Finn Harps 2005 Season Review – Faoi mo súila

After having spent ages trying to finish this off I’ve finally done so. Having to transcribe every match report I had written down onto Microsoft Word it took a lot longer than it should have. I started this after the first game of last season – continued with it for a while but then stopped for a few months. Then got back into it then ceased once again. Repeat and rinse. All of the reports on it are all mine with the exception of one (I hope harpskid doesn’t mind too much) which is from the official site. Due to my total lack of inexperience on the journalist front (hopefully not for too much longer!) some of the reports aren’t great but they get better as they go along. I shall be adding in some stuff to the end such as stats and the like. I’ve also yet to proof-read it so there will probably be a few spelling errors here and there.
I know this isn’t of much interest to anyone but myself but I felt I should put it on Foot.ie in case my computer crashes or what not and it’ll be good (or in the case of how the season panned out probably not that good) to read back on it in future years. Ctrl + F for those of you who want to see what I wrote about your own club. I’ll be starting up a 2006 season blog as well very soon. Anyway here is my big, huge, enormous season review...



______________________________VS Cork City (H):
Finn Harps 0 - 2 Cork City
First match of the season for the Harps, a match, I suppose we didn’t expect to win, but I still went home disappointed. If the lads had given their all and even tried to get something out the match I’d have something positive about the team to reflect on. But we didn’t fight, we didn’t attack til the last 10 minutes, we didnt have any enthuasiasm or determination from the players, the boss didn’t try and turn the match around when he had plenty of time to. An anti-climax. What’s worse – in front of a huge crowd.
Cork were the better team, by far, but we allowed them to play their on the ground attacking style as our midfield was overpowered. Shaun McGowan, who only played once against First Division opponents last season was thrown into the deep end along with young Michael Funston, pitted against Cork’s George O Callaghan and Joe Gamble, two of the Eircom League’s best performers. The boss reckons hadn’t Antony Gorman been suspended we’d have been better off. Hard to believe though, as last season Antony wasn’t making much of an impression against far weaker opposition. Jonathon Minnock, an attacking left back was played in left midfield with Paddy (Rivaldo!) McGrenaghan on the a right although he’s lot better on the left with Minno behind him charghing up and down. Although one of the best players for Harps last season, Funston wasn’t up to the task against probably the second best team in the country, but with some more experience he has what it takes to be a great player for Harps in the Premier. McGowan, a star of the Under-21 side last season, was only fielded because suspension to Gorman and the sale of Tom Mohan. A step up the ladder a bit too soon for the promising youngster. Paddy often tried to break through the Cork defence but didn’t trouble them much. Minno, on the other wing, was defending most of the time alongside Ian Rossiter, who didn’t have a bad game, but Minnock shall most likely be the first choice left-back for the rest of the season. On the right Eloka Asokuh kept Kearney at bay throughout the match but was wrongly accused of fouling Kevin Doyle in the penalty area which resulted in a penalty. Up stepped John O’Flynn who scored to spark noisy celebrations from the Cork crowd. The defensive partnership of Bradley and Boyle proved a strong back line with their aeriel presence but lacked pace in which they needed against the pacy Cork forwards. However, the experienced Bradley made a dreadful error which led to Corks second goal. The Stranorlar man misjudged his jump and the ball fell to Doyle who tucked the ball past Cullen into the net.
Cullen was Harps best player on the night making a handful of world-class saves and no doubt enhancing his reputation. Last season the ever-present James Gallagher was brilliant in the league against First Division teams but in the Cups he made a couple of blunders against Premier Division opposition, but may now find his position under threat from Cullen, who barked orders at the Harps defence throughout the match and if it wasn’t for him Harps could have been dealt a far heavier scoreline than 2-0.
Up front Kevin McHugh and Chris Breen rarely tested the Cork goal through a lack of service but McHugh had two volleys which were struck straight at Michael Devine, the Cork City goalkeeper. The last few minutes Harps put some pressure on the Cork rearguard winning a few corners and Funston firing two long range efforts narrowly wide. So the Harps fans left Finn Park disappointed but it’s earley days yet and I still think we can fight our way out of the relegation battle with young talents such as Fintan Bonner, Ryan McGavigan, Browne yet to taste Premier Division opposition.

The journey to Finn Park to see us versus Shamrock Rovers was a less nervous one than that of the Cork match. I expected us to win after the great performance against Waterford the week before despite us losing. We were winning 1-0 ‘til the 78th minute before conceding a penalty which once again looked a bad decision.
A few minutes later Shane Bradley turned the ball into his own net. The score finished at 2-1 but a lot of positives could be taken out of the match. Like Fintan Bonner, who was probably the best player in the first half, making his debut and making an impression. Another positive, Micky Funston scoring a brilliant, breath-taking 30-yard shot fly under the bar. A contender for goal of the season no doubt. It looked like we were able to compete with the mid-table clubs as we at least deserved a draw.

Returning to the Rovers match I got to the ground some 25 minutes before the kick-off (Missed the first minute of the Cork game queing for tickets) and passed the time reading me programme which was good despite the lack of things to read. Five minutes before the kick-off there was still shockingly very few people in the ground, a bit less than 1000, but by the time the match had gone into full swing I think around 2500 would be a fair attendence figure. The Shamrock Rovers fans were in full voice, creating a magnificint battle between the two supporters to see who could outsing one another. The match was very boring in my opinion. Another tremendous battle, this time between Derek Philips, Rovers left-back, and Luca, Harps’ right-back, was great to watch. Luca outclassed him most of the time but Philips played well. Seamus Browne battled hard up front but his striking partner Ross Connelly seemed to lack fitness. Some of the passing on the night was very poor, Harps didn’t use the flanks much, as Harps used route one football with the big men up front.
With my bad(ish) eyesight (not much sleep lately) and the horrible Taxi bar I ate leaving its mark in my stomach I missed Paul Caffrey score for them in te 78th minute. We cursed as we thought third loss in succession as the loonies of the Rovers fans went mad as if they’d just won the World Cup. Rovers were now keeping the ball. As streams of Harps fans made their way to the exit we were awarded a free-kick. Minnock floated the ball high into the sky, Browne broke free past the defence and got the slightest of touches to head the ball past the keeper. We went wild! 90th minute equaliser! Three minutes added on but we failed to score again. Oh well, at least we got a point although if Healy hadda been aggresive enough to tell our team to stop all the crappy route-one and use the flanks we could have won. I’m angry at his laid back attitude but one things for sure not as angry as Roddy Collins would have been in the dressing room afterwards!

______________________________VS Derry (H):
Finn Harps 0–2 Derry City – Premier Division
This match was played on the 16th of April and was pretty much a drab affair.
The week before we lost to St.Pat’s Athletic, a team that were relegation battlers last season. 2-0 we lost by. Dunno much of what happened ‘cos there was no highlights of it on el Weekly. I remember reading that the Pats chairman told the loud Harps fans that he wished that his team had fans like that. Well done to the guys down at that match.

In the Derry game we held our own until Anthony Gorman was taken off injured. Derry scored a few minutes later (38). The lanky Clive Delany streamed his way into Harps territory and let off a shot which Cullen saving it with his foot but Farren was on hand to head it in. 7 minutes later a penalty was given to Derry after Ian Rossiter supposedly fouled Beckett in the area. I remember being quite angry with the ref for awarding the peno. I watched the highlights on el Weekly the Monday after, and Rossiter was more or less trotting back before Beckett, in my opinion, dived. Hard to judge though.
Alan Murphy slotted home the penalty. I remember thinking it was like men playing boys. The strength of the Derry defence and midfield as well as their height was too much for the young harps side.

Harps team: Cullen, Rossiter, Minnock, Boyle, Asokuh, Funston, McGrenaghan, McGowan, Gorman, Bradley, McHugh. Subs-Fintan Bonner for Gorman (37); Connolly for Bradley (57); Seydak for McGrenaghan (77).

The next match was against Bohiemians at Dalymount Park. Breeno returned to the forward line alongside Kevin McHugh. A few hundred Harps fans made the trip to the capital and saw one of their former stars, the skilful Fergal Harkin. A Minnock own goal was the difference. Thomas Bonner looked alright and had an opportunity to score after cutting back from the line and hitting a powerful shot that the keeper done well to save. McHugh was sent off for two yellow cards-the second after a bad sliding tackle on a Bohs player. This left him suspended for the Longford game. This was Bohs first league win of the campaign, Harps would be alot happier with a point off ‘em as bad form before kept Bohs near the bottom.
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Next up was Harps v Longford Town. The first home match i’ve missed this season(excluding friendlies) and the first since a good bit back to July/August last year. This was due to transport reasons and although I considered walking 13 miles it was a bit too chilly and dark to walk. Instead i was on the forum awaiting updates from the kind guys that post. Harps played with a 3-5-2 formation with Bradley, Boyle and Luca at the back, Minno and Rossiter playing as wing-backs, three in the middle were Gorman, Funston and Thomas Bonner. Ross Connelly and Seamus Browne was the unusual forward partnering. Connelly missed an open net by shooting over the bar with only 10 minutes gone. The crowd of 1100 was a big drop from previous attendence figures but plenty of noise came from the halfway line crew apparently. Plenty of shots came from both teams. Gorman drilled a hard shot low but the ‘keeper saved comfortably. Harps played poorly in the first 15 minutes of the second half but began to pick things up by winning corners and free-kicks. Keith Cowan came on for Harps and drew a save out of the Longford goalie who injured himself in the process. The ref getting hit by the ball and getting injured interuppted the flow of the game. The last 10 minutes saw a flurry of shots and crosses from Harps but to no avail. “We love you Finn Harps, we do!” sang the Harps crew from the shed as the teams walked off from the pitch. A point is better than nothing but Connelly could rue that miss at the end of the season.
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On the 6th of May we played Shelbourne at Tolka in what was the first time this season that manager Felix Healy could pick a team without injuries or suspensions getting in the way.
Kevin McHugh was the lone front-man as Healy opted for a 4-5-1 formation. Minno and Breen were on the flanks whilst the Letterkenny trio of Thomas Bonner, Anthony Gorman and Michael Funston operated in central midfield. Harps had to play in an all-orange kit which, to be quite brutally honest, was atrocious. Early into the first half Harps could have been leading, McHugh’s strike was finely saved by goalkeeper Steve Williams. Later on in the first-half Breen was one-on-one but his poor shot was dragged wide where he should have really done better. This contest was fairly even and any neutral at the ground would have difficulty spotting who was top and who was bottom.
Eight minutes before the break the first goal came. Dave Rogers, a centre back, streamed down the left-wing and the onrushing Jamie Harris met the ball and gave Cullen no chance. Goals later from Richie Baker and Jason Byrne gave Shels a 3-0 win. A score-line not reflecting the overall pattern of play. As Healy had said earlier Harps can be a decent team with their full-team out. Chris Breen was excellent in the match. During the match Harps caught Shels on the break and the ball came to Breeno who used his terrific pace to pass three defenders, he cut inside and played the ball to superKev who was unmarked on the right. Kev unleashed a shot which was only narrowly wide from a tight angle.
______________________________VS UCD (H):
Finn Harps 1 – 0 UCD
Before this match had begun we were given a pre-match boost learning that Shamrock Rovers had been deducted eight points by the FAI for breaching license regulations. Another grand goalkeeping display from Gavin Cullen and an early goal from Kevin McHugh were enough to help Harps to victory over UCD on a dry Saturday night.UCD had began attacking from the kick-off and nearly scored in the first minute. In the eighth minute McHugh capitalised on a bad back-pass from a UCD defender to slot the ball past their ‘keeper. Only the second time this season that we were in front. Harps had plenty of one-on-one chances throughout the half. Chris Breen was played through by an excellent pass from Luca and rounded the keeper but took a touch too firm and was driven wide a bit. His shot came but too weak as the UCD defence had got back on time. Breeno had another chance in the second half but the keeper done well to save.
Erm, cant remeber much more. Gary Crossan came on as a sub to receive applause after being out injured for a few months.. He was a bit rusty which you’d expect after being out for so long but helped the attacking none the less. UCD had spells of possession and it looked like that they would grab an equalizer but Harps held on and our first victory of the season arrived. “We Love you Finn Harps we do” the shed gang sang (including me for my first ever chant at Finn Park) as the teams came off. Things were not looking as bad. “We’re on our way now” was the delighted thought that we were back on track.
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Bah. The next match was against Louth outfit Drogheda, one of the big-spenders as they attempt to challenge for the title this season. I have only seen the highlights from TV3 but all reports say that had Healy played more of an attacking system we could have been a match for them. Although Healy may have a case as he stuck to the formation that had worked well against champions Shelbourne in the previous away game.
Harps had the first shot in Chris Breen. The local lad cut inside but his shot was no trouble to Drogs netminder Gary Rodgers. Drogheda had more possession throughout the first half and were troubling Harps mainly from the left wing. United’s left winger Shane Robonson was constantly troubling Ian Rossiter and on twenty minutes the former Shamrock Rovers winger neatly rounded Rossiter but hit his shot wide. Before that though Simon Webb was lucky not to give away a penalty when the ball rolled down his arm before he was able to clear it. Referee Anthony Buttimer failed to see it though. On twenty-five minutes Minnock was released down the wing by McHugh, the Harps winger drilled the ball in but Michael Funston was unable to get any power in his header and so the ball was gathered easily by the goalkeeper. Eleven minutes into the second half and Drogs had the lead. Declan O’Brien saw his header from a corner blocked on the goalline by Rossiter. Shane Bradley, in attempting to clear the ball, gave possession back to the home side and the ball found its way to Jermaine Sandvliet who’s half-volley struck the back of the net. Harps immedediately reverted to a 4-4-2 formation with Chris Breen going alongside McHugh in attack. Michael Funston had three efforts but none flew into the net as Harps had begun to dominate the game. The game finished 1-0 to Drogheda meaning Harps had lost all their away games in the first third of the season.

