Published: Wednesday, 21st July, 2010 5:00pm

New look Athlone lose out to Longford in derby clash

Longford Town 2 Athlone Town 1

Athlone Town continued their poor form when losing the Midlands derby to Longford Town at Flancare Park on Saturday.

With several players departing Athlone during the past week or so, including key members Chris Bennion and Robbie Benson, manager Brendan Place once again dipped into the transfer market to beef up his squad ahead of Saturday's game.

Place handed debuts to midfielders Ryan McEvoy and Jason Hughes - signed on loan for the rest of the season from Bohemians and Limerick respectively - while 'keeper Michael Schlingermann made his first league start, stepping into the breach left by the impressive Bennion, who joined Premier Division St Pat's last week.

Elsewhere, Dean Marshall and Ciaran Maloney, with only a handful of Athlone appearances between them, started on the flanks, while another new signing, Paddy Collins, took a place on the bench.

Surprisingly, alongside Collins on the bench was Kevin Williamson, whose recent performances in central midfield had impressed.

Meanwhile, top-scorer Austin Skelly was restored to the starting line-up. Skelly's opportunity came after Gordon Watson picked up a bout of tonsilitis and new signing Declan O'Brien's international clearance didn't arrive on time.

Skelly would have a mixed evening for Athlone, scoring the Town's only goal before then getting sent off.

Despite the manager's latest refurbishment of his team, the outcome was sadly much the same for Athlone supporters, with the Town dropping to third from bottom in the First Division after this result.

Athlone have not won for six games now, and the pressure is sure to be mounting on manager Brendan Place, as the Town are now in danger of getting sucked into a relegation battle.

Longford went into this game on the same number of points as Athlone, and had tasted a disappointing 4-3 defeat to fellow strugglers Mervue Utd the previous week.

And although this game was short on entertainment and quality, with both teams showing only occasional glimpses of good play, Longford did just about enough to edge a game which can be firmly filed in the 'poor fare' category.

Indeed, perhaps the game's most impressive performer, Longford striker Don Cowan, wasn't introduced to proceedings until just before the hour mark, when his injection of pace and sharpness gave Longford the edge to press home their existing 1-0 advantage.

The home side led 1-0 at that stage, after experienced defender John Lestor converted a 44th minute penalty.

Athlone winger Ciaran Maloney, who had some good moments going forward early on, rashly brought down former Athlone right-back Niall O'Reilly, and referee Phil Caschera had the easy task of awarding a penalty. Schlingermann went the right way in the Athlone goal, but Lestor's kick was too firm and found the bottom left corner of the net.

Prior to that, the first half drifted from the mediocre to the downright desperate, with neither side seeming capable of controlling matters for a sustained period.

The midfield area was constantly overcrowded and neither side looked genuinely capable of breaking the deadlock during a sterile opening half.

Athlone's only chance of the first period came when Skelly got on the end of a good Maloney cross in the 40th minute, but his header skimmed the crossbar on its way over.

Brian McCarthy was also forced to make a last ditch tackle to halt Peter Hynes' surge into the Athlone box, after the Longford striker beat Des Hope to a loose ball. McCarthy did well to avert the danger, and Hynes was actually booked for going to ground far too easily.

If Athlone supporters envisaged Lestor's opening goal spurring their team into action after the break, they were sadly mistaken, as Longford went through their most dominant period between the 45th and 60th minutes.

Schlingermann was forced to dive full-length to turn away Mark Salmon's brilliant 25-yard effort, and Salmon (one of three former Athlone players in the Longford side) was now finding enough space to exert more influence in midfield.

Athlone threatened ever so briefly when Hughes and Marshall set up a half-chance for Skelly, but his header - at full-stretch - was always going wide.

Up the other end, good hold-up play by Hynes teed up Thomas Hyland, but his shot was also wide of the target.

Longford made it 2-0 on 58 minutes when Schlingermann fumbled another fierce drive by Salmon, and Victor Ekanem prodded home the rebound from close range.

Two minutes later, Salmon tested Schlingermann's nerve with another fierce drive, but this time the young goalkeeper held on.

Maloney was stretchered from the field soon after, following a clash of heads with O'Reilly, and suffered a broken nose as a result.

His replacement was Richie O'Hanlon, with Marshall moving up front, and Skelly to the left of Athlone's attack.

Hughes, a highly rated young midfielder, was played in an unfamiliar and, in what appeared to be, unsuitable role just behind the main striker, and as a result found it difficult to have much influence on Athlone's approach play.

Fellow new-boy McEvoy - who had a loan spell with Longford earlier in the campaign - showed some neat touches throughout, and certainly has a more than capable left foot.

Some of his set-piece deliveries were spot-on, and one such delivery in the 72nd minute brought an unlikely goal for Athlone, with Skelly getting in ahead of Longford 'keeper Aaron Shanahan to head into an empty net.

It was Skelly's sixth goal of the season but the popular attacker then put a dampener on his evening by getting sent off, making it three red cards for Athlone in the last four games. Skelly had been booked during the first half and was shown a second yellow card for dissent on 82 minutes, after referee Caschera ignored his initial appeals for a foul.

Substitute Don Cowan was tormenting Athlone's defence by this stage, and could possibly have had a hat-trick in the closing stages, but shot wide twice, before Schlingermann also denied him from close range.

Athlone laid a late siege to Longford's goal, with McCarthy and O'Hanlon going close to connecting with a great corner kick by McEvoy, but it was too little too late for Athlone, and another defeat for a struggling team.

Longford Town: Aaron Shanahan; Niall O'Reilly, Mike Lee, John Lestor, Chris Deans, Thomas Hyland, Cathal Brady, Mark Salmon, Victor Ekanem, Peter Hynes, Lee Roche. Subs: Down Cowan for Roche (57 mins), Jason Oladele for Ekanem (79).

Athlone Town: Michael Schlingermann; Niall Scullion, Eoghan O'Shea, Des Hope, Brian McCarthy, Stephen Relihan, Dean Marshall, Ryan McEvoy, Jason Hughes, Austin Skelly, Ciaran Maloney. Subs: Richie O'Hanlon for Maloney (65 mins), Kevin Williamson for Relihan (88).

Referee: Phil Caschera.