Finn Harps 0 - 1 Waterford United

Paudie Quinn snatched a 78th minute winner as Waterford United inflicted a first home defeat of the season on Finn Harps at Finn Park on Friday night.

The sides haven’t produced a goalless draw in Ballybofey since November, 1981 but it was heading that way for so much of the game until the striker broke the deadlock completely against the run of play with twelve minutes remaining.

After a Harps attack broke down, the visitors burst forward and Quinn headed home a bullet at the near post following a teasing cross from strike partner Darragh Walshe from the right-hand side.

The goal meant Harps, with a record of three wins and a draw from their four previous games in Ballybofey, slipped to their first home defeat of the campaign – and second loss in the space of three games.

The result also ensured Waterford maintained their recent resurgence following a miserable start to the new campaign.

The south-easterner’s lost three of their opening four league games but are now unbeaten in their last four – winning three – to reduce the deficit between themselves and their Donegal counterparts to just a point.

The two sides heavily tipped to challenge for promotion failed for so long to get any kind of rhythm going in a shockingly dull affair.

Neither side could exert their dominance in an initially tepid first-half, which eventually burst into life in the dying stages before half-time.

The hosts started the brighter and carved out a decent half chance after three minutes when Ciaran Coll’s headed through-ball caught the Waterford defence asleep, allowing Michael Funston to race in behind, only for the midfielder to shoot straight at Craig Hyland.

Johnny Bonner, making his full Harps debut, was proving a lively and enthusiastic figure for the hosts, but the Inishowen man couldn’t capitalise on a glorious cross from the left by Brolly.

Harps goalkeeper Ciaran Gallagher, starting in his 100th game for Harps, found himself on the periphery of the action in the first half-an-hour but the netminder showed good alertness to race off his line and deny Walshe a clear run on goal following a hopeful punt downfield by David Breen.

Bonner’s inclusion was one of two changes to the Harps side that beat Salthill Devon last week, with James Doherty coming into the defence to compensate for the injured Thomas McMonagle, last week’s match-winner.

Waterford, meanwhile, made two alterations to the side that were held at home to Cobh Ramblers – Ben Ryan and John Frost starting instead of Kevin O'Connor and Jack Doherty, who netted for the Ireland Schoolboys against England in their Centenary Shield clash at Turner's Cross on Friday. 

The game began to blossom in the final ten minutes of the half and both sides forced excellent openings as they went in search of a breakthrough strike.

Kevin McHugh played a short corner to Thomas McBride and after receiving the return ball, the Harps skipper fired in a stinging low drive which Hyland did well to parry behind for another corner.

Hyland’s counterpart was then forced to produce an even better stop at the other end as Waterford centre-half Gavin Kavanagh almost broke the deadlock in breathtaking style.

The defender produced a brilliantly acrobatic overhead kick from a Ryan corner but Gallagher was on his toes and engineered a fantastic reaction save to palm it over the crossbar.

The chance appeared to spark the visitors into life and in the final five minutes they looked the side more likely to break the deadlock.

Another delivery from Ryan wasn’t dealt with by the Harps rearguard and Walshe fired a toe-poke inches wide of the bottom corner, while Ryan then tried his luck with a 25-yard free-kick that sailed harmlessly wide of the post.

The start of the second half was fast and frantic as both sides tried to muster an early opener, but Quinn was off target from inside the area when he should've at least hit the target, while Brolly and McBride were both not far away with ambitious long-range efforts.

However, the early exuberance from both sides soon dissipated and for much of the second period the game was extremely lacking in goal-mouth action.

Sean McCarron, who grabbed the equaliser for Harps when the sides met at the RSC on the first day of the season, was denied at one end and from the same phase of play the away side manufactured the only goal of the game.

A brilliant cross by Walshe from the right was met brilliantly by Quinn who managed to get in front of his marker to head home an unstoppable effort at the near post.

Harps threw everything at their opponents in the dying stages but couldn’t fashion an equaliser – McHugh twice denied in quick succession, while McCarron was booked for simulation right at the death as he desperately tried to win a penalty for his side.

Finn Harps: Ciaran Gallagher; James Doherty (Matt harkin 89), Damien McNulty, Keith Cowan, Ciaran Coll; Michael Funston (Paul McVeigh 75), Thomas McBride, Shaun McGowan, Marc Brolly, Johnny Bonner (Sean McCarron 61), Kevin McHugh.
Subs not used: .

Waterford United: Craig Hyland; Dylan Mernagh, David Breen, Gavin Kavanagh, John Frost; Peter Higgins, Peter White, Ben Ryan, Michael Coady (Paul Quilty 73); Darragh Walshe, Paudie Quinn.
Subs not used: .

Referee: John McLaughlin

Attendance: 587

Extratime.ie man of the match: Paudie Quinn (Waterford United).