- Longford Town are 5th in the First Division 2026 with 49 points from 35 games, one point ahead of 7th-placed Athlone Town FC, who have 48 points.
- Longford Town have 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat (all competitions).
Backing the Town to win in a tough derby
Longford Town and Athlone Town FC are set to do battle on Friday in a First Division 2026 derby that should be full of vigour and with no lack of recent history to fuel it.
Longford have won 2 of the last 5 meetings between the two sides, with the other having ended in a 2-1 win for the Town in the most recent match in this fixture. The two teams are currently only one point apart in the First Division 2026 table and have both had mixed results in their recent outings.
Longford have drawn their last 2 games, a 3-3 thriller away at Wexford FC and a 1-1 draw away to UCD, while Athlone have also drawn 2 and won 2 of their previous 5, losing 2-1 to Treaty United at home. Longford are the more solid side, but Athlone have scored 1.00 goals per game and conceded 1.47 goals per game away from home, so the Town are prone to a few holes in their defence.
Gary Cronin has instilled a defensive structure
It will be interesting to see how the teams line up for this game, as Longford are a shape-first side that can set up in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 system that is compact and will try to clog the central lanes of the pitch. Athlone are much more possession-based and they like to swap the ball quickly, press the ball in the midfield and will have a go on the break.
The structure versus zip game can produce some intriguing clashes, and both teams will need to be careful not to overcommit or else the other will have a field day in the gaps. Longford have been solid at home, where they have lost only 6 of 17 games in the First Division 2026, so they should not take this for granted.
Backing Longford Town to nick the derby at 9/5, Over 2.5 Goals at 57/100 and Both Teams to Score - Yes at 12/25 looks good for Friday's match. Longford boss Gary Cronin has had plenty of time at the helm since December 2021 to instil a set way of playing and some defensive discipline in De Town, who have conceded only 17 goals in 17 home First Division 2026 games this season.
Athlone are vulnerable on the road
Longford's last 2 draws have been excellent performances, but they should have enough to edge this one at home and nick the game. Athlone have won only 4 of 17 away games in the First Division 2026, drawing 3 and losing 10.
