Harps looking for improved showing

WHEN looking for a confidence boosting result and performance after a run of three games that has yielded no points, no goals and the concession of seven in return, Turner’s Cross against Cork City wouldn’t exactly be the favoured destination.

Yet, that is the task facing Paul Hegarty and Finn Harps tomorrow night when they take on Alan Matthews’ unbeaten City. Ahead of the trip to Leeside Hegarty, along with ace striker Conor Gethins, have called for a marked improvement in the display following a dismal showing in last week’s 3-0 defeat to St Patrick’s Athletic.

Hegarty said: “We played Pats last week and we didn’t even make it difficult for them. That was the most disappointing aspect of the game that they came and expected a battle, but got handed three points.

“It was really disappointing for us because we had a big crowd at Finn Park and all I can do is apologise to the supporters for that performance. I sincerely hope that there won’t be another one between now and the end of the season.”

The Harps manager has said that he will be making changes to his line-up for tomorrow night’s game. One of those could be enforced with the news that ex Dunfermline defender Aaron Labonte has not trained all week. Gary Beckett, Chris Breen and Jonathan Minnock remain sidelined through injury although James Gallagher has shaken off the effects of flu and could return in goal.

“The most disappointing thing overall for us so far are the games that we could and should have taken something out of where we got nothing,” said Hegarty.

“In Bray, we had all the chances and it was a match that we should have won, never mind drawn. In Derry we should have got something, although granted we deserved to lose the games against Bohs and Pats.

“We need to be more ruthless and that is something that we have to get to work on because if we had those four extra points on the board we would be looking a lot more healthy.

“It is a learning curve though and we will get stringer as the season goes on.”

Amid the recent gloom has been one bright spark with the sight of Conor Gethins terrorising defences bringing warmth to those who frequent Finn Park. Although he has netted just once this term, the Lifford man’s work rate and graft has seen him win rave reviews.

And the ex Ross County hit man has echoed the sentiments of his manager ahead of tomorrow night’s game against the ‘Rebel Army.’

“It was a wake-up to what the Premier is really like,” he said on last week’s defeat. “We got taught a lesson in how to play football. For the whole game, they made us run about. There were times when we did get on top, but they got the ball and got in behind us, punishing us.

“That knocks you from a high right down to a low. We were on top, I had a shot that the ‘keeper put over the bar, Stuart Malcolm had a header from a corner and they went up the park and scored the second - it was always going to be uphill from then on. You have to keep the ball in this League or you will get punished.

“Even in the First Division last year, there were times that you would have got punished for not taking chances. Now that we’re in the Premier, you get punished more.

“We had a few against Pat’s and Bray was a bit ridiculous, we didn’t take our chances and that was pretty poor. They got one chance that night and went away with three points, but that’s the difference. If we’d taken ours we would have had nine points going into that game.”

While concerns have been expressed in certain quarters of the North West as to the capabilities of the Ballybofey brigade, Gethins has allayed those fears by insisting that his side will improve.

“The St Pat’s game was the only one we didn’t deserve to win, because we absolutely battered Bray last week and then I missed the penalty. That’s my job, but that’s the way it goes sometimes and it is only early doors,” he said.

“We’re only six games into the season and I hope that everyone doesn’t get uptight yet - we will only get better from it.

“Going down to Cork is going to be very, very difficult but we’d hope the pitch will be a bit better, we like to play on a good surface and the pitch here doesn’t help.

“But, at the end of the day we have to roll our sleeves up and we just have to improve. It’s as simple as that.”