Away to Finn Harps 23/03/13

[Martinho II]

I heard that there was heavy snowfall in Ballybofey on the news so I am expecting the game to be cancelled which would be a pity!

[Neish]

There was snow but not heavy nothing lay. Our chairman just posted a few pics of the pitch there on facebook looking not too bad




However there is snow and frost forecast for tonight, so keep any eye out here. If any more new I will post asap

[nigel-harps1954]

Apparently all is well to go ahead as Neish posted. Barring torrential downpours or heavy snow overnight, the match will go ahead.

[Neish]

No snow or frost lying this morning & not much rain last night so I really can't see this being called off. Will post here if I here anymore but it looks all go. Safe trip and I hope the journey home with 0 points won't be too long for you all

Just heard match is on.Its fairly windy here though so I'd bring the wollies

[fitzpatrick10]

so first lost of the season.. can way take any positives from the game lads or was it simply a game of hoof ball and they had the luck ??

[Neish]

Wouldn't say we had all the luck 8 bookings was very harsh, but yes you should of had a penalty when you man fell/was fouled (didn't properly see it myself) but it looked to be a good 2-3 yards inside the box. McHugh was lucky to stay on pitch when he seemed to kick one of your lads on the ground but at the same time I think Gillespie was also lucky not to be sent of when he made a awful tackle on one of our lads(Funston I think can't remember now)

It was a pretty poor game with an awfu; ref. McHugh finished his chance for the goal well at that was the main difference between the two sides

[Town Legend]

From where I was standing they had a bit of luck in part of the match. When Davy O'Sullivan was racing through on goal he was hauled down around 10 yards out from goal. O'Sullivan remained lying where he was fouled and amazingly the ref gave Longford a free kick 10 yards further out!! He failed to book the Harps player and from the resultant free kick McCarthy scores and he gives a free out! He bottled it from where we were standing. It looked like he tried making it up to us then by handing out yellow cards to Harps players like it was Christmas....but sure what good was that to us?!!


On the match conditions were absolutely freezing and windy. I remember warmer conditions in the middle of December out in Mullollogher! The pitch was in bad nick also so that didn't help the football. Haverty went off injured after 10 seconds and it didn't look or sound good as he was clutching his elbow and roaring in pain. Michael's injury was less serious looking. That's 5 players injured in the first 3 games. Our 2 right backs Haverty and Treacy, midfielder Quinn and strikers Shaw and Isichei.


Centre midfield is going to be a problem as Gillespie and Salmon were non existant. Overall there's a long way to go in this league yet. If we get some of our players back we should push on. Hopefully we get injuries out of the way early instead of last year when we lost players for the run in!

[Town Legend]

Agree with Neish on the goal. A cracker of a goal from mcHugh but was lucky to stay on as was Gillespie. McHugh was the difference last night although the Town defenders should of closed him down when they seen who had the ball. They allowed him to bring the ball forward without a tackle going in and he buried it in the corner.

[outspoken]

More like a mixture of GAA and rugby last night, neither side strung 3 passes together it was pure dire. We should have had a peno but didnt deserve anything from the game. Harps had 2 clear cut chances in the second half but then again Sully missed a good chance after Gillespies free kick and we had a goal disallowed for no reason so maybe I'm wrong there, maybe a draw would have been fair.

Keith Gillespie's performance last night was disgraceful no other word to describe it, people are saying hes not fit so I was very surprised to hear he was playing in 2 charity matches in England during the week, Salmo is carrying him in midfield and its effecting his performances as a result, in the 3 games weve played Gillespie has been our worst player.

Nkolo never beat the first man with a corner all night, why not let gillespie take them? Its not very difficult to get someone to cover his position while he does it! Think of all the goals he set up from corners in his first season.

From day 1 I've said we are going to be over reliant on Sully, they are lumping balls 20 yards ahead of him expecting him to chase it down yet when he does get it no one is there to help!

I lost count how many times Bennion booted it out for a throw or straight back to the Harps keeper. The only player who impressed me was Tyrell.

All in all a shocking performance and we will lose to Cobh playing like that.

[nigel-harps1954]

A true reflection would be simply that the weather and referee stopped any football being played. In fairness to Bennion, that was an absolutely horrible night for goalkeepers.

Gillespie is well and truely gone. Whatever he had left last season has left him.

I'd expect a much, much better game of ball between these two sides when we meet next. We'll have a couple of lads back that were missing last night and will be an altogether much better side. Missing 3 or 4 starting players didn't help either side.

