WDL Report: Dundalk 8-0 Longford Town

Dundalk produced another excellent performance to beat a hard-working Longford Town team 8-0 in Sunday’s WDL match at Oriel Park.

Dundalk started very brightly, with Makenzie Crowley and Sophie Hanlon both threatening within the first five minutes.

In the 12th minute, Hanlon broke through and forced an outstanding save from Jane Shortall, but it was from the resulting corner that Dundalk took the lead. Smyth’s in-swinging delivery was headed firmly into the net by Nana Michelle Koudjou from six yards.

A feature of the match was the performance of the excellent Shortall in the Longford Town goal, and she was at her best again in the 26th minute when she denied Hanlon from close range.

It was a repeat three minutes later when, after a magnificent solo run, Hanlon was again denied as Shortall advanced from her line and saved at the expense of a corner. When Smyth’s corner came in, the referee awarded a penalty for an off-the-ball incident. Koudjou dispatched the spot-kick low past Shortall.

Dundalk made it 3-0 when Freeman found Sarah Byrne in the box, and her powerful shot beat Shortall with the aid of a deflection.

Shortall had time to deny another point-blank shot from Hanlon following a goalmouth scramble. At the other end, Grace McCabe saved a good effort by Sharkey.

Dundalk extended their lead in the 52nd minute when Shauna Smyth’s perfectly delivered corner was headed powerfully into the net by Aoife Fanning.

Shortall got a strong hand to Hanlon’s powerful shot in the 55th minute after Byrne’s cross, while Crowley was also denied by the Longford goalkeeper on the hour mark when she blocked her shot from a narrow angle. However, Crowley was not to be denied and, in the 62nd minute, she curled a sensational shot from 25 yards into the top corner.

Longford continued to fight and went close when Sharkey’s shot from 20 yards went narrowly wide. However, it was another stunning long-range goal that made it 6-0 after 75 minutes, when substitute Ciara Brady swerved an unstoppable shot into the top corner via the post.

Hanlon eventually got the goal that her determined performance deserved when she availed of a perfectly delivered free-kick from Megan O’Connor to score from close range.

Byrne completed the scoring when she made it 8-0 in the 87th minute after sweeping a low cross from Tobin into the net from 10 yards.

Dundalk FC: Grace McCabe, Aoife Fanning, Abigail Martin, Sarah Byrne, Jennifer Freeman, Rebekah Clavin, Makenzie Crowley, Shauna Smyth, Ernesta Marut, Nana Michelle Koudjou, Sophie Hanlon.

Subs: Ciara Brady, Megan O'Connor, Liadh Tobin, Caoimhe Carolan.

Longford Town: Shortall, Grant, McCormack, McCabe, Maguire, Shannon, Sharkey, Concannon, Ferguson, Kelleher, Robinson. Subs: Coyle, Rothwell-Mitchell, Doyle.