Ollie Horgan: 'There will be bigger clubs than Finn Harps in the relegation battle'

Finn Harps manager Ollie Horgan pulled no punches when he spoke about what he feels is the injustice of the league’s restructure which is set to kick-in next season.

League chiefs’ decision to revert back to two ten-team leagues for 2018 means that three sides will be relegated from this season’s Premier Division, with only one being promoted from the second tier.

And with Harps one of the favourites for the drop, Horgan feels that the changes only suit the top teams.

“Without doubt it is going to be hugely difficult (to stay up),” Horgan told extratime.ie at the SSE Airtricity League launch.

“Staying up was always our aim. I suppose this year with the three teams going down it makes it more difficult. we have spoken about it for an amount of time now; it is what it is and we just have to try and battle to stay up.

“It was very difficult (for us) two years ago to get promoted, it was more difficult staying up last year and it is going to be triply more difficult in trying to stay up this year but we know that and we have always battled and we’ll just have to see where it takes us.

“It’s obviously making it a lot harder for Finn Harps and the likes but taking off that hat I still don’t know the reason for doing it.

“I worked in underage committees in Abbotstown. I was on a committee with Martin Russell and we thrashed things out at that level about pros and cons around decisions we made and while we didn’t all agree with the decision that were passed we thrashed them out.

“I don’t see the pros of the change. It could put clubs in danger. There will be bigger clubs than Finn Harps that will be in relegation battles.

“I know that it’s no good crying over spilt milk either but I was down at the play-off between Drogheda and Cobh in St. Colman’s Park and it was a great game, a great atmosphere, and it’s years since I saw such a big crowd down there.

“Neither of those teams’ seasons would have had anything to play for had the structures that are coming into place this year been there last year.

“I’m only giving my opinion and, obviously, there are opinions out there that are for this change but I don’t know them and I don’t know what the advantages of them are.

“And this is not just me being selfish here in representing Finn Harps but is it improving football? Only time will tell, but we have tried it before and did it work? I don’t think so.”

Some of those opposing the new structure have called for the two divisions to be merged into one in order to secure the long-term future of several First Division clubs.

Horgan agrees with those sentiments and has advocated the return of the A Championship which would allow smaller, regional clubs to grow.

“I’ve always said that one division and playing teams twice, home-and-away, would be the best way.

“I know some sides, bigger than us, wouldn’t be happy with that but, from our point of view, to play teams home-and-away and to have them all in the one division is the best way.

“Whether you regionalise it all after that I don’t know but I was involved with Fanad United back in the A Championship and it was great.

“Whether that comes back in it certainly isn’t for me to say, but my opinion doesn’t count for anything,” Horgan said.

In terms of building towards the new season itself, Harps have signed proven Premier Division quality with Ciaran O’Connor having joined from Dundalk on loan while Jonny Bonner, Danny Morrissey and Killian Cantwell have also made Finn Park their home.

Horgan, though, is despairing the loss of several others who provided the backbone of their survival exploits last term.

“We added a few good players. Unfortunately we lost a few that we didn’t want to lose though.

“We were hoping to build on last year and have a better panel and I suppose only time will tell whether we have or not.

“You couldn’t have asked for a tougher start (at home to Cork). We didn’t get anything out of Cork, home or away, last year, we got nothing out of Dundalk, home or away either, so in one respect nothing is expected off us in trying to get a result against Cork.

“They were the form team at the end of last season when they won the cup. Are we better playing them or somebody who is going to be in the relegation battle? I don’t know.

“We can’t pick and choose who we want to play though and there is no easy game in it either. Probably the only easy game, people will view, is playing us and we don’t play ourselves.

“Every game is certainly going to be difficult and most certainly Cork City in two weeks will be that.

Despite the off-field turmoil, in terms of league structures and in trying to get further signings, Harps have soldiered for over a month in pre-season as they attempt to prepare themselves for what looks set to be a season of struggle.

“We’ll have done a six-and-a-half-week pre-season by the time we play Cork. It has went ok, we played a game down the country were we had a few lads on trial so we lost a little bit out there.

“It all could have gone better of course but we’re going off a very small panel of senior players.

“A lot of the u19s are with us to add to what we have and we could do with a couple more in between now and the start of the season but that is easier said than done.”