______________________________VS Bray (A):
Finn Harps 1-2 Bray Wanderers – Premier Division
Harps went into this match hopeful as Bray, who were promoted with Harps last season, had lost four games on the trot. Harps in the previous week had lost 1-0 to Drogheda but before that secured their first league win of the season, beating UCD by a goal to nil.

Harps fielded new signing Stephen Capper in the middle but just from looking at him you could tell he wasn’t going to be an over-night success with being over-weight and lacking match fitness. Anthony Gorman played alongside him. Paddy Rivaldo was on the left-flank while Mickey Funston was on the right. Declan Boyle with Luca was the central defensive partnership with Rossiter and Minno out in the full backs positions. Cullen in nets as always and Breen and McHugh up front. Bray brought about thirty maybe forty fans up and they conjured up a good racket.

Bray opened the scoring on 18 minutes when Gorman played the ball out to his left only to find that he’d passed to Robbie McGuinness who played the ball to Tarzan O’ Brien who fired past the uninterested Cullen.

On the 25th minute the Wanderers doubled their lead. Eamon Zayed crossed the ball out from the right to Philip Keogh who took advantage of the slack marking he received. Following shots from Breen, McHugh and Capper Harps couldn’t find the back of the net nearing the interval. Declan Boyle came off injured to be replaced by Shane Bradley just before half-time. Rita played well, as did Ross Connelly who came on offered some height. Throughout the first half Wes Charles was having one of his easiest halves ever, all of Harps play was route one and there was the tall Charles to win possession for Bray. McHugh nabbed one back for Harps but it was the last goal of the game. Five minutes were added on at the end after a small black dog ran around the pitch and not even Wesley Charles could catch him! And with that result Harps had finished the first third of the season with only five points having been collected.
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Before the second third of the season could commence Harps had to a League Cup game to play, against First Division team and North-west rivals Sligo Rovers. Prior to the game, news broke that Felix had transfer-listed two of Harps most longest-serving players – Paddy McGrenaghan and Jonathan Minnock. Both were left out of the squad for the Sligo match. Even considering Harps were playing away, many fans hoped that Harps could begin the second period of the season with some much needed confidence. Unfortunately that wasn’t to be the case as Sligo went through with a 1-0 victory following an Alvarez goal.

______________________________VS Cork (A):
On the sixth of June, a bank holiday Monday, Cork City entertained Harps in Turners Cross. Cork were dominating the Premier at the top, and a draw from this match would have been taken. 5,000 people attended the match which would be Kevin Doyle’s last appearence in Cork outfit before heading out to English Championship side Reading. Harps got off to the worst start as they were reduced to ten men after only ten minutes. A wayward pass from captain Declan Boyle came to City talisman George O’Callaghan, whose ball over the top was looking for Doyle. Shane Bradley however was with him, and with the two racing for the ball, Bradley nudged Doyle with his shoulder and the young Cork man went to ground, rather easily it has to be said. The referee showed Bradley the red card. Harsh it was since it could be argued that Bradley’s shoulder was a fair one, and the fact that there were Harps defenders back backs up the case. From the resulting free-kick George o’Callaghan forced a great save from Gavin Cullen to deny him. On the thirtieth minute City took the lead. O’Callaghan received the ball on the right and his squared pass found Doyle unmarked, after Luca Asokuh was drawn to O’Callaghan. The young Cork srtiker tapped the ball home for his and Cork’s first goal of the match. Doyle doubled his and Cork’s tally of the day to two, following his goal just before the interval. O’Callaghans corner found Doyle at the edge of the penalty area, but after his initial shot was charged down by defender Shaun McGowan, he turned and drove his shot into the back of the net. That was the last goal of the match, Harps played well in the second half but rarely threatened. Man of the Match for Harps by many was young Shaun “Wizzy” McGowan, playing at right-back, the son of former assistant boss of the same name. Ryan McGavigan made his starting debut that night, but that was his last appearence in a Harps shirt as the former Leicester youth failed to find any form. In the coming days it was revealed that Scottish winger Martin Lauchlan was training with Harps. However he could only be signed once the transfer window opened in July.

Five days later Harps played their third away game in a row against Kilkenny City, in the FAI Cup First round at Buckley Park. The Finnsiders dominated proceedings for most of the match but they couldn’t break the scoring. However six minutes from time, up popped Kevin McHugh to score to send Harps through. The following day Harps finally got a sponsor on their jersies following Blaney Groups win in the shirt sponsorship draw. Blaney Group would be on the away shirt while Milford Inn would be written on Harps’ home jersey. A few days later Ryan McGavigan ended his spell with the club, leaving by mutual consent, after only making one starting appearance and a substitute appearance. He later went on to try his luck with rivals Derry City, who at this stage of the season were challenging at the top of the Premier Division.

______________________________VS Waterford (H):
Harps 2 – 0 Waterford – Premier Division.
The 18th of June saw Harps entertaining Waterford United at home. The days leading up to the match brought plenty of discussion following Alan Stewart, a supporter from Donegal town, telling the local media he was organising a “protest” for the coming match against Waterford. He reckoned 95% percent of all Harps suppporters agreed that Felix Healy should be sacked. Stewart said after Healy would be given the boot Declan Boyle should take over managerial duties. On the Saturday night though no protest was to be seen! It is of my opinion that that particular “fan” had no right to brew such attention, and the fact that he wanted someone so inexperienced like Boyle to take over the vastly experienced Helay was just foolhardy. Harps won the match 2-0 after goals from McHugh and Luca Asokuh, and the pressure for the time being was forgotten. It was expected that the attendance would be a small one because of a Donegal GAA match and Rally Weekend. A crowd of around 900 – 1000 turned up though which wasn’t bad. Finn Harps struggled when the Southerners were in possession as Harps midfield were incapable of winning the ball back. However Harps were threatening in attack and casued Waterford a few problems. United got off to a steady start claiming possession and won a corner but thankfully for Harps nothing came off it. Harps picked things up however and took the lead after only 12 minutes. Stephen Capper, who used the ball well, keeping it on the ground throughout the match, was a creative force going forward and he was the provider for McHugh. On the right Capper played the ball through to McHugh one-on-one who struck the ball to the right of the keeper and into the net. A well-taken goal from the Killea man who looked to be Harps only saviour in the goalscoring front.

Both sides had spells of possession but it was Harps who made the most of their, getting their second before half-time. A short corner was taken and then the ball was sent across the goal and there was Luca to tap the ball home. A massive roar followed for the popular Nigerian, a deserving goal as he was outstanding, made some important tackles and was as composed as you like, dribbling past attackers in dangerous situations. Luca had been one of Harps best performers up to this match, along with McHugh and Gavin Cullen. A dire second-half followed but that didn’t discourage the singing Harps fans. Chris Breen had a chance after being one-on-one but his powerful shot was superbly saved by the Waterford keeper. Substitute Gary Crossan and McHugh both had chances but their efforts flew over the bar. Gavin Cullen made a nice save in the second half diving to save the ball from a free. Disgraceful behaviour marred the end of the game when Waterford player-manager was sent off after punching Chris Breen in the face. Reynolds, not a favourite among many clubs supporters, cleary couldn’t take the fact that Breen was causing him all sorts of bother so thuggishly hit out at him. After receiving his marching orders he slowly trotted to the dressing room but was confronted by Harps players, and a scuffle occurred in the cage. He received much deserved verbal abuse from harps supporters also. After being on the ground for half a minute Breen thundered after Reynolds but as far as I could see rat Reynolds was out of sight. A few days later the sc*mbag resigned, after Waterford were spiralling down the table.

______________________________VS Shamrock Rovers (A):
Friday the 24th of June Harps made the trip to Dublin to take on Shamrock Rovers, a big game but Harps were in full-confidence following two straight victories. But rather spectacularly Harps ran out 4-1 winners! Not even the most optimistic fan could have predicted that! At home receiving updates from the Finn Harps forum and RTE radio I couldn’t believe it – it seemed this could be the turning point of our season. Hearing that at half-time after the dublin branch of Harps supporters made a donation to Rovers of €250 to help Rovers overcome their examinership period, over one thousand Rovers fans belted out “We Love you Finn Harps we do”. A great moment no doubt for the group of Harps fans who travelled down to Dalymount. A few years previous Rovers made a donation to us, after we were on the brink of extinction. Anyway the donation made by Harps will no doubt increase the already harmonious link between the two sets of fans. The coming Monday brought eL Weekly and with it highlights of that superb match. Review:

Report: Shamrock Rovers 1 – 4 Finn Harps
After 3 minutes Kevin McHugh had his shot tipped over the crossbar by Hoops keeper Barry Murphy. Pat McCourt, one of the best players of the current campaign, was causing Harps problems – twice setting up Dave Mooney but his shots were off-target. On the 22nd minute Harps opened the scoring. After Breen had done nice work beating a defender his pass found McHugh, who found a yard of space before rifling past Murphy. A class goal from the Killea man who had about three defenders marking him. Less than a minute later a wonder-goal from McCourt gave Rovers the equaliser. A thundering goal from far out caught on the half-volley beat Cullen in the Harps net. McCourt had a nack of scoring great goals so far in the campaign and this was right up among them. The 29th brought a penalty claim after left-back Derek Phillips had ended Chris Breens progress in the area. However the referee let the game continue. Just before the interval long-serving midfielder Paddy McGrenaghan gave Harps the lead. Following a mis-directed header McGrenaghan deceived his marker by turning in from the left before unleashing a shot which with the help of a huge deflection from Jason Gavin, leaped over the keeper and into the net. After the break Rovers had a couple of chances but neither ended up in the net. Harps however increased their tally to three goals on the 56th minute. McHugh took advantage of an error by playing the ball through to Breen who prodded the ball home for his first goal of the season. Ten minutes later Shamrock Rovers were reduced to ten men when McCourt made a rash challenge on Michael Funston. Goal number four came after Chris Breen went on a run on the right before turning inside and squaring the ball to Stephen Capper, who took a touch before booting the ball past Murphy. After that a Derek Phillips free-kick was tipped over the bar by Cullen. Harps finished 4-1 winners, while Rovers fans remained in the ground with disbelief.
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According to the forum every player from Cullen right up to McHugh played superbly – great to hear. In particular though Luca, Mickey and Kev apparantly stood out. One downer though was that Gary Crossan was taken off injured. On eL Weekly the TIFOs were shown on their debut – and bajaysus – they looked awesome! St Patricks Athletic were next on the cards and with them hovering above Harps in the table this was an important match.

