Top Mayo side push Longford Town to the brink in FAI Cup thriller

Celtic gave League of Ireland side Longford Town a serious scare in a dramatic FAI Cup second-round clash, with the 6-3 scoreline doing little justice to how closely contested the match truly was.

The underdogs twice took the lead in the first half and looked poised to cause the upset of the round before superior fitness and fresh legs proved decisive for the Midlands outfit.

Celtic’s dream start came courtesy of a Mark Cunningham strike inside five minutes.

However, Longford Town’s Darragh Murtagh quickly responded, capitalising on a defensive mix-up after Stefan Hester misjudged his run off the line.

Murtagh, who would go on to score a first-half hat-trick, levelled the game at 1-1.

Undeterred, Celtic hit back with a smart finish from Eoghan Hughes, but Murtagh struck again moments later to bring the sides even once more.

The Longford forward completed his hat-trick by the 23rd minute, putting the visitors ahead for the first time.

Celtic remained in the fight and earned a penalty when Eric Yoro fouled Hughes in the box.

Jordan Loftus calmly converted to make it 3-3 at halftime, a fitting scoreline for a breathless opening 45 minutes.

After the break, Longford Town, currently seventh in the First Division, began to assert their dominance.

Substitutes Dean George and Francis Campbell injected fresh energy, taking full advantage of a tiring Celtic defence.

George needed just five minutes to restore Longford’s lead, and Campbell soon followed up by slotting home a rebound.

George then capped off the night with his second goal in injury time, sealing a 6-3 win in a nine-goal thriller.

Full match report and reaction inside Tuesday's edition of the Connaught Telegraph