Anyone make the long trip to Ballybofey last night? Can't believe we've dropped six points in four days.Let's hope it's only a blip and we can get back to winning ways this week.
If you don't like John 3:7...
There's always Limerick 37!
wat was the score, i agree hope it isnt the end of the good times!!!Originally Posted by Kerry Blue
Anyone make the long trip to Ballybofey last night? Can't believe we've dropped six points in four days.
wat was the score, i agree hope it isnt the end of the good times!!!Anyone make the long trip to Ballybofey last night? Can't believe we've dropped six points in four days.
Myself, sadloserkid, lim till i die, doc and his mate. Bloody long drive. Simple answer is Bourke, costello, keily, carthy and Healy!!! Thats our bench. We simply dont have a squad strong enough to go on and win this league. All three goals conceaded, which were a very poor harps only three shots in the whole game were as a result of defensive mistakes. And to make matters worse, Kilkenny, Cobh, Harps and now two games against Rovers in a very very short space of time for what is the same 11 players used week in week out. Hope we put out a totally diff team against rovers in the cup and our strongest in the league the following Friday.
Harps played a 4 5 1 which overran our very stiff midfielders. Id still like to see Robbie and Tommy up front just to see how it runs.
[QUOTE=gael353]And to make matters worse, Kilkenny, Cobh, Harps and now two games against Rovers in a very very short space of time for what is the same 11 players used week in week out. Hope we put out a totally diff team against rovers in the cup and our strongest in the league the following Friday.
QUOTE]
This is down to O Conner. I know no one likes to change a winning team but like you said its the same 11 week in week out. Some of these may need a rest or maybe he needs to change one or two to freshen things up.
Also are there any young players coming through that would be better alternatives to the players that are on the bench at the moment.
The mid-season break seems to have hit us for six!Why have it anyway?
Here's my report of Saturday night's happenings, as well as a wee informal wan:
Finn Harps 3 - 2 Limerick FC
A late Conor Gethins goal proved to be the decisive one as Finn Harps emerged victorious after defeating Limerick FC by three goals to two.
Gethins - marking his return from injury - tucked the ball home past Mooney on 81 minutes to send the Shannonsiders home empty handed and inject some much needed confidence into the Harps faithful.
Indeed Harps can also thank James Gallagher for a magnificant save late on to deny the visitors an equaliser.
The first chance of the game arrived after a minute of play when an Anthony Gorman corner eventually fell to Eloka Asokuh but the Nigerian turned the ball wide from close range.
On the third minute James Gallagher was glad Limerick forward Paul Rose was unable to connect to Colm Heffernan's teasing cross from the right, allowing the Gortahork netminder to collect the ball. Moments later Chris Breen, situated on the right wing, sent in a cross towards the near post but a defender took no chances by putting the ball out of play following close attention from Gorman.
A Tommy Barrett shot only troubled the birds in the sky as the ball exited Finn Park and landed somewhere in Chestnut Road (10').
Christopher Malseed who made his ninth start of the season watched as his shot deflected wide of Noel Mooney's post (15').
Six minutes later it was the visitors who opened the scoring. After David Bell was adjudged to have fouled Heffernan on the right, the resulting free-kick by Heffernan was swung into the crowded penalty box and it was Pat Purcell who rose highest to head home past Gallagher (21'). Harps fans were left disappointed at yet another goal being conceded following a set-piece.
Limerick striker Paul Rose was causing the Harps rearguard plenty of problems with his pace and on 25 minutes he raced clear down on the left and into the centre but his shot drifted well wide of the goal. The lively Robbie Kelleher was also intimadating up front but his header from a Heffernan cross was wide of the mark.
On 31 minutes Rose raced clear of the static defence once again but Shane Bradley came to the rescue when the big Stranorlar man caught up with the striker and put in a wonderful tackle which not only eliminated the scoring opportunity but resulted in a goal kick for the home side.
Following John Lester's booking, Eloka Asokuh drove the ball into the Limerick net from the edge of the area which levelled the scoring at one-goal apiece (36'). Disappointment on Limerick's behalf but jubilation for Harps after what could be called a bit of 'pinball' resulted in the ball arriving to Asokuh who took his chance wonderfully.
Before half-time a free-kick was driven in with some force but fortunately for Harps a defender managed to block it and avert the danger.
Early after the game was resumed following the half-time interval, claims of hand-ball by Tommy Barrett after a Breen cross were ignored by referee Neil Doyle. Anthony Gorman smashed the ball into the net on 54 minutes to give Harps the lead. Davitt Walsh overhit his cross which was retrieved by Chris Breen on the by-line and he gently layed the ball on for the onrushing Gorman who made no mistake in blasting past Mooney.
Limerick almost instantly responded to their one-goal deficit on 56 minutes when a long-range Robbie Kelleher curling effort was just over the bar with Gallagher struggling.