On the 28th the draw for the next round of the FAI Cup was made, with Harps being handed a very tough outing away to league-leaders Cork. The day after it was announced that James Gallagher, an ever-present in the 2004 First Division winning team, was to go on loan to Dublin City, who are playing their trade in the First Divion. The Gweedore keeper failed to clinch the number one spot this season following the superb form of Gavin Cullen. On the same day forward Ross Connelly announces he’s to take up a new job in Co. Wicklow, and as a result he will be leaving the club. The Buncrana man in his one season and a half with Harps failed to clinch a regular spot in the side, although being one of the stars of the 2004 under-21 team. Best of luck to both players, but hopefully Gallagher will rejoin Harps for the 2006 campaign. Martin Lauchlan was signed from Stenhousemuir. A winger who previously attracted a quarter of a million bid from Middlesbrough, it remained to be seen whether Lauchlan is still a quality player or one who has fallen.

______________________________VS St. Pat’s Athletic (H):
Finn Harps 0 - 2 St. Pat’s Athletic
Brutal. Diabolical. Sh*te. Shambolic. Pathetic. I could go on. The passing was a shambles, the marking was a shambles and the movement up front was a shambles. Amongst other observations it has to be said. A night where we could have moved up to eighth place in the table but we had might as well not turn up, the players certainly didn’t. St Pats played well. Strephen Quigley and Keith Fahey especially on the right flank. Minno for us was alright going forward but it came to defending he was sh*te. Luca wasn’t good compared to previous matches with some of his passing atrocious. Capper was playing it in the ground but was playing with a limp throughout the second half. Gorman was determined in the middle of the park but that couldn’t be said for a lot of the other Harps players. A lack of creativity and indeed any ideas whatsoever probably cost us the match – Pat’s were no great shakes. Gorman had one delightful cross in the match after a venture down the right. Funston played there for most of the match but isn’t well adapted to that role. Neither is Gorman but if only he was four or five years younger perhaps he could whip in crosses consistently. From the Derry People I learned later that Felix and Eddie Seydak had to cancel training the Thursday before the match, such was the dreadfulness of the session. In the first half I was based in the shed at the half-way line point. Indeed it was the first half that brought the most entertaining moment of the match. A camera-man, probably anticipating a good shot, turned round suddenly only to clatter into the linesman! Hilarious stuff! The game had to be paused for a while as he had to be taken off and replaced. Another strange thing on the night was St. Pat’s’ drumming equipment. Pots and pans. They’re a strange lot them Inishcore die-hards.

______________________________VS Derry City (A):
Up next for the Harps was our North-West rivals Derry City. Decided (well my Da wouldn’t go – I’d of gone if I could drive) against travelling up to the Brandywell because of the lacklusture display to Pat’s the previous week. Instead I was stuck listening to some woman who could probably talk for Ireland. I was desperate to know if Harps had overcome the one goal lead Derry had taken prior to the second-half. Another thing I was desperate to do was to tell that women to shut the f*ck up!!! Blabbering on and on and on to my uncle and mother. It was painful to flick on Aertel an hour after the match to learn that we’d lost 3-2. Unfortunately this game had a few controversial incidents off the pitch. Before the game kicked off Felix and Seydak went down to confront the referee as to what his interpretation of the new off-side rule which created some controvery among Harps fans when St Pat’s second goal came about. Match referee, Pat Whelan, wasn’t going to engage in any discussion however and sent Felix to the stands. After the match Healy was being brought by the Head of Security, but an altercation between two Derry fans apparently took place. Whether punches were thrown or a few verbal insults spouted, there was no way should Felix been transported past Derry City fans. On the field it was a compelling affair with Harps playing well and matching Derry. Felix Helay made two changes to his Harps side with Mark Scoltock and Martin Lauchlan making their debuts in the place of Micheal Funston (suspended) and Shaun McGowan. It was McHugh who got Harps on the scoreboard however, on two occassions – one a 25 yard screamer and the other a tap-in. Unfortunately for harps, City were a lot better in attacking that they were in defending. Goals from Ciaran Martyn, Mark Farren and Killian Brennan were enough to see off their rivals. A good performance from Harps it had to be said – considering the muckers were in good form and challenging Cork for the title.
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Report:
The second north west derby of the season was yet another great advertisement for the league as Derry City and Finn Harps played out an exciting match at the Brandywell.

After the atrocious display home to St. Pat’s the Saturday before, Felix Healy made two changes to the starting line-up. New signing Martin Lauchlan took the place of suspended Michael Funston to make his debut as did central defender Mark Scoltock who replaced Shaun McGowan. Eloka Asokuh moved over to the right-back spot vacated by Gowan while Scoltock took Luca’s place in central defence. Harps were once again without an out-and-out striker on the bench, Shane Bradley however could be used as a makeshift forward due to the central defender’s height. Up front for Derry was Mark Farren as a lone striker while on-form keeper Forde was looking to keep a clean sheet.

Gary Beckett and Sean Hargan went close early on but it was not until 20 minutes they could open the scoring. After the Finnsiders failed to clear a corner the ball was played out to the right before being crossed to the unmarked Ciaran Martyn whose shot was blocked by the kness of Gavin Cullen but the ball rebounded off Declan Boyle’s chest into his own net. Bad luck to Boyle as he conceded an o.g in the previous match also. It was only eight minutes before the Candystripes added a second. Gary Beckett played the ball through to Ciaran Martyn who nipped in between Boyle and Cullen to poke the ball goalwards but Mark Farren slotted home to give him his eighth goal of the campaign. Following good play by Harps, Martin Lauchlan received the ball and sent in a cross which came to Derry’s Kevin Deery but he was caught in possession by Kevin McHugh who made some space before hammering the ball past David Forde off the underside of the cross bar. Before the interval Harps nearly found the equaliser. Holding up the ball McHugh found Asokuh on the right, and his cross came to Chrissy Breen whose shot was well saved by Forde, much to the disappointment of Breen and Harps.

Derry got their third on 48 minutes. Ciaran Martyn made a surging run through the middle before the playing the ball to Brennan on the left. Brennan cut inside past Asokuh before his shot curled past Cullen into the left side of the net. Unlucky for Cullen as he slipped just as the winger shot. Minutes later Breen beat his marker following a long ball but Forde proved equal to Breens thundering shot to tip it over the bar. Before the hour Harps salvaged a goal back. McHugh connected to a Jonathan Minnock cross but his initial effort was blocked. On the rebound however he made no mistake, making the score 3-2. Much to the disappointment of the Harps faithful present, and indeed to those who didn’t make the trip, Harps couldn’t find the equaliser as Derry recorded their second win of the season over Harps.
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Eight days later Bohs were the visitors to Finn Park. This game proved to be Felix Healy’s final home game in charge of Harps before his dismissal. A win would would have put us five points clear of Rovers at this stage, however a fuppin’ awful performance from the lads denied us that. It was former fans favourite Fergal harkin who came back to haunt us – netting two goals and dominating midfield. Early on Bohs had a wonderful chance. Declan Boyle dwelled on the ball much too long in his own half before forward Tony Grant tackled him, he charged on and shot but Gavin Cullen saved with his feet to deny Bohs taking an early lead. McHugh cut out Harkin’s opener when he scored superbly on the volley, but less than a minute after the restart Luca gave away a penalty. Former Ireland striker Domenic Foley converted it. Harkin later made sure with a fine individual effort. Not that we were going on to look for an equaliser.

Sometime in the second half some random guy came over and started talking to me. It was so hard to even understand him I had to quit concentrating on the match! He himself wasn’t much interested in it, although to be fair to the fella the general play on the field was downright diabolical.

Over a hundred Gypsies were up to cheer on their team, and they left in good mood. They were gathered on the terraces of the Town End, just behind me. During the match they were very loud in their singing, which was very funny. They must have been up all night putting this chant together “We’re from Dublin and we’re better than you”. The b*stards. “You’re going down with the Rovers” and “Go on home Shamrock Rovers go on home, have yaw got no feckin home of you’re own, go on home, homeless sc*m” were also sung regulary on the day, which btw was nice and sunny. “Roddy Collins – football genius!” was one remark which was blurted out for some reason, sarcastically of course. Another thing which I was fairly amused about was one particular fan had his trousers covered in paint! You’d think he’d dress for the occassion! Gavin Cullen was receiving a lot of insults over his weight, but he responded with another sound display in the Harps goal. As a whole the Bohs support were sound, although John Patton had some strong discussions with a few of them, over drinking alcohol I think. There wasn’t much noise coming out of the shed, in what was probably the quietiest shed I’ve ever heard. However the FBTN gang started a bit of banter, singing “Go home to your caravans” to which the Dubs replied with “We’re from dublin and we’re better than you”. FBTN instantly replied with “We’d rather be a Paki than a Dub” which the Dubs had no answer to...
Post-match, despite the fun I had listening to them wacky Gypsies, I was in depressful mood, actually pondering whether or not we deserved to be in the Premier. We really needed a tall man up front as Breen and superKev were far too small to even challenge defenders. Cullen in nets pumps the ball upfield but half the time it never reaches a Harps player. Ross Connelly was tall enough but the thing with him he never scored in a Harps shirt, while Rita isn’t a striker whatsoever.

Report:
Harps came into this match knowing that a win would put them five points clear of Shamrock Rovers, who occupied last place on the table. Bohemians could leapfrog Longford into fifth place if they came away with the three points. The week before Bohs lost out to Cork City but before that they were on a great run of form and they looked to restart that run in Ballybofey.
The Gypsies had a great chance in the opening five minutes after Tony Grant dispossessed Declan Boyle but his shot was saved tremendously by Gavin Cullen. On the seventh minute Bohs had taken the lead through Fergal Harkin excellent individual effort. Tony Grant, who was knocked to the ground by Asokuh, managed to find Harkin midway inside the Harps half. The former Harps favourite ran unchallenged to the edge of the box before drilling his shot past the challenge of Ian Rossiter and Cullen into the right hand corner of the net.
Ten minutes later Kevin McHugh equalised. Martin Lauchlan fed the ball to McHugh just outside the penalty area, his initial shot was blocked but on the half-volley his shot sailed over Gregg and into the net to give McHugh his seventh goal of the season. Throughout the rest of the half both side had spells of possession but the score remained equal coming into half-time.
Less than a minute after the restart Bohs had a penalty. A long ball upfield was headed onwards by Dominic Foley to which Asokuh needlessy impeded the weak Tony Grant inside the area. Foley drilled the ball home to give Bohs the lead once again. On the 77th minute Bohs wrapped things up. Harkin received the ball on the right and cut inside past Mark Scoltock and Boyle before rifling the ball past Cullen. The Harps fans left Finn Park a disgruntled bunch yet again.

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July the 23rd we faced Longford in the Flansiro. Gavin Cullen was out of the starting line-up for the first time this season due to injury. The big Buncrana man was replaced by young Michael Boyle – who was also the Donegal GAA keeper. Declan Boyle was also injured so Rita returned to the starting line-up as centre-half. In the 77th minute Gary Cronin won the game for Longford after being teed up by Paul Keegan. Rita had a late header which went close but to cigar. Before the match it was revealed that Shane Bradley or Rita was placed on the transfer list. Rita was in magnificent form in the 2004 campaign, however in the current campaign he was finding things much more difficult and was for much part of the season placed on the bench. In the Longford game though, he started as centre-half alongside Mark Scoltock.
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Two days later Harps released a statement which confirmed that they had parted company with Felix Healy by “mutual consent”. They thanked him for his success with the club last year and wished him luck in his future career. Felix had only won three matches out of games this season. It was a bit of a shock to me – I was on board the “Healy in” brigade despite the sh*te position we were in the league. On the 27th it was confirmed that Anthony Gorman was to take on a caretaker role at the club. I deeply angered by this appointment feeling we needed someone more experienced, and another reason would be I wasn’t convinced of his playing credentials in the eircom league. However as time passed I began to fully support Anthony, as he was less complacent than Felix and some good results and performances were achieved. On his first day in the job he took charge for the game against Institute. Harps won by two goals to one. Eddie Seydak agreed to continue as assistant manager of the club.

