Gallagher content with progression
Credit:
Finn Harps player-manager James Gallagher was glad the preparations
his side put in during the week paid dividends as they sauntered
through to the fourth round of the FAI Cup against Crumlin United.
Harps scored three goals in the first 19 minutes to take the fizz out of the cup tie and now face one more game – a trip to Limerick FC on Tuesday – before the mid-season break kicks in.
“Crumlin have had a long, hard season and they’ve played 30-odd games since Christmas,” Gallagher said. “They’ve had a successful season and the longer games go at 0-0 or 1-0, it can make a difficult night of it. As it turned out, the boys did exactly what we worked on during the week.
Since Gallagher returned to goalkeeping duties, he has now kept four clean sheets in succession and although the fixture against Crumlin was more or less over at half-time, his players, and indeed himself, kept their disciplines after the break to keep the good run going.
“It would’ve been easy for us to switch off at the back and conceded one and they had a few half-chances with headers and that, without really hitting the target. The back four, myself and the team as a whole we determined. The more clean sheets you get then the more you want.
“It could’ve been more and probably should’ve been and if there is a negative from tonight then that’s it,” said Gallagher of Harps’ inabilities to add to their three goals. “It’s difficult when you’ve done your hard work in the first 20 minutes and you’re three up. We’re not scoring many goals and it was there for us but we didn’t, but all in all I’m delighted with how we started the game and how we approached it.
“We were professional. We had a very young bench there and although I considered putting a couple of the younger lads on, maybe I would have if we had got another couple of goals, but I don’t believe in just throwing players on for the sake of it and these lads know they have to earn the right to play for the first team.”
Harps scored three goals in the first 19 minutes to take the fizz out of the cup tie and now face one more game – a trip to Limerick FC on Tuesday – before the mid-season break kicks in.
“Crumlin have had a long, hard season and they’ve played 30-odd games since Christmas,” Gallagher said. “They’ve had a successful season and the longer games go at 0-0 or 1-0, it can make a difficult night of it. As it turned out, the boys did exactly what we worked on during the week.
Since Gallagher returned to goalkeeping duties, he has now kept four clean sheets in succession and although the fixture against Crumlin was more or less over at half-time, his players, and indeed himself, kept their disciplines after the break to keep the good run going.
“It would’ve been easy for us to switch off at the back and conceded one and they had a few half-chances with headers and that, without really hitting the target. The back four, myself and the team as a whole we determined. The more clean sheets you get then the more you want.
“It could’ve been more and probably should’ve been and if there is a negative from tonight then that’s it,” said Gallagher of Harps’ inabilities to add to their three goals. “It’s difficult when you’ve done your hard work in the first 20 minutes and you’re three up. We’re not scoring many goals and it was there for us but we didn’t, but all in all I’m delighted with how we started the game and how we approached it.
“We were professional. We had a very young bench there and although I considered putting a couple of the younger lads on, maybe I would have if we had got another couple of goals, but I don’t believe in just throwing players on for the sake of it and these lads know they have to earn the right to play for the first team.”