[Martinho II]

btw thanks to the harps fans that made us welcome when we arrived in bar beside ground. Great meeting Nigel! We will return the favour when ye next visit.

[nigel-harps1954]

Look forward to a trip into Foxs!

[De Town]

1 or 2 harsh comments in here in my opinion.

First things first, it was a dire game. One of the lowest quality games I've watched in fact. The pitch was also the worst I've ever seen, which was the main factor in the terrible standard of game. Conditions considered, I felt we did ok. We had a strong breeze at our backs throughout the first half and we had most of the forward play. Tyrell missed a free header from 6 yards, O'Hanlon had a header cleared off the line from a corner, one or two other balls that went across the box that on another day would have resulted in goals. Harps showed very little in the first half, except the goal, which was very well taken by McHugh in fairness. What Purdy was doing when he gave the ball away on the half way line in the lead up to the goal I don't know, and our defenders insisting on standing off McHugh didn't help either.

I wasn't too confident at half-time with the wind against us in the second half but to be fair, we did alright again. Gillespie hit the bar, we had a stonewall penalty given as a free kick (for the life of me I can't understand what went through the ref's head), we had a goal disallowed that looked a bit harsh from the resulting free kick, O'Sullivan caused them numerous problems with balls over the top (it was the only way we could play due to the pitch), including when he almost set O'Hanlon up after a great run down the left. Harps were better in the second half, and went close on a few occasions, but us pushing forward certainly contributed to this.

Overall I wasn't too disheartened by the performance, given the conditions. We certainly deserved something from the game in my opinion. I wasn't that impressed with Harps to be honest, but no doubt their fans weren't too impressed with us either. A calmer night on a better pitch in the CCS in 6/7 weeks time will hopefully be a truer reflection of both teams. Our players constantly getting injured very early in games is a big worry though, 5 players in 3 league games have now gone off injured in the first half of the game. Hopefully Havo in particular is back soon.

Individually, we're certainly carrying Gillespie, well Salmon is. He's trying to do the work of two men in midfield. Hopefully Cousins doesn't see him as undroppable, and personally I'd like to see Colly in there with Salmo, once we've players back from injury as Colly will probably be covering for right full for a few weeks. Bennion got a bit of stick last night for his kicking, and yes I don't think he's very steady myself, but that pitch was a goalkeepers nightmare. Impossible for him to put his foot through it with any confidence that it wouldn't bobble over his foot. McCarthy isn't good enough. How he got into the team of the year last year is beyond me. Purdy isn't really a winger I don't think. Our setpiece deliveries are abysmal too. The inability to beat the first man is criminal. By the way, the ref was just atrocious, but a blind man could have seen that last night. Roll on Cobh, where three points are essential to get us back on track.

[L.T.F.C.]

Who said that Gillespie was playing in charity matches? No surprise. The level of fitness this year is very poor. O'Sullivan is only one that is properly fit along with Salmon. Tyrell isn't too bad. McCarthy needs to up it too.

[Keen2win]

Who said that Gillespie was playing in charity matches? No surprise. The level of fitness this year is very poor. O'Sullivan is only one that is properly fit along with Salmon. Tyrell isn't too bad. McCarthy needs to up it too.

I retweeted him there L.T.F.C., anyone want to tell me how to post a pic of a tweet?

[Acornvilla]

take a screenshot and upload it..

Or download this http://www.dowce.com/

[L.T.F.C.]

[harpstilidie]

I think the referee got the free kick/penalty decision absolutely spot on. The foul started outside the box and it did continue inside the box but by the letter of the law the free is taken from where the foul started so I think he got it right.

Was a terrible game and the pitch, windy conditions and the ref certainly didn't help. O'Sullivan looks a cracking player. Will definitely get you goals and is very quick.

[outspoken]

I think the referee got the free kick/penalty decision absolutely spot on. The foul started outside the box and it did continue inside the box but by the letter of the law the free is taken from where the foul started so I think he got it right.

Was a terrible game and the pitch, windy conditions and the ref certainly didn't help. O'Sullivan looks a cracking player. Will definitely get you goals and is very quick.

Not if the foul continues into the box then it should be a penalty, different kettle of fish if he had held onto him and let go then yeas the foul started outside and it would be a free but as he held on into the box he should be, by the rules of the game, penalised for the more serious offence ie penalty.

[Bosco]

Yeah would it not be a case if he had played some sort of advantage and then O'Sullivan was still being fouled he would bring it back to where it started? Whereas there, the ref didnt acknowledge O'Sullivan being fouled and then he went on into the box and was fouled again?