Some good news arrived at the club on the 28th when Ian Rossiter left Harps to re-join Sligo on a loan deal. Rossiter played 25 times for Harps scoring one goal which was a nicely struck goal against Bray last season. This season he was brutal, he lacked ability as well as passion. He was a bit on the tubby side too. Too many times the Harps faithful watched as “Hoof” trotted back to his defensive duties after an error. Wizzy or Luca were way better full-back than him, both technically and mentally.

The match against Shelbourne which was originally scheduled for Saturday the 30th of July was to be postponed due to Shelbourne’s involvement in the Champions League qualifying stages.

During the week Felix Healy revealed to the local media of the “incompetence of the powers-that-be at the Donegal club, insisting some of those in positions of authority shouldn’t be allowed into Finn Park, let alone onto the board”. The general consensus around Finn Park was that Felix should let bygones be bygones.

On the second of August Harps took on Glenavon in a friendly in which former Wimbledon striker Andy Clarke and centre half Henry McStay took to the field in Harps colours. Clarke failed to impress unlike McStay who was pursued by Harps from then on. The match finished 2-2 with Bradley and Capper scoring for Harps.
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The fifth of August saw Gorman take charge of Harps for the first time in a competitive fixture when they travelled to Belfield to play UCD in the league. As a non travelling away fan (yet) I relied on RTE Radio who are reliable and actually good in their coverage of eircom league matches. The result was a one-all draw, a bit disappointing since we were good enough to match them this season last. Stephen Capper put Harps in front but UCD’s Martin equalised from the penalty spot. All other teams around the bottom drawed also so we didn’t lose further ground between them.

On August the eighth the FAI confirmned that the FAI Cup tie between Cork and Harps which was originally scheduled to take place on 26th August is to take place on Monday the 29th. The game was postponed due to Cork’s involvement in the UEFA Cup. Harps made requests to both Cork City and the FAI to play the match on Sunday but both were rejected.

______________________________VS Drogheda United (A) – Report:
Finn Harps 0 – 0 Drogheda United
Drogheda United made their way to Finn Park on the 13th in what was yet another crucial match for Harps. The starting eleven was unchanged from the one that held UCD to a one-all draw the previous week. Cullen in nets - Minno, Rita, Boyle and Luca was the defence line while Capper, Lauchlan, Gorman and Funston were in midfield. Paddy was just in front of the midfield and behind forward McHugh. Drogheda were one of the big spenders of the league, and had a few well-capable players in their team such as Simon Webb, Mark Leech, Fabio O’Brien and Keith Fahey. There was thirty or fourty of their fans up, who were gathered in the right hand side of the shed. I was standing just in front of the drummer, who along with four or five others (including one girl – who was very noisy!) started a lot of the usual chants, and despite the lack of numbers, made a fair bit of racket. Joined in with some of the chants myself. In the first half we were cautious, being fairly defensive but we were well organised – something which we weren’t under the stewardship of Felix. I thought we were unlucky when a penalty was not given following Martin Lauchlan being fouled in the box. First period was dreary but the second things were livening up. Gorman had a shot dragged wide, as did a long-range Mickey Funston effort. Midway through the half after a corner the ball fell to Luca, but his thunderous shot was over. Breen was nearly played through but a bad first touch let him down. Lauchlan had a wonderful chance when one on one, but went far too wide and the chance went abegging. Lauchlan had another brilliant opportunity to nab the winner in the dieing minutes when he connected with a Minno cross but he somehow managed to put the ball skywards out and over the ball.
0-0 was the result and a point is better than nothing but wins need to start coming... Best for Harps were Gorman, McHugh and Cullen, notable performers for Drogheda were O’Brien and the excellent defender Simon Webb. At the interval a wee incident occured between Harps security chief John Patton and a fan. Apparently the fan hit out at Patton after Patton caught the guy drinking alcohol. Numerous stewards and police men were around the town-end where it happened. He was subsequently forced to leave.

Report:
Anthony Gorman took charge for the first home game as manager of Finn Harps when they entertained European chasers Drogheda United. The first chance of the match fell to Stephen Capper on 25 minutes but his curling effort was too weak to trouble United’s keeper Dan Connor. Later on a Jermaine Sandlivet cross was met by the head of Declan “Fabio” O’Brien but Gavin Cullen parried it. Mark leech reacted quick enough to get the ball but his effort was blocked by Cullen’s chest. Another Mark Leech effort was superbly saved by Cullen, diving full-stretch to keep out Leech’s header. Harps had several chances in the second half including long range efforts from Letterkenny duo Gorman and Funston, but neither were on target. When Chris Breen was introduced Harps were another dimension – the young Stranorlar man causing Drogheda’s back line no end of problems with his pace and trickery on the left-wing. However a great chance was wasted by Breen after being played through by McHugh, as his first touch left a lot to be desired and Drogheda were able to clear. Dan Connor in the away side’s goal had his blushes spared, when he threw the ball straight to Nigerian Eloka Asokuh whose great cross was met by McHugh but his header was straight at Connor. Minutes later the Co. Louth outfit nearly took the lead when Bernard connected to a cross from a corner but his header came crashing off the post. Martin Lauchlan had an opportunity to open the scoring but when on one-on-one he took the ball too far wide and the chance was gone. Approaching the end Breen was played through on a counter-attack and was just about to pull the trigger when an excellent tackle from Simon Webb denied him. Two minutes from time Harps should have claimed the winner. Following a surging run down the left Jonathan Minnock drilled the ball across goal and it was met by the stretched foot of Lauchlan but the ball went skywards. A good performance from both sides but Harps really could of done with a win.
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Ausust the 19th saw Harps travel down to Wicklow to play Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds. Unfortunately we failed to continue our recent good run of form as Bray ran out 2-1 winners. Andrei Georgescu scored a wonder goal to give Bray a one-goal advantage coming into half-time. Zayed doubled their tally on 67 minutes and late on Harps mustered a consolation through Stephen Capper. Yet again another defeat to Bray whom we were superior to the previous campaign.

Eight days later it was revealed that Anthony Gorman first sigining would be Lifford native Conor Gethins who had spent four seasons at Scottish Division One outfit Ross County. The small forward / winger had also been out on loan to Sterling Albion. He was also part of the Republic of Ireland’s underage teams. However he is not eligible to play against Cork in the FAI Cup.

Monday the 29th of August Harps were the visitors at Turners Cross to take on league-leaders Cork City in the FAI Carlsberg Cup Third Round. Gavin Cullen won all the plaudits following a spectacular goalkeeping display which ensured that a replay would take place the following Saturday.

______________________________VS Cork City (H):
That Saturday the big crowd present witnessed one of the most thrilling matches ever to be played at Finn Park. Much to the anguish of the supporters Cork grabbed a late winner in extra-time through Roy O’Donovan. However the performance of Harps was tremendous and they certainly put it up to Cork. Arrived at Finn Park early enough and saw Felix Healy chatting to a few guys on the way in. At kick-off time there was less than a thousand at the ground but before half-time 2,500 were in attendance. The Rebels had a 50 strong travelling support along and as always were in full voice. After a dreadful mistake by Shane Bradley Liam Kearney opened the scoring on 13 minutes. The ball was crossed in from the left and what should have been a simple clearance by Bradley he let the ball run past him and Liam Kearney was on hand to thump the ball home. Following this Anthony was giving Rita a right boll*xing – screaming his head off, “F*cking rediculous”. Harps played out the rest of the half in a fairly cautious approach but they did put Cork under some pressure. I was in pain at the interval through cramp in my feet, probably due to the cold weather.

Harps had the best possible re-start. Breeno replaced the uneffectful Martin Lauchlan and straight away he charged down the left-wing and forced a Cork defedner to concede a corner. Gorman swept in the corner and after no defender could clear it the ball came to Luca who tucked the ball home. We went mad!. From then on harps were piling on the pressure, Stephen Capper was excellent alongside Mickey Funston in midfield. On 73 minutes Breeno punished Devine’s error to place the ball into an empty net. If we went mad at the first goal then God knows how you could describe us when Breeno scored! Less than minutes later Cork equalised when John O’Flynn scored after Cullen’s mistake. Into extra-time Minno had his free-kick crashing off the bar. Roy O’Donovan scored the winning goal despite being offside as Cork, undeservedly fought back to win. I left Finn Park a depressed fella that night, the display was excellent and I firmly believed that we deserved to win. However we could now concentrate on the League where we desperately need to start picking up wins and if we produce similar performances like this then survival will be accomplished (hopefully!).

Report:
Following Finn Harps’ great 0-0 draw against Cork City at Turner’s Cross the previous Monday, the league leaders had to make the long journey north to Ballybofey for the Carlsberg Cup 3rd Round Replay, which proved to be the most compelling game at Finn Park this season. Harps, who had to postpone their league fixture against Cork for another day, took on this match without the pressure of it being a league match. However an appealing chance of playing First Division Sligo Rovers at home was on offer.

Cork were in control for much of the first half and as early as the 13th minute took the lead. Dan Murray played the ball long to John O’Flynn on the left who crossed tamely from the by-line, Shane Bradley should have cut out the cross but somehow the ball went through his legs and on the far post was Liam Kearney who slotted the ball home past Gavin Cullen. The rest of the half was played in low tempo with Harps seeming settled with only being a goal-down at half-time. Right after the re-start Harps started attacking. Chris Breen who had just came on as a sub, pressurised a Cork defender into conceding a corner. Gorman floated the ball in and after George O’Callaghan failed to head it clear, Eloka Asokuh seized the opportunity and headed the ball past Devine in the Cork net. John O’Flynn had a brilliant chance to give Cork the lead again but after rounding Harps ‘keeper Gavin Cullen he could only find the side-netting. On the 73rd minute Harps took the lead. Following a long-ball forward Chris Breen punished the on-rushing Michael Devine by slotting the ball into the empty net. On the 82nd minute Cork found the equaliser after Gavin Cullen was caught out of position following Neale Fenn’s corner which O’Flynn hooked the ball to the top-left corner. Harsh luck on Harps who had been the better team of the second half.
Extra-time was required as the score remained equal after 90 minutes. On 112 minutes Jonathan Minnock was unlucky to see his free-kick crash off hte cross-bar. Stehen Capper had a few chances during the match and had another which Devine was in fast enough to gather. The game looked as if it was heading for penalties but with just two minutes to go Cork got the winner. After a Liam Kearney dive Cork were awarded a free-kick. After Denis Behan’s shot was charged down the ball reached Danny Murphy on the right, his cross found an unmarked Roy O’Donovan on the left and he headed past Cullen in what was the winning goal. Although being offside the goal stood and Cork held on to send them through to the next round.

A spirited performance from the Donegal club who will be disappointed but now they can focus fully from being relegated from the Premier Division. Next up for Harps are second-from-bottom Waterford in what is a must-win clash for both sides. Harps should be able to win comfortably if they repeat this performance.

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During the week before the Waterford game it was confirmed that Harps’ match against rivals Derry on October 8th was now taking place the day before due to the Irish international match against Cyprus on Saturday the 8th.

______________________________ VS Waterford United (A):
Listening to RTE Radio was on the agenda once more as Harps took on Waterford in the RSC. 2-2 was the outcome and was of little use to either team, however being 2-1 down with only three minutes remaining Harps settled for the point.

Report:
Waterford United 2 – 2 Finn Harps
The battle of the bottom of the bottom two produced four goals but was of little use to either team in the end.
Harps made one change from the side that performed brilliantly against Cork the previous Saturday, Martin Lauchlan being dropped in place of Chris Breen who moved up to the forward line. Finn Harps hadn’t won in 7 games (despite recent good displays) while Waterford hadn’t won in four-and-a-half months but were still second bottom.

