League Report: Shamrock Rovers B 0-1 Finn Harps

In what was a hectic afternoon for Cork referee Keith Callanan, an early goal from Keith Cowan was enough to give Finn Harps their second league win on the trot against Shamrock Rovers 'B' at Tallaght Stadium.

Both teams came into the game having enjoyed rather contrasting fortunes the previous week with Harps grabbing a 1-0 victory over Waterford United and Rovers coming out the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline away to First Division bottom side Cobh Ramblers.

Perhaps confidence played a factor in the early exchanges as it was Harps who started the brighter of the two teams. The Finn Park outfit were to have the game's first real clear cut opportunity with Gareth Harkin blazing over from close range after being teed up by Pat McCan's pull-back.

However, Harps didn't have to wait long to hit the front. Shortly after Harkin's near miss, a move that started with a neatly worked short corner routine saw Keith Cowan blast home from close range. As Harkin approached the quadrant to take the set-piece, the big midfielder defied the expectations of the Tallaght crowd by rolling the ball to Michael Funston who in turn picked out Josh Mailey at the back post. Mailey then delicately laid the ball into the path of Cowan who made no mistake in rattling the Square end net.

Shortly after Cowan's opener, the Donegal side very nearly doubled their advantage when Packie Mailey rose high to meet Kevin McHugh's corner only for Chris Lyons' intervention to prevent his header crossing the line.

With fiercely contested personal battles being fought all over the pitch during the first forty-five minutes, the threat of flaring tempers loomed large. This threat eventually materialised midway through the half with Ryan Doolin and Michael Funston having their time on the field abruptly curtailed by the red cards shown to them by referee Keith Callanan for their participation in an off the ball scuffle.

Following Doolin and Funston's dismissal, both teams reverted to a 4-4-1 formation. As a result, goalmouth action grew increasingly sporadic as the half-time interval approached. The best chance Finn Harps managed to muster in the remainder of the half was a low drive from McHugh that fizzed wide of O'Malley's goal whilst Rovers had credible claims for a penalty waved away by Callanan after Emeka Onwubiko looked to have been fouled inside the box by goalscorer Cowan.

Succeeding in both stifling the fluidity of Harps' offensive play and in making themselves a more potent attacking threat, Rovers posed a much stiffer test for the Donegal side in the second-half. Indeed, it was Rovers who fashioned the first chance of the second forty-five with Conor Winn being called upon to save an Adam Whelan header and Onwubiko's resultant rebound.

Although not as dominant as in the first-half, Harps still managed to create some goal scoring opportunities of their own in the second period. McHugh and McCann both had chances to increase the Ballybofey mens' lead but the pick of the bunch fell to Caoimhin Bonner whose goal bound touch was diverted to safety by O'Malley after latching onto Harkin's inviting cross.

Tallaght Stadium then saw its fifth sending off in the space of twenty-four hours on sixty-eight minutes when Sean McCarron received his second yellow of the game for a rash tackle on Even Osam.

More drama was to follow minutes later after a careless challenge from Osam incensed Harps boss Ollie Horgan. After protesting vigorously to referee Callanan that Osam's offence merited more than a booking, Horgan was banished to the stands.

With just nine men on the pitch, the visitors began retreating further and further back into their own half. Although the Harps rearguard was largely impervious, Colin Hawkins' side did manage to breach the away sides' blanket defence on a couple of occasions. Jack Watson came close for The Hoops before new signing Dylan Kavanagh's header was expertly turned around the post by former Rovers stopper Conor Winn.

Try as they might, Rovers just could not find the equaliser they coveted so greatly and so despite their numerical disadvantage, Finn Harps left the Tallaght turf with three points that see them leapfrog Waterford United into fifth place in the SSE Airtricity League First Division.

Shamrock Rovers B: Conor O'Malley; Liam Traynor, Sean Heaney, Michael Kelly, Evan Osam; Dylan Kavanagh, Ryan Doolin, Jack Watson (Gavin Boyne 72), Adam Whelan (Stephen Confrey 80); Chris Lyons, Emeka Onwubiko (Richard Purdy 87).
Subs not used: Michael Kelly, Nathan Brown, Thomas Tiernan, Mark Sandford.

Finn Harps:Conor Winn; Caomhain Bonner, Ciaran Coll, Keith Cowan, Packie Mailey; Pat McCann, Josh Mailey (Thomas Bonner 85), Gareth Harkin, Michael Funston; Kevin McHugh (Damien McNulty 75), Sean McCarron.
Subs not used:Shaun Patton, Mark Forker, Graham Fisher, Carel Tiofack, Paul McVeigh.

Referee: Keith Callanan (Cork)

Attendance:200 (estimate)

ExtraTime.ie Man of the Match: Conor Winn (Shamrock Rovers)