Salthill Devon 2 - 1 Finn Harps

Finn Harps are in serious danger of throwing away their best chance of promotion in the last five years after crashing to a third consecutive league defeat in Galway on Friday night.

A season that began with so much promise received its latest setback as Mikey Gilmore climbed off the bench to score a priceless winner two minutes from time to hand Salthill Devon their first home win at seven attempts.

Enda Curran had given the hosts the lead in controversial circumstances after converting a penalty three minutes into the second half, which the striker won himself following a coming-together with Harps ‘keeper Ciaran Gallagher.

The decision appeared harsh on the Harps netminder, who made sufficient contact with the ball as he aimed to clean up the mess left behind by his ponderous team-mates, who had lost possession all-too easily seconds beforehand.

Harps, though, appeared set to come away with a share of the spoils after Michael Funston struck an 81st minute equaliser and, if anything, it might’ve prompted the visitors to push on for a winner.

However, another dubious call from the man in the middle infuriated the away side as Kevin McHugh was stopped in his tracks when he looked destined to run through one-on-one.

Despite taking the ball under control with his chest, the Harps skipper was yellow-carded for an alleged hand-ball and from that same passage of play, Salthill manufactured the winner.

Graham Kelly released Curran and after his shot across goal was deflected into the path of Gilmore, the winger scooped the ball home from ten yards out, completing a night of misery for Harps, but sending the small army of Devon fans into wild jubilation as they toasted their first home league win of the season.

Harps were down to their bare bones and showed three changes to the side from last week’s defeat to Athlone. Ciaran Coll and Gary Merritt were both ruled out through injury, while Aaron O’Hagan dropped to the bench. The trio were replaced by Micheál Doherty, Marc Brolly and Josh Mailey, who made his first league start for the club.

The visitors, with three wins from their last four away games against Salthill, bossed the first half but somehow failed to make the breakthrough. Thomas Bonnar stung the palms of Ronan Forde, a nephew of Irish number 1 David Forde, with a 25-yard daisy-cutter after five minutes.

Livewire Johnny Bonner was proving a real handful and after being hauled down on the edge of the box by Jakub Tomanica, McHugh was no more than a few inches away from breaking the deadlock with a free-kick that flew just past the left-hand post.

Keith Cowan then had a chance to score a third goal in as many games when a Bonner corner fell to him six yards out. But the centre-half couldn’t quite get the ball under control as the home side were let off the hook.

Brolly and Bonner both attempted their luck from distance before the duo combined to engineer the best chance of the half. Bonner, tasked with being the creative spark of a midfield three, went on a surging run before releasing his team-mate with a glorious ball in behind the flatfooted rearguard. Brolly only had Forde to beat but the winger fired his shot straight at the netminder.

Curran should’ve punished the miss just seconds later when he found himself in acres of space, but the striker shot off-target, with the Harps defence at sixes and sevens. Michael Harty then tried his luck with a speculative long-range strike, which almost crept under the crossbar as the first half drew to a close.

Any joy the home side seemed to get came through the indecisiveness of the Harps defence and after a moment’s hesitance early in the second half, Gallagher was forced off his line to nullify the danger. However, the Harps ‘keeper was very harshly adjudged to have fouled Curran as he nipped onto a loose ball. Gallagher clearly made contact with the ball but referee Andrew Mullally immediately pointed to the spot – and Curran fired into the bottom corner for his 6th goal in four games.

Harps attempted to claw back the deficit but Brolly somehow hit the post with the goalkeeper at his mercy, while Damien McNulty headed off-target twice in quick succession.

Salthill should’ve doubled their lead on 72 minutes when Kelly intercepted a sloppy pass from Mailey before sliding in Curran, but the striker was unable to add to his tally as Gallagher raced off his line to produce a brilliant point-blank save.

Full-back Robbie Gaul had to clear his own headed back-pass off the line but with nine minutes remaining, the visitors eventually got back on level terms. Thomas McMonagle flicked a Gallagher kick-out into the path of McHugh, whose shot was saved by Forde, only for Funston to slide home the rebound from 12 yards.

McHugh should’ve been given the chance to put Harps in front but within moments of being penalised for a questionable hand-ball, his side were behind once more. Gilmore was the beneficiary of the Kelly-Curran attacking axis as the substitute reacted quickest inside a congested Harps penalty area to somehow squirm a shot into the far corner.

Salthill Devon: Ronan Forde; Robbie Gaul, Alex Byrne, Evan Preston Kelly, Colm Horgan; Derek O’Brien, Graham Kelly, Michael Harty, Jean Biansumba (Mikey Gilmore 67); Jakub Tomanica, Enda Curran.
Subs not used: James Keane, Jason Murphy, Stephen Rodden, Danny Campion, Shane O’Rourke.

Finn Harps: Ciaran Gallagher; Josh Mailey, Damien McNulty, Keith Cowan, Thomas McMonagle; Michael Funston, Thomas Bonnar, Johnny Bonner; Micheál Doherty (Matt Harkin 77), Kevin McHugh, Marc Brolly.
Subs not used: Thomas McBride, Aaron O’Hagan, Ryan Lonergan, Ryan Curran, Shaun Patton, Darragh Black.  

Referee: Andrew Mullally.

Attendance: 181

Extratime.ie Man of the match: Enda Curran (Salthill Devon).