Eight minutes later Harps' top scorer Davitt Walsh received, rather harshly, a yellow card despite making little contact with the player he was deemed to have fouled. The ex-Fanad frontman trotted off the pitch two minutes later when he was replaced by Conor Gethins. Gethins, formerly of Ross County, was making his comeback from a foot injury he suffered way back in early April and received a warm welcome back by the Finn Harps fans.
As the game was evenly contested - no team really stamping their authority on the game - the scoreline, once again, was to become even when John Lester equalised from the peanlty spot on 68 minutes. Refereee Doyle pointed to the spot after Jonathan Minnock was involved in an infringement on Kelleher. Lester, the former Drogheda and Bohemians midfield man, sent Gallagher the wrong way to make the scoring 2-2.
It didn't take long for Harps to start attacking again and on 70 minutes Gethins had a shot deflected wide following some steady pressure. The resulting corner by Gorman was to have no effect as Shaun McGowan infringed a Limerick opponent on the goal-line. This sparked a bit of pushing from 'keeper Mooney but Doyle was alert to warn the ex-Shamrock Rovers man about his behaviour.
John Lester carved out a chance when a loose ball came his way but his curling effort was just over the bar (74'). Minutes afterwards Robbie Kelleher's diving header was saved by Gallagher after the attacker was picked out by a cross unmarked.
The winner arrived in the 81st minute. Chris Breen beat his marker on the right by cutting inside before evading the challenges of two other defenders before he played the ball onto Gethins who slotted home what proved to be the winner.
A shot from close range was tipped away by Gallagher minutes later as Limerick pushed on for another equaliser but it wasn't to be as Harps held on and shocked the table-toppers who now find themselves only one point clear at the top. Harps move back to sixth but with two away games to be played against title challengers Cobh and Shamrock Rovers in the coming two weeks, Harps may find it difficult to obtain repetitive results. However this win will no doubt install some much needed confidence and belief into the young Harps side and with the quality they possess upfront they will no doubt give the two challengers a run for their money.
Next up however is an away trip to Tolka Park with Shelbourne entertaining Gorman and his troops in the League Cup Quarter Finals on Wednesday.
Back With A Bang!
After weeks of having little to feel cheerful about, a late Conor Gethins winner injected some much-needed exuberance as the three points were bagged against Limerick FC at Finn Park on Saturday night.
The wee Lifford man popped up to convert from close-range after being set up by Breen who dribbled his way past three defenders prior to the killer pass. It was all Gethins deserved - since his arrival back onto the blades of Finn Park he worked tirelessy and when Breen's pass came in from the right, the ex-Ireland Youth International tucked the ball past Mooney to give Harps the elusive and final goal. This late winner marked his return in style - adding to the four-goal tally acquired from the first game of the season in Kildare.
Entering the car park in Navenny Street it wouldn't take a genius to work out that many of the football enthuasiasts who had travelled to Ballybofey in previous games had stayed home - opting to watch a mouth-watering clash of France versus Brazil with Zinedine Zidane up against Ronaldinho instead of the less-attractive alternative of watching Harps entertain Limerick with Sean Cooney battling against John Lester.
The 240 or so Harps diehards were to have their decision of attending the domestic tie pay off after a 3-2 victory in favour of Gorman and his men.
Advancing towards the Finn Park entrance on Chestnut Road my spec-less eyes were able to notice a few Limerick flags on the River-End confirming that the table-topping side had some support on their side, unlike in previous seasons when the Rathbane men went on without any support.
Finding a spot on the top terrace behind the goals at the Town-End I had a quick glimpse through the match programme, oblivious to what was going on in the practice session out on the pitch. My lack of attention nearly paid the price as only a late call of 'Watch yer head!' enabled me to cop on that a ball was coming my way and duck just in time as the ball crashed off the advertisement barrier just inches above my slightly-ducked noggin. Needlessy to say I put my programme away to observe the action.
The absence of Barry Curran was the only suprise in the line-up and substitutes announcement - later learning that the tricky winger injured himself in the pre-match warm-up. The only changes made from the disappointing 0-0 stalement obtained against Monaghan the previous Tuesday was Gorman and Bell coming in for Matt Crossan and Curran. James Gallagher continued as 'keeper; David Bell and Shaun McGowan were the respective left and right full-backs; Shane Bradley and Luca Asokuh remained as the central defense partnership; Johnny Minnock operated on the left-wing with Chris Breen on the right; Sean Cooney operated just in front of the back four while Anthony Gorman and Christopher Malseed were the remainding members of the midfield trio; Davitt Walsh was to act as the lone-striker. The substititutes were Matthew Crossan, Conor Gethins, Gary Crossan, Darren Meenan and Gavin Cullen. Gethins was included among the subs due to Curran's pre-match injury. Referee was Neil Doyle.
One notable inclusion for Limerick was John Lester who bossed the midfields of Drogheda and Bohemians in years gone by. Another familiar name was Noel Mooney - formerly employed by Shamrock Rovers, who was between the sticks at the River-End for the first period.