Waterford had the first chance when Stephen Grant sent new signing Rodney Jack away but his shot was dragged wide after the on-rushing Gavin Cullen seemingly done just about enough to put him off. Chris Breen had a good chance shortly afterwards – his shot being blocked by Blues keeper Packie Holden. Near the end of the first half Breen had another chance to open the scoring when Michael Funston’s smart pass found Breen who feigned a defender before his shot was struck to the chest of Holden. Rodney Jack opened the scoring before the half-time whistle was blown. The ball was played through and due to a lack of communication Shane Bradley left Cullen to come out for the ball, Jack showed his pace to nip in and his lob found the back of the net.
On 52 minutes player-boss Anthony Gorman equalised for the Finnsiders with a spectacular 35-yard screamer. A poor clearance found Gorman and his sailing long-range effort was deflected into the net. Waterford almost replied with a goal instantly afterwards when John Lester’s flick-on was met by Jack’s body but the ball went wide of the target. Shane Bradley always imposes a threat at corners and after Gorman swung the ball in Bradley’s header was just wide. On 63 minutes on-loan Shelbourne defender Kevin Doherty gave United the lead when he bundled the ball into the net following a scramble in the six-yard box. Breen wasted a chance when one-on-one but Holden prevented the young Stranorlar man from levelling matters. 20 minutes from time McHugh hit the bar

Three minutes from time Harps got the equaliser. Kevin McHugh was sent down down the left and his cross cannoned off Waterford defender Sean Finn and into the net. In the closing minutes Breen had a long-range shot tipped wide by the excellent. New Finn Harps signing Conor Gethins came on and nearly marked his debut with the winning goal but his curling effort hit the wrong end of the post. Harps were no doubt the better team in the second-half and should have won but an excellent display from Blues ‘keeper Packie Holden and some chances which weren’t capitalised on prevented them from bringing the three points back to Navenny Street. Harps still have two games in hand albeit against title-chasers Cork and Shelbourne but it’s as-you-were at the bottom half of the table with Harps three points adrift of Waterford.

______________________________VS Shamrock Rovers (H):
Next up for Harps were Shamrock Rovers who were enjoying a good run of form, losing only once out of seven. Harps hadn’t won in the league since their 4-1 conquering of Rovers at Dalymount in June. Following Waterford’s 5-0 defeat to Shelbourne the previous night, Harps had the opportunity to move off the bottom overtaking the Munster men. I was watching on the terraces of the town-end, just behind my maths teacher, so during the match I had to control the volume of my swearing! Crowd was big – I’d say around 2,000. Between 60–100 Rovers fans were up and they were in the Gantry-end at the start of the match. As usual they were loud – bellowing out the “Build me up Buttercup” song which became one of my favourites after I heard it sung by Rovers in the first match of the season at Finn Park between the two sides. Other chants included “Come on Rovers, come on Rovers, come on Rovers....” and “The Rovers”. The noise they were making was quite unbelievable as they had no shed to echo the noise.
In the first 30 minutes of the half Harps lacked belief and it was Rovers who were attacking but they failed to take advantage. Harps had one chance before they took the lead on 37 minutes, Stehen Capper firing over. The goal was scored by SuperKev from the penalty spot after Breen was brought down. McHugh sent the keeper the wrong way and this was the turning point of the match. Harps’ singing crew found their voices after this and didn’t stop until the match finished. Meanwhile at the town-End it was once again quiet, with only me and some guy with a blue coat shouting. Rovers fans had walked around the river-end to get to the shed, where they had a fine battle against harps as to who was the loudest. McHugh went close with a free-kick before the break, as did Rovers - a Kenny free-kick almost putting Quigley through on goal.

Within a minute of the re-start a long through from Minno was headed powerfully into the net by Rita after rising unchallenged. Bradley got his second and Harps third when he connected to Gorman’s corner, and his header went in off the post. The game finished three nil but we should have won at least 6-0 as we had chances galore wasted. Breen wasn’t at the races (but still gave Rovers rear-guard trouble with his pace) that night – missing at least two clear cut chances, one of them he swerved the ball skywards, t’other he met a cross with his foot when it would’ve been easier to score with his head. I’m not critisicising young Breen but pointing out that his finishing was a bit rusty. Funston had his usual long-range efforts but neither troubled the goalie. Gethins made his full-debut and it was certainly impressive, starting at left-wing he troubling Rovers all night with his pace and ability to find space. However he was guilty of missing a few chances, one he hit tamely with his right foot from close range but was easily collected by ‘keeper Barry Murphy. He also had free-kick kept out by Murphy. Cathal O’Connor had only been on the pitch ten minutes when he was sent off following a late tackle, and walked off as chants of “cheerio” were voiced. Funston was substituted as he substained an injury. Luca had a fine game at right-back it has to be said, he was as usual a class act and made some important tackles. McHugh got his ninth goal of the season after his penalty but failed to add to that tally, but was good in his guile and quick feet. Rita was cautious in the first half but didn’t make any errors and by the fact he notched a brace one of the best players on the park. Hopefully this match would be the turning point in his season. Rovers had an effort come off the bar after a free-kick late on and were glad to hear the referee blow the full-time whiste. An excellent second half performance from harps, full of back flicks and the like and the amount of chances that were created was phenomenal.

On the way home as we drove through the main street we saw a group of Rovers fans walking along so on the radio we put on “Build me up buttercup” at full-blast!! (Cruel, maybe, but funny!) The win meant we leapfrogged Waterford albeit on goal difference. If we won our two games on hand we would also be one point clear of Rovers. That majestic 3-0 victory was the second win over them this campaign, the other that night in Dalymount where 4-1 was the brilliant result. We had also got a last minute equaliser against them earlier in the season, where Seamus Browne popped up to head past Payne in the rovers goal. As Mr A said in the following match’s programme – they must hate the sight of us at this stage!!!
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Report:
The opening half an hour didn’t produce much in the way of goal mouth action with Rovers having more possession yet couldn’t carve out any clear cut chances. Anthony Gorman’s long-range effort proved no difficulty for Barry Murphy in the Rovers goal. Seven minutes before the half-time interval Harps were awarded a penalty after Chris Breen was taken down by Gavin McDonnell. McDonnell had no complaints as he watched Kevin McHugh convert the resulting spot-kick. A few minutes later McHugh almost got on the scoresheet again after his effort went narrowly wide following a well-worked free-kick between him and Gorman.

Harps doubled their advantage straight after the re-start when defender Shane Bradley rose highest to Jonathan Minnock’s long throw to power a header past Murphy. After this, Harps dominated the game and Conor Gethins almost marked his first full start in a Harps jersey when his free-kick was saved by Murphy. On 67 minutes an Anthony Gorman corner was connected by Bradley and his header flashed past the static Murphy and into the net. Murphy charged out of his goal to block Stephen Capper’s effort after he was played through by McHugh. On the 75th minute substitute Cathal O’Connor’s involvement in the game came to an end when he was dismissed for a high challenge on Minnock. Inside the last ten minutes of the game Conor Gethins almost made the scoring to four. Eloka Asokuh’s throw was cleverly back-heeled by Breen into the path of Capper who made ground on the right before squaring the ball to Gethins, but his attempt went high over the bar. In the closing minutes Willo McDonagh hit the bar for Rovers who searched for a consolation goal. No more goals were to follow however, as Harps clinched their second victory over Rovers this season.
__________________________________

Harps had confirmed that work was taking place on the Press Box side of the ground, to try and install a new terrace there before the big derby match versus Derry...

__________________________________VS Shelbourne
On Friday the 23rd Shelbourne were the visitors to Finn Park and they came, saw and conquered – running out 3-0 winners. Gary O’Neill and Jason Byrne were troubling the Harps rearguard no-end throughout the match and indeed after only three minutes O’Neill had a strike which went just wide after his initial effort was saved by Cullen. Before the interval O’Neill had broken the deadlock. A superb pass by Joseph Ndo was collected by Bobby Ryan on the right. After beating Jonathan Minnock he crossed the ball for O’Neill who made no mistake. Another cross from Ryan found the head of Jason Byrne. His thundering header found the back of the net to send the large travelling support into celebration mode. In the closing minutes Glen Crowe was felled in the penalty box after an ill-judged tackle by Michael Funston. Dave Rodgers converted as the crowd left in their droves. Shelbourne completely dominated the match as their star studded midfield were in charge of proceedings, with Wes Houlihan, Bobby Ryan and in particular Joseph Ndo stamping their authority on the game. Michael Funston was Harps’ main man in midfield with his constant running and determination giving Harps some slight hope in the match but the clinical passing and skill of the Shelbourne players made sure the points were coming back to Tolka Park. Funston, minutes before Shels notched their second, blasted a tremendous shot towards goal but Dean Delaney pulled off a good save to tip it over. Stephen Capper also had a scoring opportunity but his shot went narrowly wide. Poor performance from Harps but an excellent one from Shels.

Seven days later a boring 0-0 draw took place as Harps failed to overcome struggling St Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park. Early on Martin Lauchlan had his shot sent over the bar but it was Pat’s who should have opened the scoring after Shane Bradley’s weak headed back pass towards Gavin Cullen was intercepted in mid air by Glen Laursen but his header was easily caught by Cullen. Kevin McHugh had a long range screamer tipped over the bar while Shane Bradley missed a sitter from only a few yards out. Both sides had to settle for a share of the spoils as neither side broke the deadlock. A disappointing result against a team in the bottom half and further more disappointing as both Rovers and Waterford won their respective games.

______________________________VS Derry City (H) – Report:
Finn Harps 0 – 1 Derry City
A late Killian Brennan strike was enough for Derry to see off their rivals in this action packed North-West derby. Stephen Kenny’s troops arrived at Finn Park with an impressive twenty-two game unbeaten run while Harps were in struggling form at the bottom half of the table. Before a huge crowd of around 3500, Harps fielded a cautious 4-4-1-1 formation. Kevin McHugh started as a lone striker in front of the five man midfield, with Paddy McGrenaghan operating just behind him. Lauchlan and Capper were on the flanks as player-boss Anthony Gorman was alongside the energetic Michael Funston in the centre of midfield. Following Jonathan Minnock’s abscence through suspension Eloka Asokuh started in the unfamiliar position of left-back while Sean McGowan made a return to the teamsheet, slotting in at right-back. The experienced pair of Shane Bradley and Declan Boyle were once again the central defenders. Derry left big-name signing Pat McCourt on the bench but they were not short of attack-minded players with Killian Brennan, Mark Farren, Ciaran Martryn and Liam Beckett all starting.

Derry had a huge crowd of around 1,500 to cheer them on and they congegrated in the newly completed terraccing at the Gantry end. Harps had a larger than usual singing crew and they sang non-stop throughout the ninety minutes. Despite the size of the attendance only a dozen or so stewards were present – not near enough what there should have been at a game like this.

Derry almost opened the scoring within five minutes when Mark Farren broke clear but his effort was wide of the mark, much to the home crowd’s relief. On the twentieth minute Mark Farren went down in the box after Gavin Cullen clumsily fouled him. Up stepped City captain Peter Hutton to take the penalty but much to the relief of the Harps supporters his strike was saved by Cullen.

The “Candystripes” then had Barry Molloy sent off, having received his second yellow card after a foul on Michael Funston. A rather harsh decision it has to be said but Harps should now have taken the initiative of going on the offensive.

Just a minute after Molloy received his marching orders, Derry were awarded their second penalty of the night. Declan Boyle was wrongly adjudged of fouling Farren but much to the disbelief of the Derry City supporters, and indeed, the Harps supporters, Peter Hutton once again failed to take advantage of the spot kick, sending this one wide. Harps fans were to be forgiven for thinking this was to be their night but due to the negative approach they later paid the price.

Chris Breen was introduced, as was Conor Gethins, but neither made much of an impact. Stephen Kenny took a risk in bringing on Pat McCourt for a defensive player but it showed he wanted the three points. Derry should have been awarded a penalty when Boyle took down Martyn but the referee waved played on. Stephen O’Flynn replaced Farren on 80 minutes and on 88 minutes his cross was sent across the box. The charging Killian Brennan saw his shot fly past Cullen from close range which sparked off wild celebrations from the Derry supporters as well as a pitch invasion.

