Bohemians 1 Longford Town 0
They came, they saw, ... and they lost.Thousands ofLongford Town fans crammed into Tolka Park this afternoon determinedto help their side lift the FAI Cup in their first ever Finalappearance.Instead though, it was Bohemians who created history bycompleting their first double since 1928.
Victory came courtesy of the veteran Tony O’Connor.The right-backis one of the side’s few part-timers but his 65th minute strike wasreminiscent of the team’s most celebrated player, Glen Crowe.
Davey Morrsion swung a long cross from the right to the back-post,Mark Rutherford headed back across the face of the goal, Kevin Huntcouldn’t connect, and the ball fell to O’Connor who smashed a left- foot half-volley in off the upright.As the Bohs staff spilled outof the dug-out in celebration, the boisterous Longford fans fellsilent for the first time all afternoon.And when the sun suddenlyvanished and was substituted by furious rain, they must have realisedthis wasn’t going to be their day after all.
Despite pocketing a winner’s medal and offering some astute passes,Glen Crowe may have had similar thoughts.As the "Crowe for Ireland"lobby displayed its banners, and reportedly under the gaze of a MickMcCarthy envoy, Boh’s record goalscorer spurned a series of chancesthat a man of half his reputation might have converted.
In the 25th minute, Trevor Molloy slipped a clever through-ball intoCrowe who skipped past goalkeeper Stephen O’Brien at the corner ofthe Longford box.But then, with the goal wide open, Crowe blazedthe ball over the bar.More chances were to follow in the secondhalf, but before that, Longford were to launch threats of their own.
In the last minute of that first half, Alan Murphy punted the ballinto the Bohs box, where Keith O’Connor outjumped Dave Hill to noddown to the unmarked Stephen Kelly; he reacted instinctively from sixyards but steered his snapshot just wide.
The other main talking point of the first half was, perhapspredictably, Roddy Collins.The Bohs manager felt the need tofield a side re-shuffled from the one which has been so effective inthe tail-end of the season.Dropping Simon Webb, he switched DaveHill to left-back instead of the centre-back slot he has excelledin.Stephen Caffrey therefore retreated from midfield, where JimmyFullam took his place.The tinkering seemed unwise and unnnecessary,many even suggested it was an egotistical stunt to extract morepraisefor tactical shrewdness.
On the half-hour mark an ankle injury to Jimmy Fullam forced Collinsto revert to the formation many thought he should have started withby bringing on Simon Webb to take up his usual post at left-back.Hill moved back into the centre and Caffrey pushed into midfield.Normality restored, but why had it been altered in the first place?
Two minutes into the second half cameanother tactical switch.AlexNesovic was withdrawn in place of David Morrison, a move whichallowed Molloy leave midfield to join Crowe in attack.
Just prior to that switch, Molloy had again demonstrated his abilityto link up with Crowe by creating another chance for him.Crowe,though, again missed the target, poking the ball wide of the the on- rushing O’Brien but also wide of the post.
Moments later, O’Brien again had to surge from his goal, this time toprevent Molloy from unleashing a shot from 12 yards.His crunchingtwo-footed challenge - which would surely have earned him a red cardif it had been mis-timed - cleared the ball away from the box, andCrowe fired the follow-up into the side-netting.
Colin Notaro, a half-time substitute for Shay Zellor, then headed overfor Longford, and Mark Rutherford replied with by rasping a low shotnarrowly wide after Kevin Hunt had brilliantly sent him clear.
Now the match was hotting up, with the players producing real qualitywithout having to relent on the speed.
Then, in the dying minutes, as Longford piled forward in seach of anequaliser, Rutherford rampaged 70 yards down the left flank andflashed the ball across the goal to the back-post, where Crowe divedin unmarked but mis-directed his header.
Longford continued to battle hard, but were unable to prise open thedogged Bohs defence, and it was the Dubliners who looked most likegrabbing a second.Rutherford twice came close, Hill hit a stonkingfree-kick into O’Brien’s stomach, and Molloy looked sprightly through- out.
When the final whistle sounded, no one could deny the better side won.