Despite Harps achieving the first shot on goal, it was Limerick who looked more threatening as the strike partnership of Paul Rose and Robbie Kelleher posed problems for Luca and Bradley. Limerick number seven, Colm Heffernan was also causing trouble on the right flank for Bell and Minno and on twenty-one minutes his cross was met by the head of Pat Purcell and the ball nestled at the back of Gallagher's net. One would have been forgiven for beginning to think that Limerick would add to Purcell's opener as the extremely lively Paul Rose had a couple of threatening runs which could and maybe should have afflicted further concessions for Harps.
The latter of these runs was ended by a superb challenge by Shane Bradley which also yielded a goal-kick for Harps much to the dissatisification of Rose.
On the thirty-sixth minute a Luca shot was driven into the back of the net impeccably to propel a huge roar from those of us present. No doubt a confidence boost for Luca after coming in for some criticism following a series of less-than-convincing performances.
The players walked off to much applause after the ref blew for half-time. Learning my lesson from earlier on I watched as the substitutes warmed up. Unusually there was a goalkeeper (Cullen) out to keep goal so about twenty kids congegrated behind the nets (an early generation of FBTN perhaps) kept themselves occupied, waiting for wayward shots to come to them as Conor Gethins, Darren Meenan and Gary and Matthew Crossan let fly shots at Cullen.
One fella's misfortune was the subject of plenty of laughing from the youngsters as a shot wide of the mark rebounded off the terrace and then off the poor man's head. Little happened for the remainder of half-time and the kids had their fun ended when the two teams emerged from the changing rooms having devoured the half-time oranges and listened to their respective management teams.
An early appeal for hand-ball was dismissed by the ref much to the Town-End assemblers' annoyance. Soon after, the second roar of the night from the home supporters came when an Anthony Gorman blast from close-range made the scoring 2-1 in Harps' favour.
Walsh had the ball on the right wing and sent in a cross which flew over the Limerick defence. Breen was on hand to retrieve the ball however, and placed the ball to the incoming Gorman who managed to smash the ball into the net just before a defender closed in. His celebration conveyed just how much the goal meant to the gaffer as the ref was unimpressed with the length of time it took for the celebrations on-field to finish.
Whilst Rose was pestering the Harps defensive unit with his pace it was Heffernan's guile and quick-thinking that made him dangerous upfront and a few minutes after Gorman nabbed the lead, Heffernan had a long-range, right-footed curling effort fall just over the bar. Relief for us as Gallagher was struggling in getting back.
After a bad decision by referee Neil Doyle (which spurned an unsavoury shout from yours truly) in which he waved a yellow card at Walsh for a tackle on a Limerick player despite no contact made on the player (and indeed the player played out a pass and remained on his feet unscathed). A few minutes later Walsh left the field as he was substituted for Gethins who was returning from a metertarsal injury suffered yonks ago when Galway United were dispatched of in the League Cup. Huge applause for both players; Walsh because of his work-ethic and determination; Gethins because of his return.
At the time I was thinking that changing to a 4-4-2 formation would be more adequate so as to try and put the game beyond doubt but maybe Walsh suffered from an injury or fatigue. Hoping the ineffective and clumsy Cooney would be the one to exit I had to endure another 25 minutes of his presence in midfield (To be fair to the big lad he tries but his crap first-touch and consistent misguided passing really should rule him out of playing in midfield...).
Two minutes later an infringement by Minno on the stumpy Kelleher resulted in a penalty for the Shannonsiders to which John Lester's red boots duly obliged in converting. A rare chant went out from the Harps faithful following this to encourage Harps on.
Shaun McGowan was penalised for pushing when a corner was swung in by Gorman. Resembling Chris Coleman's cold stare at a referee last season, Neil Doyle's stern glare at Mooney soon distinguished the keeper's arguing as it looked like the ref was about to headbut the ex-Rovers man!
John Lester had an effort similar to Kelleher's shot earlier but it had the same result as his teammate's - going just over the bar. Kelleher came close again when his diving header was foiled by Gallagher's diving save.
Around this point Gethins was starting to trouble Limerick and on one instance was applauded by all for drawing a throw after good work on the left (applauded a bit too much on my part as my hands turned a red and blue colour after a round of fierce clapping). The wee man was to be the saviour as he poked home the winner on 81 minutes:
Chrissy Breen was the one to thank for an excellent run in which the baby-faced-assassin beat three men before applying the pass to Gethins who secured the three points with an easy finish from close-range to send us wild with elation.
A great Gallagher save prevented Limerick from attaining the elusive equaliser and as the team walked off triumphantly following full-time, the fans paused to clap the team off - something rather rare this season. Leaving the gates on the end of a win was also something all too rare this season and now hopefully the corner has been turned.
Match report also available on www.finnharps.com
Oi - whoever wrote that used my header as the caption.
Sorry- that was me, and it was actually a coincidence believe it or not
No probs - was only messing with that last post
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