Derry collected two valuable points in their quest for a place in the league quarter-finals when they overcame the determined challenge of Longford in difficult, windy conditions at Pearse Park. The home side played with the advantage of the very strong breeze in the first half, but they had only a slender three-point lead, 0-7 to 0-4, at the break. With just eight minutes gone in the second half, Derry had hit the front following points from Gary McGill, Anthony Tohill (2), Joe Cassidy and Benny Murray.
Longford battled back with points by Padraig Davis (free) and Niall Sheridan to leave the match all square with just 11 minutes left to play. Derry then had a `goal' disallowed when Murray was adjudged to have been in the square when he flicked the ball to the net, but they went on to make good use of their wind advantage to score four points on the trot (through Johnny McGurk, Dermot Heaney, Joe Cassidy and Eamonn Burns) between the 51st and 55th minutes.
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