League Preview: Athlone Town -v- Finn Harps

ATHLONE TOWN

Athlone Town welcome table toppers Finn Harps to Westmeath on Friday night in a game that pits last seasons’ Premier Division basement club against this season Division One pace setters.

 

Athlone are on a good run themselves though having won three matches on the spin in the league scoring 9 and conceding only 2 in the process.

 

Despite their narrow win over Liffey Wanderers in the FAI Cup The Town will be full of confidence ahead of their toughest game in the month of June, with Cabinteely and Waterford up next.

 

New manager Alan Mathews will see this match as the perfect opportunity to really gauge his new club. Both teams score plenty of goals and there hasn’t been a 0-0 in this fixture for 25 years so expect a good game at Athlone Town Stadium this Friday.

 

 



FINN HARPS

Finn Harps travel to Athlone after busy Bank Holiday weekend which eventually saw them losing on penalties and being cruelly dumped out of the Cup on Monday night.

 

The league, of course, is a different matter and Harps are flying. Without defeat so far this season and 9 points ahead of second placed pre-season favourites Wexford Youths, they will equally go into this match full of confidence.

 

On that cup exit Harps manager Ollie Horgan told Finnharps.com, “We played well over the two games – in particular in the replay – but we still didn’t win.



 

“We need to try and produce that kind of performance every week to try to stay up the table in the league,” continued Horgan

 

Referee: Rhona Daly

 

 

MATCH FACTS

 

It will be a special occasion for Harps forward Kevin McHugh who is due to make his 400th appearance for the club and become only the second ever Finn Harps player to reach this milestone in the process.

 

Harps are just four points off last season's tally, with 28 already accumulated, 32 points was their total for last season.

 

BETTING

Athlone Town 8/5; Draw 11/5; Finn Harps 6/4.

 

PREDICTION

Athlone Town 2-1 Finn Harps.

 

 

Athlone Town

Injured: Unknown.

Doubtful: Unknown.

Suspended: None.

 

Finn Harps

Injured: None.

Doubtful: Keith Cowan, Michael Funston and Raymond Foy.

Suspended: None.

 

 

    About Thomas Sargent

    Thomas joined Extratime.ie in the summer of 2015 but currently lives in Bilbao, Spain, where he is usually found following Santutxu FC across the Basque Country. He also writes the matchday programme previews of the … View Full Profile