In the closing seconds Shane Bradley and Chris Breen were inches away from Michael Funston’s drive into the box. Moments later the referee, who quite frankly, had an atrocious night, blew the full-time whistle as Harps were condemned to yet another defeat to their neighbours. Harps can’t be faulted in feeling hard-done by as the players matched their counterparts in grit, determination and commitment during the ninety minutes. Derry march on as the treble dream is starting to look like it could come reality while Harps are still pursuing their quest of remaining in the hallowed Premier Division. However if they repeat this performance in their remaining seven matches then a return to the First Division is highly unlikely.
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Losing any match against Derry is always hard to take but this was something else. A determined Harps side, Derry squandering two penalties and one man sent off it looked to be our night. Unfortunately Stephen O’Flynn hadn’t received a copy of the script as he came off the bench to supply the cross for the onrushing Killian Brennan who smashed the ball into the back of the net. Despite that, the singers (including me for the first time) in the shed increased the urgency and level of noise in the chanting. Unfortunately it wasn’t to have an effect as Harps failed to equalise. A few random things regarding the match:
* The singing in the Shed was phenomenal. The hills of Donegal was bellowed for a rare time as well. First time I was an active singer throughout the ninety minutes and enjoyed it no end. “You can stick yer f*cking treble up yer hole” sounded class after Derry looked to be faltering...
* The Derry lads on the Gantry side moved over to the closed River-End at half-time. As a result the second half had be delayed a few minutes. Derry supporters refused to budge however and the match resumed. This sparked numerous rows on the inter-web with Derry arguing that the 1,500 or so of them couldn’t all see the match as the terraccing wasn’t high enough...
* Paul Hegarty was an awful w*nker throughout the match – egging on the harps supporters
* The ref was sh*te. His first penalty decision was a right one – Cullen bundled over Farren (rather needlessy). Second one he got completely wrong. Boyle and Farren were chasing for the loose ball, Boyle used his strength (slightly brushing Farren) and Farren rather blatantly dived. Cue me swearing without taking a breath for about 30 seconds at the referee. The guy standing beside me was a bit taken aback at my anger!! Later on a penalty should have been awarded again when Boyle took down Martyn – but much to our relief the referee didn’t give it.
* Mickey Funston was tremendous in the Harps midfield with his commitment and work rate. Wizzy done well at right-back as did Luca on the left. Boyler and Rita played well in defence as a partnership, yet their lack of pace was often capitalised by the speedy Farren.

______________________________VS Bohemians (A) – Report:
Bohemians were next on the list for Harps. Following the promising performance against Derry, Harps had hope that they could take at least a point back to Ballybofey. Unfortunately the Gypsies were way too strong for the poor harps side, with player-boss Gareth Farrelly, Aidan O’Keefe and Stephen Ward condemning Harps to a 3-1 defeat. McHugh scored Harps only goal. On 22 minutes Farrelly capitalised on Paddy McGrenaghan’s mistake and curled his shot past Cullen to give Bohs the lead. O’Keefe doubled their lead when his effort came in off the post. At half-time Gorman opted for a 4-3-3 formation bringing on attackers Conor Gethins and Chris Breen to partner Kevin McHugh up front. On 62 minutes McHugh gave Harps some hope when he scored after good work by Gethins but Bohemians made sure of the win when Ward capitalised on some sloppy defending from Asokuh. Match official Alan Kelly banished Mark O’Brien to the dressing room after collecting two bookable offences but it mattered little as 3-1 remained the scoreline at full-time.

______________________________VS Cork City (H) - Report:
Tuesday the 18th Cork City were in town. In that thrilling match Harps bowed out of the cup after a late Roy O’Donovan goal in extra-time saw Cork, eventual finalists, commence to the next round. Cork’s winner from that game came after a dodgy referee decision and the outcome of this game also depended on a referee error.

On 65 minutes Kevin McHugh was bundled over in the penalty box yet match official Pat Wheelan waved play on, much to the disapproval of Harps players and fans alike. One minute later, to yet more anger from Harps, Wheelan awarded Cork a free to the left of the penalty box. O’Brien squared the ball to captain Dan Murray who punished Harps’ static defence.

Coming into the match Harps knew that they needed at least a point as Waterford had opened up the gap to five points. Cork needed a win to see them overtake Derry and return to first place in the table.

City got off to the best possible start when Alan Bennett headed in from a Liam Kearney corner. After this Harps got into the game more but Liam Kearney was troublesome on the counter-attack, but Harps right-back Shaun McGowan done a good job in restricting the young Cork winger’s crosses and runs to a minimum. Michael Funston had a couple of long-range efforts – his first swerved well wide but his spectacular second went narrowly wide.

At half-time Harps replaced Martin Lauchlan with Chris Breen and, like in the previous home match against Cork, the young Stranorlar man livened things up, but it was McHugh who leveled the scoring on 53 minutes. After being put one-on-one McHugh cooly slotted the ball past Michael Devine into the net.

Cork got the winner through Murray on 67 minutes and they ran out the rest the match without much pressure from Harps. Final Score: Harps 1-2 Cork.
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Referee was an absolute **** – it was a stone cold penalty. McHugh was hauled down in a tackle that was more recognisable in Rugby... I simple despise Martin Lauchlan after what he done (or what he didn’t do) when Bennett powered in his header for the first goal. Lauchlan was stood at the far post where the header was aimed at. He put his right leg out round behind his arse and tried to prevent it by that, when all he hadda do was use his left f(_)cking leg to clear the ball.
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Finn Harps were fined €100 for the improper conduct of their players (five players carded) v Derry City (07.10.05). Finn Harps were fined €1,000 for the improper behaviour of their supporters v Derry City (07.10.05). The Disciplinary Commission recommended that the club increase stewarding numbers at future matches.
Mickey Funston (Finn Harps) suspended for ONE (1) competitive match and fined €40 as a result of reaching eight ( penalty points.

Considering the fact Bohemians were fined when their fans invaded the pitch at Bray it was bloody scandalous that the muckers didn’t even get a slap on the wrist, instead we were fined a grand for basically nothing – a few bottle throwing incidents (apparantly) from both sides...

______________________________VS Longford Town (H) – Report:
Finn Harps 5 – 0 Longford Town
With Waterford drawing at home to St Patrick’s Athletic the night before, Harps knew a win against mid-table Longford would bring the gap between themselves and Waterford to three points. With another good home performance on Tuesday night against Cork, most of the Finn Park faithful thought a valuable win could be on the cards. Not even one, however, could have foretell what the final score-line was to be – an amazing 5-0 victory.

Harps fielded an all-Donegal side with no room for either Luca Asokuh or Stephen Capper who had to contend with a spot on the bench. Both sides began scrappily with goal chances non-existant, Harps began to dominate, having numerous attacks and corners as Longford couldn't handle Breen and Gethins pace from the wings or when they occassionly cut in through the middle. Michael Funston was also causing the Town defence problems with his charging runs and passing from the midfield.

The young Bonagee man was involved in Harps’ first goal. Beating a defender on the left wing, he paused on the by-line before producing an excellent cross for the unmarked Chris Breen. Breen headed the ball into the path of Kevin McHugh and the Killea man made no mistake in hammering the ball past O’Brien on the half-volley.

On 32 minutes Conor Gethins doubled the lead for his first goal of the season. Good interplay between Funston and McGowan on the right led to the ball being sent across to Breen whose excellent through ball split the Longford defence and found Gethins who cooly curled the ball past O’Brien and into the net. Seven minutes later Chris Breen capitalised on O’Brien’s failure to grasp the ball, and Breen’s shot went in off the post to make the scoring an incredible 3-0 to the Ballybofey men.

Two minutes later McHugh notched his first goal of the night and Harps’ fourth. Funston’s through ball was retrieved on the by-line by Breen, a Longford defender tried to clear his cross but McHugh charged it down and evetually scrambled it home. Terrible defending from the visitors as Breen wasn’t picked up and McHugh should not have had the chance to score. That was McHugh’s 100th league goal – all for Harps – and what makes it more astonishing is that he is only 25. Harps walked off at half-time to rapturous applause from the Finn Park faithful.

It wasn’t suprising that the second half failed to produce the same amount of goals or action as the first. Harps sat back for most of the second half, allowing Lonford a few chances in the process. Big-man Paul Keegan was brought on at half time as they aimed to somehow get back in the game. Hitting the bar, having a few near misses and a shot tipped superbly over the bar by Cullen, Lonford were the better team in the second half. But it was Harps who were to score. On the break substitute Stephen Capper played the ball through to Breen who raced clear and put the ball through O'Brien’s legs to make it 5-0. Breen had another one-on-one before that but his weakly struck effort was straight to O'Briens chest. Funston had a cross come shot shortly afterwards but it went high over the Longford bar. Gethins and McHugh came off to standing ovations after fine performances. Chris Breen was man-of-the-match though – his excellent display saw him notch his second and third goals of the season as well as increasing his reputation as one of the most talented players in the eircom League. Funston, McGowan and Boyle were also notable performers, especially Funston who was the driving force from the midfield. It could be argued that Longford were extremely poor but the pace, precision and power of Finn Harps have to be credited.

Next up for the Finnsiders is an away fixture with Shelbourne. After this thrashing of Longford, Gorman and his troops can come to Tolka in confidence and perhaps come away with a draw. With only a few matches remaining Harps have set out a warning that they are definitely not willing to go down without a fight.

On a night where a win was neccessary, Harps stomped up the goods in spectacular fashion, bagging five against a Longford side famed for their organisation and solid defence. Only 800 turned up on the chilly Saturday night – and they certainly got their money’s worth. First time ever in a league match Harps fielded eleven Donegal men. Luca was on the bench again – apparently he asked to be dropped as he was knackered... McGowan is doing a more than adequate job in his position though. McHugh, talking to TV3’s Eircom League Weekly preogramme said that the lads were fired up after the defeat to Cork. He also said that harps would have thrashed any team in the league that night – that’s how fired up they were. Also on the show Alan Matthews, the Longford manager, publicly criticised his players – perhaps a tad unprofessionally...

______________________________VS Shelbourne (A)
Friday October 28th was a disaster of a day for Harps’ struggle to avoid relegation – St Pat’s and Waterford, strugglers at the bottom of the table, beat the league’s top two clubs Cork and Derry. Totally unexpectable as Cork and Derry were both on good runs of form. Harps, expectedly, lost out to third-placed Shelbourne by a goal to nil. These results left Harps trailing Shamrock Rovers by five points with only three games left. Since I missed the highlights on TV3 here is the match report, courtesy of www.finnharps.com.

Halloween came three days early for Finn Harps as Friday night saw a horror show unfold for the Ballybofey based club. A fourth minute goal by Jason Byrne saw Anthony Gorman’s side lose out to the reigning champions but it was Friday night’s other results that have all but assured Harps’ fate.

Waterford United and St Patrick’s Athletic – Harps’ main rivals at the basement - travelled to take on Derry City and Cork City, the league’s top two sides. Both remarkably came away from the Brandywell and Turner’s Cross with all three points to leave Harps trailing Shamrock Rovers by five points with just three matches left to play.

Following the 5-0 hammering dished out to Longford Town in their previous outing, Harps arrived at the Drumcondra venue in confident form.

With the backing of the big away support, shouting extremely vocally from the confines of Tolka Park’s Main Stand, Harps possessed a 12th man. Indeed it was felt by the majority in the away crowd that it’d be needed against a Shelbourne outfit with players such as Ndo, Byrne and Hoolahan among the starting eleven.

Following the endeavour in vain to make the much maligned 4-5-1 formation successful, the more customary 4-4-2 was in operation against Longford and led to the 5-0 victory over the midlanders. A similar tactic was again deployed by Gorman who sought to ‘go for it’ rather than sit tight and settle for a draw.

Having commenced against Longford Town with eleven Donegal men in the starting lineup, only one change was made. That being the return to the starting eleven for Stephen Capper who replaced Conor Gethins. The Lifford man’s absence was enforced as he missed out with a thigh injury.

Within a minute however Shelbourne set out their stall as Jason Byrne rattled Gavin Cullen’s crossbar. Three minutes later Byrne grabbed the lead goal for the home side. Anthony Gorman was adjudged to have fouled Hoolahan. The Shels wide man got up quickly to lay it off for Byrne who blasted home past the stationary Harps defence. With Byrne causing the Harps backline no end of trouble it seemed as if it would be only a matter of time before the score was doubled.

