Hectic stuff with a bit of the Bohemians about it. Well there were plenty of those late scrambles and a fair helping of desperate defending. The difference this time was that the gusto of the underdog went unrewarded in an entertaining contest and Rovers went away, a little shaken by the experience, with the points.
It was Longford, who got the ball rolling, Stuart Holt's free from 15 years after 11 minutes skimming the surface all the way to the bottom right corner, and for a while it seemed that the bubbling confidence of last season's top scorers in the league might catapult them beyond the reach of a Rovers. Not long after Byrne had put one over on the club he left in the summer, Eric Smith passed up a glorious opportunity to put them under some real pressure. The big centre half missing the target from eight yards after having had an age to line-up the shot.
A second goal would have put Stephen Kenny's side in the driving seat against a side not generally renowned for their displays of character. Instead the miss left the feeling that it was Longford who might not have the steel required.
As the half progressed Rovers began to find their way into the game and although there were too many misjudged passes and far too much squandered possession. There were also a fair few gaps in a Longford defence that were too willing to commit themselves rashly.
Steadily the Dubliners got on top and when Tony Grant, signed by Rovers during the week in attempt to solve the goalscoring problem, notched his first for the club from close range after 37 minutes. Terry Palmer then glanced a Marc Kenny strike home 13 minutes into the second-half the game looked pretty much dead and buried.
Stephen Kenny's young side had other ideas, however, and Colin Notaro headed them level again 10 minutes from time. From then on they would surely have settled for the point but that wasn't nearly good enough for Damien Richardson, who had already seen his side draw their opening two games.
Shane Robinson arrived to give some real width on the right flank and finally Richie Purdy was thrown in for Sean Francis up front. And both were involved in the injury time winner which Purdy finished well with a finely judged glancing header.
For Longford it was another tough lesson after last week's defeat at the hands of a Shelbourne side that showed them how to take a lead and sit on it. For Rovers too, it was an important result but while Grant looks a promising recruit at this stage there's still room from improvement. With a few more goals they could well be up there scrapping for a place in Europe as their manager insists they will, but for the moment it appears that a few of his players, like the rest of us, need a little more convincing.
Shamrock Rovers: O'Dowd; Smith, Palmer, Deans, Dunne; Kenny (Byrne 70), Colwell, Tracey, Woods (Robinson, 82); Francis (Purdy, 89), Grant.
Longford Town: O'Brien; Murphy, Smith, McNally, W Byrne; Notaro, Holt, S Byrne (V Perth, 73), Coyle (Farrell, 70); O'Connor, Gavin (Zellor, half-time).
Referee: H Byrne (Dublin).
