Longford lost their opening Allianz National Hurling League Division 3B match today, going down to Fermanagh at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park by two points, with the Ernesiders holding on to win by 1-10 to 0-11 despite a superb second-half comeback from the home side.
Fermanagh were much the better team in the first-half and they scored the first three points in the opening three minutes, as a brace from John Duffy and a fine forty-yard point from Sean Corrigan got them off to a blistering start.
Back came Longford to level matters by the twelfth minute with points from John Mulhern, a long-range score from Cian Kavanagh and a Joe O’Brien free.
However, the visitors fired over three unanswered points between the fourteenth and eighteenth minutes to restore their earlier three point advantage. Ryan Bogue, Tom Keenan and John Paul McGarry all on the mark for the Ulster side.
Joe O’ Brien with another free on twenty minutes reduced the deficit to two points, but Fermanagh surged nine points ahead by reeling off 1-04 without reply in a dazzling twelve minute spell.
John Duffy, who missed their opening day win over Cavan, sent over his third and fourth points of the contest. Sean Corrigan rattled over his second point of the match, then Duffy added another to his tally.
The real hammer blow for Adrian Moran’s charges came on thirty-three minutes when Ryan Bogue set-up full-forward Daniel Teague, and he rifled the sliotar to the roof of the Longford net.
Longford scored a much needed reply just before the half-time whistle when excellent play from Johnny Casey and Ronan Sheehan resulted in Emmet Corrigan raising the white flag, as Fermanagh led at the break by 1-10 to 0-05.
The introduction of half-time substitutes, Cathal Mullane and Adam Quinn galvanised the Midlanders and Longford were a vastly improved side in the second-half and put Fermanagh on the back-foot throughout.
O’Brien fired over three points (two from frees) in the first eight minutes of the new half, while a brace from Paddy Lynam, which included a super score from way out on the left, brought Longford back to within a goal of the visitors with eleven minutes remaining.
Late on, a sumptuous long-range point from Karl Murray reduced the arrears to two points, but resolute defending from Fermanagh’s Ryan Bogue and Ciaran Duffy thwarted the home side’s attacking waves, and as the full-time whistle sounded, the Ernesiders had held on to record a narrow 1-10 to 0-11 victory, to earn their second successive league win.
Next up for Longford is a match against Lancashire on Sunday, February 26th, in Abbotstown.
Longford: Conor Gallagher, Niall Moran, David Buckley. Aiden Sheridan, Johnny Casey, Karl Murray (0-01), Keelan Cox, Evan Tully, Paddy Lynam (0-02), Emmet Corrigan (0-01), Joe O’Brien (0-05), John Mulhern (0-01), Reuben Murray, Ronan Sheehan, Cian Kavanagh (0-01).
Substitutions: Adam Quinn for Cox (half-time),
Cathal Mullane for Tully (half-time), Micheal Mulcahy for Sheehan (56 minutes).
Fermanagh: Mark Curry, Eoin Cleary, Rory Porteous, Ciaran Duffy, Aidan Flanagan, Ryan Bogue (0-01), Odhran Johnston, Caolan Duffy, Conor McShea, Luca McCusker, Sean Corrigan (0-02), John Paul McGarry (0-01), John Duffy (0-05), Daniel Teague (1 goal), Tom Keenan (0-01).
Substitutions: Ben Corrigan for Johnston (38 minutes), Barry Duffy for Cleary (50 minutes), Ruairi Bannon for Keenan (66 minutes).