Gary O Neill’s cross was headed narrowly wide and moments later Declan Boyle had to be alert with a timely interception to stop the big striker from getting in on goal.

At the other end, Chris Breen and Kevin Mc Hugh were having to feed off scraps and as a result the chances for Harps were at a minimum. The service to the front two was lacking and indeed this would be a major factor in the failure to take anything from the contest.

The second half began in a brighter manner for Harps and eventually Dean Delaney was called into the action. Kevin Mc Hugh’s low shot was tipped round the post for a corner and moments later a similar effort from Mc Hugh was tipped round the post by Delaney. This time however a goalkick was the strange outcome as it was decided by the match officials that Delaney had not got a touch on the shot.

Michael Funston was next to try his luck but he too was thwarted. Harps were however beginning to come into the game more and on their rare excursions forward possessed a threat. Unfortunately for them, their endeavours were in vain and a way past the Shels defence couldn’t be found.

Gavin Cullen was once again in the form that will surely see him contest the Harps player of the year awards at the end of the season. The big Buncrana man had to be at his brilliant best to deny Ndo and Byrne in quick succession. Glenn Crowe also saw a header beaten away by Cullen while Owen Heary’s effort was well tipped over by the Harps number 1.

With the reality setting in that they were one down with just minutes remaining, Harps again went on the offensive. Jonathan Minnock’s long throw was contested by Harps centre backs Bradley and Boyle. The danger was cleared only as far as Michael Funston. The Bonagee man’s volley whizzed past Delaney’s post via a deflection off a Shelbourne defender.

For the resulting corner, Gavin Cullen joined the attack and he almost connected but alas the danger was once again cleared and Harps were condemned to defeat again. With Friday’s other results going against them it’s beginning to look ominous for Harps. While manager, Anthony Gorman refuses to give up the fight, it appears that many have already accepted the fate and are prepared for First Division football again in 2006.

With only three league games left for the Finnsiders, the climax of the season is almost upon us and next up is a home tie with UCD this coming Saturday night. This is yet another ‘must win’ game for Harps. Kick off on Saturday night is 7.45.

Shelbourne: Dean Delaney, Owen Heary, Dave Rogers, Ollie Cahill, Curtis Fleming, Bobby Ryan, Joseph Ndo, Gary O Neill (Glen Crowe), Jim Crawford, Jason Byrne, Wes Hoolahan

Finn Harps: Gavin Cullen, Shaun Mc Gowan, Jonathan Minnock, Declan Boyle, Shane Bradley, Michael Funston, Stephen Capper (Gary Crossan), Paddy Mc Grenaghan, Chris Breen, Kevin Mc Hugh.

VS UCD (H) – Report:


Finn Harps 1 - 2 UCD
McHugh 3 McDonnell 10
Martin 86

A must win match for Finn Harps, but a late UCD penalty ensured that Harps weren’t getting the three points and the loss almost ensures the Finnsiders exit from the Premier Division.

A very small crowd - around 700 – turned up on this cold Saturday night awaiting to see if Harps could overcome the Students and keep their survival hopes alive, but after this dire performance Harps failed to convince anyone and now that they are five points behind Shamrock Rovers at the bottom – who also have a game in hand, with only two matches remaining Harps are all but down.

Coming into the match, Harps were without influential midfielder Michael Funston who was suspended. What was strange on the line up though, was that captain Declan Boyle was absent and the inclusion of Darragh McGee. McGee, an under-21 performer, started at right-back, while Eloka Asokuh took Boyle’s usual position of central defence alongside Shane Bradley. Replacing Funston was young Shaun “Wizzy” McGowan, who in previous matches started at right-back. He partnered player-manager Anthony Gorman in the centre of midfield. On the right flank was Stephen Capper while Paddy McGrenaghan continued on the left. Up front Kevin McHugh was alongside young Stranorlar man Chris Breen. Between the sticks as usual was Gavin Cullen. Conor Gethins returned to the squad after missing the Shelbourne game through a thigh injury.

The home side got off to a dream start. From the left Paddy McGranaghan made an inch perfect cross into Kevin McHugh - who the UCD rearguard left unmarked – and he contolled the ball with his chest before he volleyed the ball home in the top left corner in spectacular fashion, extremely similar to his first goal against Longford a fortnight before. Before the match began, McHugh received an award for scoring his 100th league goal in the previous home match against Longford Town from former Harps legends Con McLoughlin and Brendan Bradley, who themselves are part of the 100 League goals elite.

The supporters joy, however, was short-lived as UCD equalized just seven minutes later. Instead of going for a second, Harps laid back as UCD piled on the pressure, and on the tenth minute the students got their reward when Tony McDonnell scored from a header from close range after Gavin Cullen made a costly error. From then on chances in the first half were few and far between. Wizzy McGowan had a great chance when the ball bounced up in front of him but his hesitant shot was easily caught by Quigley in the UCD goal. After this Chris Breen got booked for no obvious reason. When the ball was floated in, his marker seemed to be apprehending him but referee David McKeon saw otherwise and awarded UCD a free-out and showed Breen a yellow card. That wasn’t the only mistake McKeon made, he denied Breen a stone-cold penalty in the second half and on countless occasions didn’t let Harps have the advantage.

In the second period Harps came out with a little more determination but to no end result. UCD meanwhile, had no shortage of scoring opportunities, but due to some slack finishing they couldn’t make the most of it. Had they, they would have won by a more convincing margin. Harps had a few chances themselves – a Conor Gethins free kick which was straight to the keeper and his shot late on which went just wide. Capper had a goal disallowed after Breen was adjudged to have fouled a UCD player. The UCD keeper made a superb save earlier in the half, diving to his right after a fiercely struck shot. Breen was again ignored after he was fouled in the box, the referee only yards away yet let the play go on, much to the anger of the Harps crowd. On 84 minutes UCD won a penalty. It was a few minutes before Robbie Martin could take the spot-kick though, as Cullen argued with the referee before he showed some gamesmanship. His efforts were to no avail though as Martin converted the penalty, Cullen went the right way but the ball found the net, handing UCD the win as well as ensuring they can’t be relegated automatically.

Overall UCD deserved the win, Harps had too many players non-performing. All of Harps play was through route one from the defence – looking to release Breen with his pace but the UCD defenders had no trouble whatsoever in averting the danger. What Harps mostly missed was someone that could turn the game on its head – that man was Michael Funston. It was evident he was sorely missed, as the midfield of Gorman and McGowan, despite their defensive capabilities, don’t have the ability to keep play flowing or the confidence to be an attacking force as a partnership. Lacking a tall man upfront Harps usually put Bradley in attack for the last quarter of an hour but due to no other central defender on the pitch or bench he had to remain at the back.

Best performers for Harps were Minnock and Breen, with McHugh, Bradley and debutant McGee having good matches also. Minnock was a force as always on the left wing, causing problems with his pace and interplay with McGrenaghan. Breen, when he was on the right, caused their rearguard trouble with shimmys, and other tricks, as well as his outstanding pace. Darragh McGee who made his debut, looked alright and could become a bright prospect for the future. McHugh, apart from his sweetly strucken goal, didn’t have many more opportunities, as he was closely marked by the UCD defence, who switched to a 5-4-1 in the second half.

Harps are still five points behind Rovers, who can put Harps down with a win from any of their last 3 games. Next up for Rovers is Cork, who should beat them but in the eircom League anything can happen. Harps take on Drogheda at United Park on Friday night and it’ll more than likely be Harps’ last away trip in the Premier Division for at least another season.

A ****-poor performance from Harps and a ****-poor performance from the referee David McKeown.

The route one approach didn’t help us in the slightest. UCD’s giant defenders had great ease in winning the aerial duels against McHugh and Breen. Midfield was a mess without Funston – Capper was atrocious yet again and neither Wizzy or Gorman spearhead any attacks. Minno had a good game at left-back, spurred on by FBTN, fighting for every ball, making space for himself and Paddy down the left wing. Unfortunately there was not enough fighters on the team. The defeat more or less leaves us relegated.

Now to the utter ballbag of a referee! Denied Chrissy a stone wall penalty, booked him for no reason, never let Harps have any advantage... After the game a few lads challenged him on the disallowed goal – his reply – "I refereed in Europe, I don't make mistakes". Total f*cktard. International standard my arse.
______________________________
On the seventh Peter Toner stepped down as chairman, citing that the board’s reluctance on making a decision on the appointment of a new manager led to his resignation. He said that it was unproffessional of the board to defer the decision any longer so wanted a decision at the meeting they were at, yet they failed to do so. Vice Chairman Sean Quinn takes over temporarily.

______________________________VS Drogheda United (A):
October 11th confirmed our relegation after losing 2-0 to Drogheda United away at United Park. Needing Waterford to do us a favour in beating Rovers, we knew that we were still in a chance of it going to the last match. Despite Pat Dolan and his men doing their duty in beating Rovers, Harps faltered to yet another away defeat and it’ll be our last away defeat in the Premier Division for at least another season.

Gavin Whealan opened the scoring after only 12 minutes dampening the spirits of the large Harps support at the ground. Mark Scoltock’s dismissal after half an hour didn’t help either. Harps had numerous chances before the break but Drogheda held on. After the interval Drogheda were in control and Sami Ristila’s goal 14 minutes from time confirmed that we were returning to the doldrums of the First Division.

VS Bray Wanderers (H) – Report:

Finn Harps 2 – 4 Bray Wanderers
(Gethins 41) (Tresson 13, 46) (Byrne 31) (Fox 56)
(Funston 57)

Finn Harps and Bray Wanderers entered the last game of the season with very little to play for. This cold Saturday night brought a six goal fest but despite the score-line most of the match was drab. Since Harps' fate was decided the previous week when they lost to Drogheda, condemning them to the First Division, and the fact that the title was being fought over in Turners Cross, only a couple of hundred turned up.

Harps fielded a young side with Eamon Seydak, Fintan Bonner, Darragh McGee and Gary Crossan in the starting eleven. Brays much muscular players put on pressure for much of the match but the young Harps side didn't shame themselves as they didn't play at all that bad, scoring two great goals and having their fair share of the possession. Bray opened the scoring on 13 minutes when Colm Tresson poked the ball into the net following a David Tyrell corner. On 31 minutes Bray doubled their lead from a Wayne Byrne penalty. Fox charged down Gavin Cullen's attempted clearence, and after the ball went out of ball Cullen knocked Fox to the ground. Referee Hugo Whorisky booked Cullen and controversially awarded a penalty. Byrne sent Cullen the wrong way and Harps' small band of loyal supporters sensed that their hugely disappointing season would end in yet another defeat. However, the Harps kept on attacking and nearly grabbed a goal back but the Bray keeper was equal to Conor Gethins' shot, when one-on-one. Before half-time Gethins notched his second goal of the campaign after some good work down the right wing.

Tresson got his second goal of the match right after the interval had commenced, and then Fox made it certain that Bray would run out winners with his goal on 56 minutes. Mickey Funston replied instantly however, charging through the middle before unleashing a swerving shot from twenty yards out. Harps to their credit seeked some more goals and exerted piles of pressure on the Bray rear-guard. A free-kick from a promising position was wasted by Gethins while Paddy McGrenaghan had his shot superbly tipped over the bar. On the right, persistance paid off for Gethins as he stole the ball off a Bray defender but his shot lacked power to really trouble Hannigan. Chris Breen was introduced and was a lively threat with his pace and guile, coming close on a few occassions but to no result. The game eventually finished and the final score was 4-2 to Wanderers. On the night the most notable performers for Harps were Wizzy McGowan, Shane Bradley and Conor Gethins. Next season Harps head back to the doldrums of the First Division while Bray will continue their trade in the hallowed Premier Division.

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Last game of our brief but miserable return to the Premier Division brought plenty of goals, but was of no commisseration to the few harps fans pesent as we ended our stint with another defeat. In what was the last appearance in a Harps shirt for legends Paddy McGrenaghan and Kevin McHugh, as well as for youngsters Darragh McGee, Eamon Seydak & Stephen Capper, Harps gave a summary of the season gone by with some dreadful defending, class attacking football and a penalty being conceded.

