Finn Harps 1 - 3 Waterford United

LATE goals from Gary Dunphy and Graham Cummins helped Waterford United inflict a third successive league defeat on Finn Harps on Saturday night in Ballybofey. The defeat leaves Harps sitting perilously close to bottom of the table with six games played, having accumulated just five points. Harps had taken the lead in the opening quarter of an hour but relinquished it almost instantaneously from the restart, and after early phases of dominance in the second period were undone first by Dunphy and then Cummins with just two minutes remaining.

Harps boss Paul Hegarty was forced to introduce rookie goalkeeper Ciaran Gallagher in place of the injured Gavin Cullen, but welcomed back Ian Rossiter into the starting XI and Ciaran Coll was able to take a place on the bench having travelled to Cyprus on international duty earlier in the week.

Rossiter’s recall meant Hegarty was allowed to install Michael Funston further up field to a more familiar attacking role, having deputised at right back in previous weeks. Funston began alongside Conor Gethins in the Harps attack but often found himself dropping deep to assist his team mates in the engine room of midfield. Harps were struggling to really put a stamp on the game until the versatile player fell back to help out and soon after had taken the lead.

On fifteen minutes, Harps were somewhat gifted an opener, after a Conor Gethins shot was sent goal-bound, the ball hit Waterford centre-half Kenny Browne illegally on the arm. Despite the best efforts of the defender to retract his arm from touching the ball, the ref awarded a penalty to the home side.

Gethins stepped up and grabbed his third goal of the season, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way. But like the UCD game two weeks ago, Harps conceded a ridiculously soft goal straight from the kick off.

Full back Alan Carey raced down the right side skinning Corny Gallagher, before delivering in a dangerous ball that wasn’t fully dealt with. At first the ball landed at the head of Kevin Waters who sent the ball back toward the empty goal mouth, but Graham Cummins arrived right on the goal line to steal the plaudits. From here on, it was pretty much all one-way traffic with Waterford looking the most likely to go in at the break on top.

The away side had several chances to go in front, with Cummins, Waters’ and Dunphy all going close for the Blues. The closest they came was on 35 minutes when a Kevin Murray header looked destined for the net only for Johnny Havlin to clear superbly off the line.

Harps were suffering from a lack of invention and composure on the ball and Gethins who now stood the lone front man was far too often given nothing to work off. Despite the comfortable ease in which Waterford were allowed to control the game in the first half, they weren’t able to find a way past Gallagher in goal, who had performed very solidly for the home side in the opening forty five.

Eight minutes after the restart and Harps almost found themselves behind but for another goal line clearance, this time Shaun McGowan saving Gallagher’s blushes after he failed to collect a free-kick into the box. After that scare, Harps stepped up a gear and started to improve as the game went on. But unlike Waterford in the first half where they had chances at the end of their possession, Harps never got a fluent rhythm going in attack and so often came unstuck in the final third of the pitch. Ciaran Coll who was introduced for Corny Gallagher at half time, combined very well down the left hand side with Gary Whoriskey but every time they got into a promising position there was little target for either to aim for in the visitor’s box.

On seventy minutes Harps produced the best move of the half thanks to excellent play between Ruairi Harkin and Conor Gethins. The pair caused Seamus Long and Kevin Murray some problems on the right touchline, and as Harkin released Gethins into the box, the striker was unlucky to see his shot come off the leg of Kenny Browne and out for a corner.

Two minutes later though and Harps were behind, after a goal completely against the run of play. With player’s pushed high up the field, Waterford broke on the counter through Willie John Kiely.

Kiely did superb to race away down the left and showed brilliant vision and execution to switch the ball across to the unmarked Gary Dunphy. The winger who was afforded a massive amount of space as he raced towards the Harps goal, managed to keep his nerve to slot past the onrushing Gallagher for his second goal of the season. Waterford’s third goal came two minutes from time when Ciaran Gallagher failed to keep hold of a long range Kevin Waters free-kick, and was tapped home invitingly by Cummins from close range to seal the win for Stephen Henderson’s side.

The performance in the second half was an improved one, but for all their enthusiasm and drive they still never looked like they would seriously worry a very well drilled Waterford side. The defeat now means the Ballybofey side drop to ninth in the table with trips away to both Athlone Town and Wexford Youth’s next up for Paul Hegarty and his team.

Finn Harps: Ciaran Gallagher; Ian Rossiter (David McDaid 80), Johnny Havlin, Marc Mukendi, Cornelius Gallagher (Ciaran Coll 46); Christy Conaghan, Shaun McGowan, Ruairi Harkin (Patrick Bonner 85), Gary Whoriskey; Michael Funston, Conor Gethins.
Subs not used: Liam Mailey (gk), Mark Forker.

Booked: Rossiter (25), Conaghan (46), Mukendi (88).

Waterford United: Michael Devine; Alan Carey, Kenny Browne, Kevin Murray, Seamus Long; Gary Dunphy (Joe Mulcahy 78), Paul McCarthy (Kieran Fitzgerald 87), Graham Cummins, John Kearney; Kevin Waters, Willie John Kiely (David Grincell 82).
Subs not used: Declan Woodgate, Paul Carey.

Booked: Long (32), Cummins (36).

Referee: Neil Doyle.

Attendance: 580