Conor Barry on the double as Treaty United overcome Longford Town

TWO goals from Conor Barry helped to keep Treaty United’s slim play-off hopes alive with a 3-2 victory over Longford Town in the SSE Airtricity League First Division at Bishopsgate on Saturday night and in the process extinguished the home side’s play-off ambitions.

As a result of this exciting win, Treaty United have moved up to sixth place in the First Division table and are now five points behind Athlone Town who occupy the final play-off spot with just three games remaining.

Longford Town are in eighth place eight points off the play-off positions.

Treaty started the better creating the first three chances of the contest. Adam Lennon shot over the Town bar from just outside the box on seven minutes, while Dean George fired narrowly wide from the edge of the box just a minute later.

On the quarter hour mark, the visitors broke down the right with Lennon racing to the end-line before pulling the ball back to the unmarked Dean George who slipped as he pulled the trigger and the ball went wide from a good scoring opportunity.

The home side almost took the lead with their first chance on sixteen minutes. Kyle O’Connor raced down the left and his low cross picked out the sliding Cristian Magerusan, his shot was blocked by Treaty defender Sean Guerins with the Town striker’s rebound effort going just wide.

Treaty had a great chance to open the scoring in the twenty-sixth minute when a ball into the Longford box found the unmarked Conor Barry twelve yards out from goal, but he headed over the bar.

Tommy Barrett's charges continued to create chances after the interval. In the fifty-third minute a Barry left-wing cross was headed well wide from a good scoring position by striker Success Edogun.

The visitors deservedly went ahead a minute later. Edogun dispossessed Town centre-half Lewis Temple, charged into the box and although his shot was superbly blocked by Gavin O’Brien, Barry‘s sliding shot rattled the Town net.

Longford equalised six minutes later when Dylan Hand eventually slotted home from a James Doona corner after the ball pinged around the Treaty penalty area.

The Shannonsiders did not have to wait long to regain the lead, as just two minutes later a Dean George cross from the left was superbly headed over Town keeper Jack Brady into the net by Adam Lennon.

Treaty then availed of some poor defending from the home side resulted in the Munster men scoring their third goal on sixty-
seven minutes.

Town centre-half Temple under pressure from a Treaty player played a dangerous pass across his own penalty box that was intercepted by Lennon, and he squared the ball across to Barry who drilled a low shot beyond Town keeper Brady into the net.

Longford came back into the game and were unlucky not to score their second goal on eighty-three minutes as they hit the Treaty bar twice in the same attack. A long range shot from substitute Derek Daly came back off the crossbar with another substitute Jordan Adeyemo firing the rebound against the bar as well.

The home side did pull a goal back on eighty-seven minutes when Daly powered home a brilliant twenty-five-yard free kick from the right to the top corner of the Treaty net, and they almost equalised deep into stoppage time only for Treaty keeper Corey Chambers to produce a stunning save from Jordan Adeyemo’s close range header.

Next up for Treaty United is a crucial home meeting with Finn harps at the Markets Field on Friday next, 7.45pm.

Longford Town (3-2-3-2): Brady, O’Brien, Temple, Hand, Doona, O’Connor, Hery, Wixted, Fay, O’Brien Whitmarsh, Magerusan. Substitutes: Armstrong for Fay, Jordan Adeyemo for Doona (both 72 minutes), Daly for Wixted (74 minutes), Boudiaf for O’Brien (78 minutes).

Treaty United (4-1-4-1): Chambers, O’Riordan, Guerins, Walsh, Ludden, Devitt, Lennon, Barry, Christopher, George, Edogun. Substitutes: Armshaw for Lennon, Conroy for Barry (both 74 minutes), O’Shea for Christopher, Nwankwo for George (both 82 minutes).

Referee: Declan Toland