Highlights of match: Mickey Funston’s excellent 20-yard screamer. The singing crew’s relentless singing throughout the match. The players applauding the fans and vice-versa after the final whistle. The new flag on the River End which said “There’s only 1 Kevin McHugh”.
Bad points: The small atendance. Our sh*tty defending at set-pieces. Gavin Cullen recklessy knocking Fox to the ground. The linesman flagging for a penalty when the incident occured after the ball went out of play.
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So, our Premiership adventure came to a disappointing end...

Ratings.

(The Regulars) :

Gavin Cullen – Over the season the big Buncrana man kept the scoreline much smaller than it should have been with numerous top class displays in goals. After James Gallagher was ruled out of the first match of the season due to injury Cullen replaced him for that match and ever since never looked like losing his place. Lots of excellent games (Cork away in the FAI Cup, first home UCD game spring to mind) but in a few games he gave away penalties needlessy (Derry, Bray). Despite that he well deserves an 8

Jonathan Minnock – Under Felix, I, as well as a few others, got the distinct impression that Minno was performing badly purely because Felix was in charge. Felix had transfer listed him in the middle of the season (a bit harshly imo) and despite being taken off it he continued to perform bad. Well not bad, but not to the usual standard he performed week in-week out in previous seasons. After Felix left Minno improved quite a bit, his attacking ventures were superb – beating his man and putting in a cross. Played superbly versus UCD in the second last home game of the season but apart from that his displays haven’t really matched those of last year and before. A 6.5.

Eloka Asokuh – Like Cullen gave away a few penalties – versus Cork (which was no way a penalty, unfortunately more sh*tty refereeing) and versus Bohs (unneccessary). Had a few nightmare games like against Shelbourne but had a few spectacular games (like against Waterford, home FAI Cup Cork match) where he was extremely skilful using his flair to full effect. I remember against UCD and Waterford he made a right fool out of the opposing strikers by dribbling past them without even breaking a sweat. Sometimes he wasn’t really comfortable playing in central defence as his lack of pace was sometimes exposed as well as his relative lack of height for someone to play in that position. Gets a 7.

Shaun McGowan – Only played one full game last season in the First Division yet broke into the team in a more challenging Premier Division. Extremely determined, as he’s a supporter as well as a player. Played well in all the games he played at right back and is definitely one of our stars for the future. Played as a midfielder in the last two home games and despite his lack of confidence or initiative when attacking, he is capable of playing in a hoding role due to his commitment on the pitch. Promising future ahead – 7.5

Shane Bradley – After a great season in 2004 the Stranorlar man really struggled in the Premier. Was at fault for numerous goals in the firsy half of the season and was subsequently dropped. Played a blinder against Rovers but apart from that only had one or two decent displays. Really expected a lot more. Despite his performances he was determined in his play and cannot be put in the same category as someone like Ian Rossiter. A disappointing 4.5

Declan Boyle – Was transfer-listed the previous season by Felix and came into this one in good shape. Never really had any matches where he was excellent and he never really had any matches where he was terrible. The captain gets a respectable 7 in his last season for the club.

Paddy McGrenaghan – Had a bad season in 2004 and more or less same again for 2005. Good displays against Derry, UCD, Bray and Kilkenny, terrible or lacklustre displays against the rest. I give him a 5.5

Stephen Capper - In his debut against Bray Wanderes at the end of the first third of the season it was quite obvious he was over-weight and slow. Throughout the season his lack of technical ability was a bit of an embarrasement but despite this he kept the ball on the ground – something which was painful rare for Harps. Played superb versus Cork in Ballybofey in the cup match and with Breen was our second top scorer with three goals which were against Rovers, UCD and Bray, each of them away from home. Bad season, shouldn’t have been bought – 5.

Martin Lauchlan – Like Capper, the Scottish winger turned out to be rubbish. After his ****tish attempt at clearing the ball in the mid-week Cork game, I just never rated him again. Had less good games than Capper so a 4.5. Oh and btw, I don’t think the guy ever made a cross...

Conor Gethins – Probably had one of the best home debuts seen in Finn Park. In that match against Rovers, despite missing two sitters, the small Lifford lad terrorised their defence with his pace and positional play. Played well in the 5-0 demolition of Longford and was doing ok against Bray notching a goal too. His versatility is a huge asset; he was on the left wing against Rovers, was switching between left, right and the “hole” position against Longford and against Bray he operated as a right-winger in the first half and in the second moved more central. Impressive and has a lot more to offer. Gets a 7.5

Anthony Gorman – The Letterkenny midfielder certainly didn’t repeat his abysmal 2004 campaign. Had a few ‘mares like the home Bohemians game, but was usually decent. Took over as gaffer mid-way through the season and added more stability and organisation to the team. Was chief set-piece taker with his good corners and quick free-kicks. Gets a 7.

Michael Funston – Felix opted to play Mickey on the right but it was Gorman who switched him back to the middle and relinquished his form. His work-rate and determination is nothing short of phenomenal. His two goals of the campaign were both crackers and shamefully not even nominated for Goal of the Season (although to be fair the Bray game wasn’t recorded). A well deserved 8.5

Kevin McHugh – The Killea man once again endeared himself to the Finn Park faithful and also enhanced his reputation with 13 goals in the league. The striker’s goalscoring abilty was fantastic and without him it’s hard to know where our goals would have came from. His guile and creativity should not be forgotten either. His passing and through balls often found their target. Scored some great goals – his screamer against Derry, his goals against Longford and UCD which were similar and his superb volley against Bohs. Unfortunately his departure for Derry won’t enable me to praise or admire his skill until a few seasons at least. Came third in the league goalscoring charts and comes first in this ratings list with a 9.

Chris Breen – In 2004 he made one of the best ever debut seasons scoring eight goals and creating numerous assists, as well as scaring the life outta the defences! This year he didn’t equal that tally but certainly posed defences problems. The local lad had tonnes of chances this season (probably an average of three in every match) but unfortunately his finishing often left a lot to be deserved. His lack of scoring doesn’t mean he had a bad campaign – his pace and trickery often leaving full-backs in his wake – but the fact that if he had have scored at least half the chances he had, then we probably would have won a lot more matches. In my opinion he can be better as a winger with his speed and skill and maybe with the proper coaching he could become one of the best in this league. Gets a 7.5

Now onto the fringe members of the squad:

Mark Scoltock – Was impressed with his aerial abilty and strength but due to his lack of pace he struggled when attackers approached.
Fintan Bonner – Didn’t see much of him apart from the last game of the season and even then he didn’t really stand out due to the fact he was marked by a giant defender.
Thomas Bonner – Disappeared during the season. Not much to report about him apart from he doesn’t really do anything spectacular.
Seamus Browne – Nabbed the equaliser against Rovers. Was released (I presume so anyways) a few weeks after.
Ross Connelly – The big Buncrana striker was unlucky in the First Division scoring-wise and the same again for this season. Left due to work commitments in Wicklow.
Gary Crossan – His injury from pre-season hampered him big-time. He came on as a sub a few times afterwards and was doing ok on the rigtht-wing. Unfortunately he didn’t really get a chance after his succession of sub appearances, aside from the thrashing of Rovers and the Bray game. Hope he gets a lot more games next season.
Ian Rossiter – “Hoof” had a few decent performances in the 2004 title winning season and showed a wee bit of commitment as well. This time around he was brutal and displayed no determination whatsoever. Left for Sligo mid-way through. Good ridance to bad rubbish.
Darragh McGee – Was purchased from Letterkenny Rovers in the summer but didn’t get into the first team until the final home games. He done well in his two only appearances.

The Gaffers:
Felix Healy – Came to lead us into the promised land but did feck all to try and keep us there. A non-existant pre-season and no players (of decent quality) arriving we were atrocious in the first half of the season. I was disappointed with his departure due to the fact I thought no one else was good enough to replace him. His wee tantrums in the papers were nothing short of childish. Brilliant in his first season – could have done a lot better in his second and last...

Anthony Gorman – Steadied the ship somewhat and rather smartly reduced the width of the pitch as our wingers were playing sh*t. Brought Lifford native Conor Gethins back to Donegal from Scotland and he proved to be a good signing. In the derby Gorman made an error (or perhaps it was Eddie Seydak’s fault) in not re-shaping the formation when Derry were a man down and had we been a bit more adventurous then maybe the outcome would have been different. Was reluctant to accept the caretaker role for the remainder of the season but saw that a new change in manager mightn’t be the best of things since the performances became a lot better. Deserved to be offered the manager job on a full-time basis and indeed got the post. Has the potential to become really successful.

Best away fans to visit Finn Park:
Cork brought a big contingent for the opening match of the campaign and were loud and noisy as they always are where ever they go. Derry brought 1000 fans over and made plenty of noise and were rewarded with an easy 2-0 victory. Sixty Waterford fans made the long journey to Finn Park in the second third of the season and, prior to the kick-off and during the first half, were extremely vocal but after our comfortable performance they left Ballybofey in dismal mood. Strangest fans to visit Ballbofey award must go to the 50 strong crowd of St. Patrick Athletic fans. Their improvision was to be seen as they rattled their saucepans with their wooden spoons! About 100 bohs fans came up and they were having great banter with each other. Shelbourne had 100 fans up and despite their quietness in home matches they were in full voice here and left the Shed happy with the three points taken. But the best fans, imo anyways, were the number of Shamrock Rovers fans who came up on their two visits to Ballybofey. “Build me Buttercup” became one of favourite songs after hearing it for the first time from the excellent Rovers crowd. When they made their second visit up north they gathered in the Gantry-end and despite no roof over their heads for echo and more noise, they were very, very loud. The two of us have been relegated back to the Discovery Ireland Division – so I’ll be able to hear some away support for once in this god-damn division...

Good Things about the Season:
* Kevin McHugh proving that he can shine at the top-level nabbing 13 goals.
* Wizzy, Breen and Funston all coming on leaps and bounds from last season.
* Hearing some away support for once.
* Dumping Rossiter back to Sligo.
* The return of excellent atmosphere at games like against Cork in the opening league game and in the cup, the two Derry matches, the 2nd home match against Rovers.
* Really becoming attached to Harps. For too long had I supported some foreign minnow team called Manchester United. This season converted me into a firm Harps man.
* Gavin Cullen proving to be excellent in his second spell at Finn Park.
* Seasoned campaigners finally getting their chance to perform in the top-tier of Irish football. Minno, Luca, Gorman and Boyler certainly didn’t shame themselves.
* The 4-1 thrashing of Rovers away and the 5-0 demolition job over Longford Town. Also our performance in the third Rovers match was absolutely phenomenal.
* The “protester” who made a complete arse of himself.
* Some brilliant goals. McHugh’s crackers, Mickey’s thunderbolts and even Paddy McCourt’s screamer.
* Knowing we have the potential to go straight back up again.


Bad Things about the Season:
* Obviously it being a disaster with relegation.
* Our ability to match teams yet unability to collect points off them.
* Ian Rossiter.
* Pre-season, where we started it long after Sligo and Shels had and where we played USL opposition mainly without many matches against league teams.
* The low crowds after we had a wee losing run at home.
* The Shed-End which was where I stood most of the time. I think it must consist only of the fair-weather and bar-stooler brigade because it was usually only me and one or two other who opened our mouthes in encouraging the team on. More or less a morgue.
* The shambles that followed Felix Healy’s departure. The papers revealing the budget for Gods sake.
* The dismal defeat to UCD late on in the season.
* The last minute defeats to Derry and Cork in the league and Cup respectively.
* From 16:00 to 16:45 where I had to try and vomit to better myself and able me to go to the opening match against Cork. That was mad sor!
* The home matches where we actually won but there wasn’t any TVcameras there to show how good we were. /o\
* The referees. Not much difference in quality between First Division refs and Premier ones. Dave McKeown in particular should be expatriated to Mongolia.
* It was the final season in harps colours for McHugh, Boyle and Paddy.