League Report: Finn Harps 1 - 1 UCD

In-form scorers Tony McNamee and Ciaran Behan exchanged goals as ten-man UCD battled from behind to earn a draw away at Finn Harps.

Home captain McNamee plundered the opener with a delightful free-kick just twelve minutes into the contest.

After the hour, UCD were left a man down as Mikey McCullagh saw red for a late challenge on Harps' substitute, Ryan Rainey.

UCD leveled within ten minutes as Behan applied the finish to replacement Colin Bolton’s ball in after Sean Brennan’s dissecting run beyond halfway.

In a clash of second against third, Finn Park was swathed in sunlight as the two sets of players emerged out for the early evening kick-off.

Harps, on a five-game unbeaten streak, saw head coach Darren Murphy shuffle his deck by three. The most notable switch saw first-choice goalkeeper Tim Heimer rested in place of debutant Conor Walsh.

Twelve minutes in, and Ballybofey was bouncing as Murphy’s men opened the scoring in the first league encounter between these clubs for just over eighteen months when both were Premier Division outfits.

UCD captain Harvey O’Brien got himself in a muddle on the edge of the area, hacking down Patrick Ferry’s mazy dribble forward.

O’Brien’s opposite number, home skipper McNamee, stepped up to the set piece. He sent Finn Park into ruptures with a sweet right-footed strike that soared into the top right-hand corner to leave UCD netminder Kian Moore helpless.

McNamee’s scorcher, his third goal in as many games as Harps’ midfield goes from strength to strength.

Left wing-back Stephen Doherty, another man coming in, was forced off inside sixteen minutes as Rainey’s experience was called upon earlier than expected.

From a free kick of their own, UCD, donning dark green shirts and orange shorts in a Springbok-esque kit, came close to leveling. Behan, scorer a week ago away at Longford Town, spiraled his effort narrowly wide.

Yet, Finn Harps were relatively comfortable. Indeed, they threatened next as striker Success Edogun made space for himself inside the box before drilling off-target.

The visitors counterattacked at pace forty-two minutes in when O’Brien nodded clear an attacking Harps throw-in from the left flank. McCullagh roamed past halfway with the ball before overdoing his pass to Alex Dunne’s overlap, a passage of play echoing UCD’s general struggle to break through a sturdy home midfield.

UCD boss Willie O’Connor made a triple substitution at the break, O’Brien among those hooked, as he sought an improved second-half performance.

Harps' trio in the center, though, continued to dictate. Neat interplay between Cawley and McNamee sprung replacement Rainey into space, with Moore forced to bat his cross away from goal with both hands.

On sixty-three minutes, UCD made their already tough ask even harder for themselves. McCullagh, on the right side of halfway, flew in recklessly on Rainey with referee Oliver Moran instantly brandishing a red card to The Students’ number seven.

That challenge subsequently set off a melee of pushing and shoving among the players, UCD’s continuing to remonstrate with Moran in the aftermath.

Ten minutes later, though, and O’Connor’s troops had rallied impressively to equalize. Sean Brennan galloped through a suddenly vacant midfield into the attacking half. His precise pass picked out substitute Colin Bolton motoring into the right-hand side of the box. Outpacing Noe Baba, Bolton’s accurate cutback found Behan centrally, with the number ten annihilating the ball past Walsh from close range.

Sean O’Donnell was flung on as Harps sought a winner, the substitute seeing his header brilliantly kept out by a diving Moore after Conor Tourish had freed McNamee to cross dangerously, Moore miraculously scrabbling O’Donnell’s strong effort off the line.

Next, McNamee volleyed a dipping attempt wide. Early into injury time, Rainey nodded the skipper’s delivery over the top. Tourish whizzed a firecracker left-footer in which Moore repelled excellently, plunging to his right to punch the ball out.

Both teams preserve their unbeaten runs over the Easter period, but Harps will feel that this is two points dropped.

UCD still trails Harps by four points, a gap they’ll hope to close when they host league leaders Cork City next time out. Finn Harps are on the road the same night away at mid-table Athlone Town. They’ll be keen on both maintaining their buffer to third and their encouraging start to this season.

Finn Harps: Conor Walsh; Conor Tourish, Jamie Watson, Matty Makinson, Noe Baba, Shane McMonagle (Chris Lotefa 85), Tony McNamee ©, David Cawley, Stephen Doherty (Ryan Rainey 16), Patrick Ferry (Sean O’Donnell 68), Success Edogun.

Subs not used: Tim Heimer (gk), Luke O’Brien, Mark Mbuli, Max Johnston, Aaron McLaughlin.

Booked: David Cawley (22), Patrick Ferry (39), Tony McNamee (51), Shane McMonagle (64)

UCD: Kian Moore; Alex Dunne (Nial Holohan 46), Adam Wells, Harvey O’Brien (Donal Higgins 46) ©, Sean Brennan, Mikey McCullagh, Mikey Raggett (Danu Kinsella-Bishop 46), Ciaran Behan, Harry Curtis, Luke O’Regan (Danny Norris 81), Jake Doyle (Colin Bolton 62).

Subs not used: Dara Kavanagh (gk), Ryan McBrearty, Stephen Nolan.

Booked: Alex Dunne (15), Harry Curtis (64)

Sent Off: Mikey McCullagh (63).

Referee: Oliver Moran.

Attendance: 1,021

extratime.com Player of the Match: Tony McNamee (Finn Harps).