Longford announce pre-season friendlies, while seven re-sign at the City Calling Stadium

Longford Town may have been relegated to the First Division but their fans will get plenty of opportunity to see them face Premier opposition in the build up to the 2017 SSE Airtricity League season.

Longford are the first League of Ireland team to announce their pre-season programme of friendlies with four fixtures arranged for January and February of next year, all of them against Premier Division sides. The Town will open up with a game against Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds on Friday January 17th, a tie that will see manager Alan Mathews making a return to the Co Wicklow club he left somewhat acrimoniously in April of 2015.

Longford will play hosts to Ollie Horgan’s Finn Harps the following weekend with an unusual 4pm kick-off time on Saturday the 4th of February. Bohemians then visit the City Calling Stadium on Thursday 9th with an evening kick-off of 7.45 pm.

Finally, the Midlanders will travel to Dublin where they will meet St Patrick’s Athletic on Friday 17th February, the weekend before the 2017 League campaign begins. That match will be played at the home ground of Leinster Senior League side St Francis, just off the N7 at Junction 2, Baldonnel.

The club have also announced their first signings of 2017.  Gavin Boyne and Aidan Friel have arrived from Shelboure and Wexford Youths respectively, with Paul Skinner, David O’Sullivan, Don Cowan, Rhys Gorman and Kevin O’Connor all re-signing for the club.