years in existence before its election to the League of Ireland in 1984. In their first season in the league they finished last in the Premier Division and were one of the four sides to be relegated to the newly created First Division for the following season. In their second season they finished bottom of the First Division with only 7 points. Town finished in the bottom six of the ten-team First Division in each of the next eleven seasons. The appointment of the then 26-year-old rookie manager Stephen Kenny in the summer of 1998 proved the catalyst for a major upturn in the club's fortunes on the pitch. In the 1998/99 season, they missed out a place in the promotion/relegation play-off by just four points. The following season saw further improvement when the Town finished in second place and, as a result, won promotion to the Premier Division. This was secured on the final day of the season, 22 April 2000, with a 2–0 victory away to Cobh Ramblers. The starting XI was: Stephen O'Brien, Enda Kenny, Wes Byrne (captain), Paul McNally, Stephen Kelly, Paul Perth, Vinny Perth, Stephen Gavin, Shay Zellor, Keith O'Connor and Richie Parsons. Early goals from O'Connor (the 1999/2000 First Division top scorer) and Byrne proved the difference. Longford performed admirably in their first season back in the Premier Division finishing in mid-table. That season also saw the club reach the FAI Cup Final for the first time, where they lost 1–0 to Bohemians. As Bohs had also won the League title that season, De Town qualified to play in the UEFA Cup in July 2001. A meeting over two games with Bulgarian club side PFC Litex Lovech ended in a 3–1 aggregate victory for the Bulgarians. Things were less comfortable in the league during the 2001/02 season after that, as they ended up in the relegation/promotion play-off, where they played Finn Harps in a two-legged affair. Longford won in a penalty shootout after the tie ended 3–3 on aggregate. After the 2002/03 season, the club became an established top division side, led by manager Alan Mathews, with four successive top-six finishes. On 26 October 2003, the Town clinched their first title in senior football when winning the FAI Cup following a 2–0 victory over St. Patrick's Athletic at Lansdowne Road. The starting XI was: Stephen O'Brien, Alan Murphy, Barry Ferguson (captain), Brian McGovern, Seán