St Patrick's Athletic 2 Longford Town 1: CLINICALLY TAKEN goals from strikers Gary O'Neill and Mark Quigley put St Patrick's through to the fourth round, but the Premier Division title contenders were pushed much of the way by Aaron Callaghan's First Division Longford, who committed the footballing sin of conceding immediately after they'd done the hard work of equalising.

Crisp, short passing by St Patrick's carved a chance on 13 minutes, O'Neill and Quigley putting Gary Dempsey in on goal to force a good block from the left-back Ryan O'Donnell.

Longford lost striker Darren McKenna with a head cut on 32 minutes and Callaghan gambled by not making a change as McKenna got stitched up. But with McKenna waiting to resume, Saints broke the deadlock on 41 minutes; a flowing move got the ball to O'Neill and he beat Neil Gallagher with a low drive.

Remarkably, Longford equalised from a route-one attack on 64 minutes. McKenna got in behind the home defence and showed good composure to beat Ryan from just inside the area.

But within a minute, poor defending gifted the ball to O'Neill. And though Gallagher made a good parry Quigley followed up with a superb volley to the net.

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Barry Ryan; Lynch, Ó Cearúill, Harris, Paisley; Guy, Ndo (Keane, 85 mins), Dempsey, Kirby (Bobby Ryan, 75 mins); O'Neill (Fitzpatrick, 75 mins), Quigley.

LONGFORD TOWN: Gallagher; Garry (Barrett, 85 mins), Doyle, Frawley, O'Donnell; Murphy, Rushe, Hardy, Daveron; Lynch (Hussey, 63 mins); McKenna.

Referee: R Winter (Dublin).