Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Graham Burke.James Lawlor/INPHO FreeSigh of relief Late Burke penalty for Shamrock Rovers breaks Longford's brave resistance The outsiders held on until the 84th minute at Tallaght Stadium. 9.07pm, 17 Aug 2025 Share options Shamrock Rovers 2 Longford Town 1 Paul Buttner reports from Tallaght Stadium SHAMROCK ROVERS NEEDED to prove spot on as Longford Town paid a cruel price to bow out of the FAI Cup after a gallant rearguard effort at Tallaght Stadium. Penalties early and late from Adam Matthews and substitute Graham Burke ended the First Division strugglers’ brave resistance as Rovers laboured into Tuesday’s quarter-final draw. There was no surprise that Rovers’ boss Stephen Bradley made nine changes to last Thursday’s Conference League win over FC Ballkani as he freshened up his starting XI ahead of Thursday’s trip to the Azores to meet Santa Clara in their big play-off. Sitting third bottom of the second tier, Longford came to Tallaght as 30-1 outsiders. Scarcely surprising then that Rovers owned the ball from the kick off and were ahead from an eighth minute penalty. It stemmed from a needless push on John McGovern by Town centre-back Oisin Hand with the Rovers striker duly stepping up to send goalkeeper Kian Moore the wrong way from 12 yards. Advertisement Though a far from ideal start, Longford responded positively, coming close to an equaliser two minutes later. Danny Norris and Dean O’Shea combined to put Aaron Doran in on goal down the left. The midfielder’s flick had just too much on it as it sailed over Ed McGinty’s crossbar. Proving no little threat on the counter, Town soon gave Rovers another scare with Cory O’Sullivan having to get his body in the way to block a drive from Norris. Having grown in confidence, the visitors then gave their small band of travelling support plenty to cheer when levelling on 25 minutes when Rovers didn’t deal with Town skipper Dean O’Shea’s long throw. The ball was recycled back by Doran and Pharell Manuel in turn for O’Shea to nod it into the path of Stefan Ugbesia to shoot past McGinty. Concerted pressure in added time at the end of the half came close to restoring Rovers lead. Town survived thanks to Sean Moore heading O’Sullivan’s shot off the line with Matthews, who had taken the initial corner, then seeing his follow-up shot shave the crossbar. Labouring to regain the lead despite continuing to dominate the ball, Bradley made a quadruple substitution just past the hour as Dylan Watts, Burke, Danny Grant and Aaron Greene were introduced in an effort to add much needed invention and spark to their attack. But it was 15 minutes before they troubled Moore, Watts chipping through for Greene whose header was straight at the Longford goalkeeper. A Lee Grace header from a Watts corner was scrambled clear while Moore punched away a dangerous cross before Longford were undone in the 84th minute. Andrew Spain’s elbow made contact with Grant’s ball into the area as referee Alan Patchell pointed to the spot for the second time in the game. Burke drilled the penalty low and hard to the bottom corner as Moore went the other way. Shamrock Rovers: McGinty; Matthews, Grace, O’Sullivan; Barrett (Mandroiu, 76), O’Neill (Burke, 61); Clarke (Grant, 61), Nugent, Kavanagh (Watts, 61); Noonan, McGovern (Greene, 61). Longford Town: K. Moore; Yoro, Hand, Spain, O’Shea; Ugbesia (Wade-Slater, 66), Manuel (Topcu, 66), S. Moore, Doran (James, 90+5), Norris (George, 90+5); Murtagh (Campbell, 66). Referee: Alan Patchell (Dublin). Attendance: 1,744. Paul Buttner Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Late Burke penalty for Shamrock Rovers breaks Longford's brave resistance ”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Late Burke penalty for Shamrock Rovers breaks Longford's brave resistance ”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion League of Ireland Longford Town Shamrock Rovers Sigh of relief News in 60 seconds FreeSlow Start Andrews laments players' 'naivety' in opening-day humbling Analysisviktor gets the spoils Old flaws evident already as Gyokeres struggles for uninspiring Arsenal Gavin Cooney Freehigh stakes derby Melia and Forrester fire Pat's past Shelbourne and into FAI Cup quarter-finals Freechallengers Arsenal capitalise on goalkeeping error to beat Man United FreeImpressive Irish international Troy Parrott scores ninth goal of the season for AZ FreeAddition Newcastle complete €45 million signing of Jacob Ramsey Disappointment for Ireland's Keith Andrews in first game as Premier League manager Rollercoaster 4 years ago, he was in the Team of the Year. Now, he's without a club Joe Schmidt: 'This has got to rank very highly in terms of wins - and for me personally' All Blacks beat Argentina to reclaim top world rank Transfer News Chelsea close in on €69 million-rated Dutch international, Eze set for Spurs move more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine TG4 Entertainment Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account