- Longford have won four of their last five and come into the matchup on the back of a two-game winning streak.
- Athlone Town have lost two of their last three First Division 2026 fixtures.
- Longford have won three of their last three away matches.
Longford Town are the team to have the most momentum in the game
Athlone Town FC's form has dipped recently with two defeats and a draw from their last 3 First Division 2026 matches. They lost 2-1 at Treaty United, drew 0-0 at home with UCD and went down 3-2 away at Cork City.
It's been a good year for Longford Town and boss Gary Cronin has kept the team disciplined and hard to break down since taking over the hot-seat in December 2021. Longford are 4th in the table on 37 points from 26 matches, while Athlone Town FC are 9th on 28 points from the same amount of games.
In the league table Longford are only one place and one point ahead of Athlone but the visitors are clearly in the better nick and their performances of late indicate that they are the most likely winners on Friday.
Their recent First Division 2026 results are: 1-2 at home to Wexford, 0-1 away at Treaty United and 5-0 at home to Finn Harps. So they will be arriving in Athlone with enough punch to trouble the hosts, even though their First Division 2026 away record of 3 wins, 5 draws and 5 defeats is not overly impressive.
Athlone’s livewire, Peter Grogan, has scored three of their eight goals in the last five games
Longford are the slight favourites at 47/25, with Athlone Town FC 13/10 and the draw 49/20. It looks like a tough call on that basis, but Athlone have had the better of the recent derby matches, going undefeated in the last two (W1, D1).
So I'll take Longford to just edge it or take a point from this fixture, and there is enough in both teams to make a case for both sides to register in the 90 minutes. The market is leaning in that direction too with Both Teams To Score - Yes at 7/10 and Over 2.5 at 93/100, which looks about right for what should be a open derby.
Sean O'Connor's arrival at Athlone Town FC has led to a tighter set-up than when the club were playing a more adventurous 4-4-2 which saw two up top get on the ball early and wide men in behind the ball. Longford's 4-2-3-1 is the more structured of the two systems, with a double pivot shielding the back line and a number 10 to drive the counterattacks.
That contrast in styles should make the midfield battle the most important area on Friday, with Athlone's tempo and Longford's structure and control the key elements that could decide this one.
