Don Cowan came off the bench to power Longford Town into the quarter finals of the Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup. Minnows Bangor made Neale Fenn’s Town sweat for their passage at the Iveagh Grounds. Daniel O'Reilly crashed a header off the Bangor crossba
Don Cowan came off the bench to power Longford Town into the quarter finals of the Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup.
Minnows Bangor made Neale Fenn’s Town sweat for their passage at the Iveagh Grounds. Daniel O'Reilly crashed a header off the Bangor crossbar from Jake Kelly's corner on nine minutes before Davy O’Sullivan headed wide eight minutes later as Town took early control. Tristan Noack-Hofmann and Sam Verdon soon had further chances as the visitors remained on top.
Verdon did have the ball in the Bangor net on 40 minutes, but it was ruled out for offside. Bangor had a bit more about them from the restart with Ronan Byrne's goal bound shot deflected for a corner eight minutes in. But home keeper Stephen Conlon was forced into the first major save of the game on 66 minutes, getting down to save Alan Kehoe’s low drive after the winger got in behind on the right.
Substitute Cowan then broke the deadlock on 71 minutes. Having burst past several defenders down the right, the winger drilled his shot past keeper Conlon.
Town had to hold on as Bangor pressed hard to get back into it. Jack Brady rescued them with a brilliant save with his feet to deprive Zambra's close range drive on 81 minutes. Noack-Hofmann then did equally as well to block Zambra’s goal bound shot as Longford held out.
