The result may put an end to a fairytale in the making but this was a game for both sides to take something positive away from. Afterwards Portmarnock were entitled to leave Tolka Park proud that they had given a better side quite a fright. Ultimately, though, Longford did enough to win and move to within one game of the club's first ever Harp Lager FAI Cup final.
It certainly didn't come easily. For close to 50 minutes they were made to sweat by a team that had already upset Dundalk in the last round. But even after such a good start, Junior Cup holders were helpless when Longford finally discovered their game during the second period and ended up producing a display good enough not only to beat the non-leaguers but also, one suspects, to alarm whoever was there from Waterford and Bohemians.
Portmarnock's ample grit, though, had clearly upset them over the course of the first 45 minutes when the league side's younger players looked a little shellshocked by the ferocity with which their opponents were getting stuck into both the game and them. To be fair, it was always a tough rather than dirty contest and Kenny's men simply took a while to show the sort of steel that was going to be required of them.
The rough and tumble of the first 45 minute clearly suited the AUL side whose determination to deprive their opponents any time on the ball unsettled Longford and prevented them making any proper use of the wingers they tend to rely on.
Still, it came as a slight surprise when the junior outfit managed to take the lead, not least to the scorer Keith Bruen whose low pass into the box from some 40 yards out hopped past the approaching Stephen O'Brien and into the goal after a flurry of activity in front of the goalkeeper had had the effect of throwing him badly.
Shaken into action, Longford showed early signs of improvement just before the break when a brief spell of sustained pressure came close to yielding a goal. Two minutes into the second period, though, they levelled the score after a fine move involving Keith O'Connor and Shay Zellor before Sean Prunty cross was headed home at the far post by O'Connor.
Prunty, Stephen Gavin and Zellor all then contributed to a tough spell for the Portmarnock defence during which Eric Smith had a header turned onto the bar well by Tom Kavanagh and Stuart Byrne sent a 25-yard strike crashing off the crossbar.
Nine minutes from time, though, O'Connor was tripped inside the area after a fairly prolonged scramble and Paul McNally, with his first penalty for the club, put Kenny's side safely into the semi-finals.
PORTMARNOCK: Kavanagh; Stenson (McDonald, 69 mins), Dolan, Mooney, Maddock; Flynn, Bruen, Gibbons; Bolton (Cummins, 85 mins), Carolan; Feeney (O'Hara, 85 mins).
LONGFORD TOWN: O'Brien; Murphy, Smith, McNally, W Byrne; Gavin (Holt, 85 mins), S Byrne, V Perth (Kelly, 88 mins), Prunty; O'Connor, Rodgers (Zellor, 16 mins).
Referee: J Stacey (Athlone).
