Finn Harps stretched their unbeaten run to 5 video games after a tense draw at residence to UCD however missed the chance to briefly sit at prime of the First Division.
Finn Harps…1 UCD…1
Tony McNamee scored his third of the marketing campaign within the first-half and Harps took that lead into the interval.
By Stuart Connolly with pics by Joe Boland
However Ciaran Behan popped up with an equaliser and his fifth this season with 1 / 4 of an hour to go.
Previous to that sending off, Michael McCullagh was given his marching orders for a late sort out on Rainey.
Harps now face three consecutive away video games with Treaty United the subsequent residence fixture on the third of Could.
For Finn Harps’ third recreation in per week – this one switched to a 5pm kick on account of a problem with the floodlights – Darren Murphy modified his crew with three new faces on the again of successive wins over Treaty United and Bray Wanderers.
Conor Walsh, a Republic of Eire U19 Worldwide who’s on mortgage from Sligo Rovers, made his first begin of the marketing campaign and Shane McMonagle was additionally in from the start.
Stephen Doherty was the third change however his look was sadly brief lived on account of an harm and Ryan Rainey, who Doherty had initially taken the place of, was introduced on after quarter of an hour.
Previous to that substitution, it was the person in kind who discovered the web for the third time in as many video games to offer Harps an early lead.
Patrick Ferry was halted on the sting of the world by Harry Curtis and Tony McNamee stepped up and curled his free kick into the highest nook of Kian Moore’s purpose.
The Harps devoted have been in full voice after McNamee’s nice strike and chants of “We’re prime of the league” rapidly adopted with Harps capable of leapfrog Cork Metropolis, even when solely briefly.
Ciaran Behan tried to copy that feat with 25 minutes gone however his effort fizzed narrowly huge of Walsh’s purpose.
Shortly after, Success Edogun was introduced with a possibility to double the lead however this shot flashed huge of the supposed goal.
UCD have been sat in third place as they arrived in Ballybofey and behind on the break, William O’Connor, a Buncrana Native who spent a number of years within the Harps Teaching ranks, made a triple substitution in an try to chop the hole between the 2 groups.
Edogun, who has three league objectives this season, went shut to creating it 4 a couple of minutes into the second-half with a purpose certain strike that was deflected simply huge.
With simply over an hour gone, UCD have been lowered to 10 males. Michael McCullagh went in late on Rainey near the midway line and it sparked a response from a number of gamers on either side. McCullagh was proven a straight pink by Oliver Moran, who additionally had a chat along with his assistant with a view to concern a reserving or two to gamers concerned within the melee that adopted the problem.
That sending off didn’t appear to be a drawback for UCD within the quick aftermath as Ciaran Behan bagged his fifth of the season to attract UCD degree with 73 minutes gone. Colin Bolton broke free down the fitting aspect and his low ball throughout purpose was a straightforward end for Behan contained in the six yard field.
Harps virtually restored their lead within the minutes that adopted on two separate events, each from McNamee.
Sean O’Donnell set him up properly for the primary effort however this shot was halted on the goalline. The subsequent strike seemed to be headed for the highest left nook however floated into the followers behind the City Finish purpose.
Within the final phases of the match, Harps have been denied a dramatic winner. Conor Tourish let fly from the sting of the world and Moore pulled off an excellent one-handed save to direct it over the bar.
Finn Harps: Conor Walsh; Jamie Watson, Conor Tourish, Noe Baba, Matthew Makinson; Stephen Doherty(Ryan Rainey 16), Shane McMonagle(Chris Lotefa 85), David Cawley, Tony McNamee, Patrick Ferry(Sean O’Donnell 68); Success Edogun.
UCD: Kian Moore; Alex Dunne(Donal Higgins ht), Harry Curtis, Harvey O’Brien(Niall Holohan ht), Luke O’Regan(Daniel Norris 80); Sean Brennan, Adam Wells, Jake Doyle(Colin Bolton 62), Michael McCullagh; Michael Raggett(Danu Kinsella Bishop ht), Ciaran Behan.
Referee: Oliver Moran
Finn Harps stretch unbeaten run however should accept draw with UCD was final modified: April fifth, 2024 by
