Raffaele Cretaro: I think it will give everyone a boost that was needed

Stuart Connolly reports from Finn Park.

Finn Harps progressed to the second round of the Extra.ie FAI Cup after a narrow 1-0 win over St. Patrick’s Athletic at Finn Park.

Midfielder Ryan Connolly netted the only goal of the game after a defensive mistake shared by Rory Feely and Conor Kearns gifted him the opportunity at an easy tap-in.

Fellow Dublin side Shamrock Rovers knocked Harps out of the competition at this stage last year and veteran Raffaele Cretaro noted that progressing will give everyone a much needed boost.

“It’s always good to get through a round of the FAI Cup, we knew it was going to be a tough game, and it was great to get that slight edge over the 90 minutes.

“We played them on Friday night just gone and learned a bit about them, that probably gave us just that little bit more.

“At the end, we were under that little bit of pressure and we were delighted to get over the line. I think it will give everyone a boost that was needed.” he said.

Robbie Benson, Georgie Kelly and Chris Forrester were introduced by the visitors shortly before the hour mark and at first glance can seem a daunting task to stop all three, especially given that Kelly grabbed a brace in Inchicore, but Cretaro felt his teammates were ready for the challenge.

“They brought on the big-hitters as they’d say.

“We knew that if it stayed the way it was, they would introduce the likes of those, given they can make more subs now.” he added.



“You saw there at the end, we saw it out and it is a big learning curve for the squad.”

Next up for Ollie Horgan’s team is Bohemians at home as their attention turns back to league action for their eighth game of the campaign. It’s a game which Raff feels is a different kind of test but one that they need to stand up to and be accounted for.

“They are in form, it was a massive win for them over the weekend, beating Dundalk.

“It’s not going to be easy, it will be a tough night at the office as is every game in this league but I’m looking forward to it.” he concluded.

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