Scales strikes at the death for Rovers

Daire Walsh

Liam Scales came up with a dramatic 95th-minute goal at Tallaght Stadium this afternoon to propel Shamrock Rovers towards a 1-0 victory over Longford Town in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division.

Seemingly destined for their sixth draw of the campaign, the Hoops finally broke the resistance of their Midland counterparts from virtually the final play of the game. Thanks to Scales’ late intervention, the champions remain three points clear of Dublin rivals St Patrick’s Athletic in the top-flight table with a game less played.

Remarkably, this represents the third time that Rovers have conjured an injury-time winner against Longford in 2021. Considering how tight it remains at the summit, the six extra points garnered from these fixtures could prove crucial come the end of the season.

Squeezed in between their UEFA Conference League qualifier encounters with KF Teuta Durrës of Albania, Stephen Bradley’s men were hot favourites to prevail in this game – despite the tight nature of their previous meetings with Longford. They certainly created some good chances in the early exchanges and Graham Burke tested the resolve of opposition netminder Lee Steacy.

Prodigious teenager Aidomo Emakhu was the hero for Rovers into their 1-0 first leg win over Teuta in the same venue on Thursday and he was perilously close to grabbing his second goal in four days as the interval approached. Ultimately, the deadlock remained unbroken at the break as Longford looked to add to their meagre points tally of 11 for the year.

In an effort to finally break through a stern Longford rearguard, Bradley introduced a plethora of players from the bench as the second half wore on. Dylan Watts, Danny Mandroiu, Rory Gaffney and club captain Ronan Finn all entered the fray to bolster the Hoops’ attacking options.

They all made a strong contribution to the cause, but it looked like Longford were set to hold out for a commendable sharing of the spoils. That was until Scales found a way past Steacy with a superb header off a right-wing cross.