FAI CUP/Second Round: Theirs may not have been the worst cup experience endured by a non-league side over the weekend. However, after a one-sided game played out in front of a disappointing crowd at Richmond Park, CIE are unlikely to dwell on their first ever cup encounter with national league opposition. Emmet Malone reports.
CIE Ranch ... 1 Longford Town ... 5
Like most of the other Leinster and Munster league teams, Jude McKenna's side struggled to cope with the timing of this year's first round, which made the difficult task faced by smaller clubs taking on semi or fully professional teams almost impossible.
CIE were lifted when Peter Nolan put them in front from the penalty spot after just four minutes and they tested Stephen O'Brien a couple of times afterwards, most memorably eight minutes before half-time when the visiting goalkeeper did very well to push John O'Brien's curling shot wide of his post.
The Dubliners, though, never looked the equal of their Premier Division opponents and had the terrible penalty decision come in the dying rather than the opening minutes, it would have been easy to put it down to referee John Breen taking pity on players who had put in plenty of honest work without getting much back in return.
Longford, a greatly changed side from last year, were much too quick and strong for their hosts. As the game moved into its last half hour and the legs of the amateur players began to tire, Alan Matthews's side ran the proceedings almost effortlessly.
They had appeared on the verge of overrunning their opponents much earlier, though, with Darragh Sheridan, Seán Prunty and Alan Kirby scoring in the 18th, 20th and 22nd minutes respectively.
There could have been another couple in the minutes that followed, but after Seamus Crowe's effort came back off the crossbar the Leinster League side steadied themselves surprisingly well and worked hard at keeping themselves in the game.
There was little they could have done about Eric Lavine's fourth goal for Longford 10 minutes into the second half, the striker's excellent header from Alan Kirby's cross from the right leaving Aidan Mulligan with no chance.
The game's final goal, with a few seconds of normal time remaining, had as much to with the obvious tiredness of the home side's back four as it did with Fergal Coleman's well-timed pass or Patrick Mulvihill's cool finish from just inside the area.
CIE RANCH: Mulligan; Walsh (Ruane, 77 mins), Nolan, Flannery, Gorman; Walsh, Murray, Black (Reilly, 69 mins), A O'Brien; Grech (Counsel, 57 mins), J O'Brien.
LONGFORD TOWN: O'Brien; Shelley (Holt, 59 mins), Silke, Ferguson, Dillon; Prunty, Sheridan, Perth (Mulvihill, 77 mins), Kirby, Crowe (Coleman, 53 mins); Lavine.
Referee: J Breen (Dublin).
• Athlone Town travel to Kilkenny this evening for their FAI Cup second round replay (kick-off 7.30) where both teams will be hoping to improve on Friday evening's performances at St Mel's Park.
