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Conor Glass’s long-awaited debut culminated in an excellent return to action for Derry from Rory Gallagher, who scored a well-deserved eight-point victory over Longford at Celtic Park on Saturday.
The victory keeps the Oak Leafers’ slim hopes for promotion alive, but Gallagher’s focus will have already shifted to the Ulster Championship clash with Armagh on November 1 and the reintroduction is a huge boost to that end.
Glass, who spent five years with Hawthorn in the AFL, only rejoined the Derry team on Wednesday night, but came off the bench in 20 minutes to help Derry cross the line by two points that moves Gallagher to third. place on the table.
Goals from Patrick Kearney and Paul Cassidy capped off an excellent display that, while not perfect, showed a much more controlled Derry capable of dictating play at critical stages.
Longford braced defensively, aiming to thwart the Oak Leafers into squandering possession, but Gallagher’s renewed Derry was disciplined and patient on possession, working a series of excellent starts in a very encouraging first 70 minutes.
Kearney’s goal encapsulated the display of the first half. With Longford leaving only one forward within the Derry half, the Oak Leafers were facing a full ’45’ but held possession for nearly two full minutes, patiently testing a break.
It finally came courtesy of Padraig Cassidy, who passed his marker along the left touchline. Accelerating into space, Cassidy opened the deck before finding Lynn inside him. In an instant, Lynn had seen Kearney’s perfectly timed run. Through, but still 20 yards from goal, there was nothing else on Kearney’s mind as he threw a beautiful low shot into Longford’s net to make it 1-07 at 0-03.
Liam Connerton scored a point back for Longford, but Derry fully deserved their lead in the interval.
Longford was having little impact in an offensive sense, a full 12 minutes elapsed before his first note shot, but they finally made the score in the 17th minute via a free Darren Gallagher.
Derry responded via a point from Lynn, but Longford appeared to have regrouped after the water break, as points from Rian Brady and Dessie Reynolds left him just 0-5 to 0-3 with 23 minutes left.
Although there was no panic. Derry simply regrouped and produced the most impressive period of the game, hitting 1-02 with no replay, points from Conor Doherty and McFaul before Kearney’s goal to put it far behind for Padriac Davis’ Longford team.
That gap narrowed considerably in the opening minutes of the second half and Longford resurfaced with the bite between his teeth, points from Colm P Smyth and a free Rian Brady closing the deficit to 1-07 at 0-6.
The second-half water break came with Glass popping up after, but it was another substitute, Paul Cassidy of Bellaghy, who finally put the game to bed with an opportunistic goal, reacting magnificently when Loughlin’s spikey effort hit the vertical to turn , and fired a low shot into Longford’s net.
Derry: Odhran Lynch, Paul McNeill, Brendan Rogers (0-01), Conor Doherty (0-01), Carlus McWilliams, Christopher McKaigue (0-01), Michael McEvoy, Ciaran McFaul (0-02), Padriag Cassidy (0-01) )), Ethan Doherty, Enda Lynn (0-01), Danny Tallon, Patrick Kearney (1-00), Shane McGuigan (0-02, 1f), Niall Loughlin (0-02, 1f).
Subs: Paul Cassidy (1-01) for P Kearney, 52 minutes; Conor Glass for C McWilliams, 55 minutes; Oisin McWilliams (0-01) for M McEvoy, 60 minutes; Gavin O’Neill for D Tallon (0-01), 68 minutes
Longford: Paddy Collum, Patrick Fox, Andrew Farrell, Barry O’Farrell, Colm P Smyth (0-02), Gary Rogers, Liam Hughes, Darren Gallagher (0-02, 2f), Kevin Diffley, Donal McElligott, Daniel Mimnagh, Dessie Reynolds (0-01), Rian Brady (0-04, 2f), Liam Connerton (0-01), Oran Kenny.
Subs: Joseph Hagan (0-01) for M Minmagh, 44 minutes; Daragh Doherty (0-01) for L Hughes, 48 minutes; Robbie Smyth for O Kenny, 65 minutes; Larry Moran for R Brady, 68 minutes;
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