the game for the second half from the off but it's over now and we can whinge all we want but sometimes you get what you deserve in football and it was a fair result last night.Cork or Shels will nail Linfield in the final because they are shocking at the back but the final should be in Dalymount and not Tolka.

[BohDiddley]

Personally I thought Dillo rather than Digger was found lacking a bit more when the goal happened. He lost his concentration (it seemed) and i suppose then Digger coming out compounded the inevitability of the goal.

As an aside, i would just like to say BohDiddley's CRAZY...

Keep singing that every time i see your name BD, had to get it off my chest

Hey man! Glad you could read it.
You know your music!

[fosterdollar]

Hey man! Glad you could read it.
You know your music!

Or at least Jules Holland does. That's where i caught him first.

[pete]

Only seen the last 30mins but was probably worst Setanta Cup game so far. Longford never looked like scoring. Seemed very strange to play Baker & Keegan upfront as not much pace there at all. If going to hit so many long balls then may as well play 4-3-3 or 4-2-4.

No use having 5 average forwards if none of them can score. Myler probably the best of the forwards but hes really a penalty area poacher so if no chances won't create them for himself.

Sending off was justified but don't know how Longford player avoided a crad for grabbing Linfield player.

[Ronnie]

Yes very poor disply, Digger was very poor all night, really having awful problems scoring goals.

[Gerrit]

I think that if it is a North vs South final it's only fair to have two legs: one in Belfast and one in Dublin. Otherwise the team from Northern Ireland is disadvantaged (they play "abroad") and that could lead to discussions that take a sectarian/political twist. To avoid that, why not adding a second leg in Belfast ?


If Shels doesn't reach the final, I support the Nordie boys. I don't want a competitor from the EL to grab the honour and cash !
Shels or Linfield as winners for me.

[Slash/ED]

I don't like two legged finals in general, or final replays even (Espically final replays in fact) it takes away from the occasion a final brings where everything is decided on that night.

[Gerrit]

But imagine Linfield losing... Northern Irish fans could say they were disadvantaged because they had to play abroad, and then we are very close to seeing a political/sectarian twist in the conversations...
In a crossborder tournament, a final in both countries is most logic IMO, certainly now that there's a team from both sides of the border in the final.



In case Shels wouldn't reach the final, I would like to support Linfield, which is a club I sympathise with (see topic from approx 4 weeks ago). Is it possible for me as Dublin based lad to see the game as a neutral fan, or even better: amongst the Linfield fans ?

I have full confidence there won't be riots, the Linfield lads judged the few riotmakers in Longford and proved thereby that the real LFC fans are just as opposed to sectarianism as anyone else.
And for those few unreal LFC fans that may be there: I bought a Northern Ireland national team scarf for my collection, so I could go in disguise

[A face]

In a crossborder tournament, a final in both countries is most logic IMO, certainly now that there's a team from both sides of the border in the final.

Sure we'll have the final up there next year ... deal !!

[dcfcsteve]

But imagine Linfield losing... Northern Irish fans could say they were disadvantaged because they had to play abroad, and then we are very close to seeing a political/sectarian twist in the conversations...
In a crossborder tournament, a final in both countries is most logic IMO, certainly now that there's a team from both sides of the border in the final.

In case Shels wouldn't reach the final, I would like to support Linfield, which is a club I sympathise with (see topic from approx 4 weeks ago). Is it possible for me as Dublin based lad to see the game as a neutral fan, or even better: amongst the Linfield fans ?

I have full confidence there won't be riots, the Linfield lads judged the few riotmakers in Longford and proved thereby that the real LFC fans are just as opposed to sectarianism as anyone else.

And for those few unreal LFC fans that may be there: I bought a Northern Ireland national team scarf for my collection, so I could go in disguise

Gerrit - you're making too much of the north-south 'ideological battle' here. It was always planned to have the final in Dublin, so where's the problem ? Linfield fans themselves won't be complaining about it.

And as for your thoughts on Linfield fans - to quote Yoda, and without trying to appear rude, "You are young, but you have much to learn...." Yes, the majority are ordinary decent football fans. But by Chr!st they also attract a very nasty element as well. Did you not see ANY of the coverage regarding their recent game against Glentoran (a fellow Northern, Protestant, Belfast team...) ? I haven't seen scenes like that at a football game in decades - and the trouble was clearly started by their fans.

Stand in amongst the Linfield fans using your non-Irish identity as protection if you like, but I don't think you'll find many other EL fans taking the risk of joining you....

P.S. I don't predict they'll be overly accepting of Goths - regardless of whether you're a Catholic one ) They just don't dig on diversity....
P.P.S Derry City play 'abroad' every other game.....

[A face]

P.P.S Derry City play 'abroad' every other game.....

But i cant imagine you'd rather go on holidays anywhere else !!

[dcfcsteve]

But i cant imagine you'd rather go on holidays anywhere else !!

Sigh - if only Buncrana had an Eircom League team......

[Schumi]

Is it possible for me as Dublin based lad to see the game as a neutral fan, or even better: amongst the Linfield fans?

No problem going as a neutral. I'd assume a lot of people will go who support neither team. I doubt you'd get a ticket with Linfield fans though, they'll be segregated like the Portadown fans were in Tolka and will probably have to buy their tickets in Belfast.

[Slash/ED]

Yeah I'll be going to the match even if Cork make the final, I'm sure there will be areas in the ground where you can go as a neutrul, more than likely the Ballybough end would be one.