Finn Harps -v- Athlone Town
Credit:
The signs are as positive as they get for Finn Harps as they welcome Athlone Town on Thursday night (Kick off 8.00pm). Although firmly rooted to the foot of Division 1, Athlone have yet to win in any of the previous 22 trips to Finn Park, an encouraging prospect for a Harps side who look to bring to an end a run of seven defeats in a row.
Athlone are hoping to resurrect a run of form that saw them win three in a row, before losing their last four games, each with a scoreline of 3-0. Mike Kerley is likely to name a weakened side however, due to injury, with a number of the younger players ruled out due to exam commitments.
Peter Hutton, manager of Finn Harps has taken the time to reflect on recent performances, more specifically in relation to the Limerick defeat, speaking to www.finnharps.com.
“The performance wasn’t too bad, we didn’t start the best but as the game progressed we started to play much better. We had one great chance when Kevin (McHugh) went through one-on-one and opted for power instead of maybe going for placement.
“We couldn’t fault the players’ efforts once again, there were positives to take. Young Aaron McElwee came in for his first start and looked unfazed while Gareth Harkin returned from a couple of weeks through injury to get a good hour or so under his belt.”
“Every game is a must-win as far as I’m concerned. We’re not really looking at the positions in the league table, we’re more concerned with seeing an improvement in the performances and getting everything right on the pitch first of all.
“We’re still trying to get a feel for things and seeing where we can improve the squad come the transfer window. Every game is going to take on more of an onus in terms of us trying to get that first win. Hopefully, we can get it very soon and get that monkey off our backs, allowing us to relax somewhat.”
Both sides are desperate to gain some momentum, with Harps coming extremely close to their first win of the season last week. Harps will surely see this Thursday nights encounter as good a chance as any to do so, although Athlone will have something to say about that once kick off comes.
Finn Harps
Injured:
Gary Whoriskey (knee), Conor O’Grady (ankle), James Doherty (groin).
Doubtful:
None.
Suspended:
None.
Athlone Town
Injured:
Gary Higgins (Hamstring), Brendan Daly (Back).
Doutful:
None.
Suspended:
None.
Venue:
Finn Park
Referee:
Dave McKeon
Paddy Power Odds:
Finn Harps 11/10, Draw 11/10, Athlone Town 11/5.
Extratime Prediction:
Harps to sneak it with their first win of the season, 1-0.
Athlone are hoping to resurrect a run of form that saw them win three in a row, before losing their last four games, each with a scoreline of 3-0. Mike Kerley is likely to name a weakened side however, due to injury, with a number of the younger players ruled out due to exam commitments.
Peter Hutton, manager of Finn Harps has taken the time to reflect on recent performances, more specifically in relation to the Limerick defeat, speaking to www.finnharps.com.
“The performance wasn’t too bad, we didn’t start the best but as the game progressed we started to play much better. We had one great chance when Kevin (McHugh) went through one-on-one and opted for power instead of maybe going for placement.
“We couldn’t fault the players’ efforts once again, there were positives to take. Young Aaron McElwee came in for his first start and looked unfazed while Gareth Harkin returned from a couple of weeks through injury to get a good hour or so under his belt.”
“Every game is a must-win as far as I’m concerned. We’re not really looking at the positions in the league table, we’re more concerned with seeing an improvement in the performances and getting everything right on the pitch first of all.
“We’re still trying to get a feel for things and seeing where we can improve the squad come the transfer window. Every game is going to take on more of an onus in terms of us trying to get that first win. Hopefully, we can get it very soon and get that monkey off our backs, allowing us to relax somewhat.”
Both sides are desperate to gain some momentum, with Harps coming extremely close to their first win of the season last week. Harps will surely see this Thursday nights encounter as good a chance as any to do so, although Athlone will have something to say about that once kick off comes.
Finn Harps
Injured:
Gary Whoriskey (knee), Conor O’Grady (ankle), James Doherty (groin).
Doubtful:
None.
Suspended:
None.
Athlone Town
Injured:
Gary Higgins (Hamstring), Brendan Daly (Back).
Doutful:
None.
Suspended:
None.
Venue:
Finn Park
Referee:
Dave McKeon
Paddy Power Odds:
Finn Harps 11/10, Draw 11/10, Athlone Town 11/5.
Extratime Prediction:
Harps to sneak it with their first win of the season, 1-0.
About Aidan Farrelly
Aidan Farrelly joined the extratime team in mid 2010. A Kildare native, Aidan reports on St. Patrick's Athletic as well as other Dublin Clubs. Aidan can be contacted at: farrelly.aidan@gmail.com View Full Profile