Preview: Sligo Rovers vs Finn Harps

• Abi Armstrong
• Fri, Jul 18 2008




Sligo Rovers welcome ninth place Finn Harps to the Showgrounds on Saturday evening for their eircom Premier League clash (kick-off 20:00). Sligo’s last two games have come against somewhat local opposition in Galway United and Derry City and both have resulted in draws.

During the week, Sligo Rovers announced that without substantial fund raising, the club could cease to exist after August. Along with this bleak news, Paul Cook has seen Fahrudin Kuduzovic, Alan Moore, Keith Foy, Anto Murphy and Jamie McKenzie all leave the club.

Cook will be sweating over Seamus Coleman and Rafaeal Cretaro, who are both only rated 50/50 for the game having picked up ankle injuries, in the Derry and Galway games respectively. Steve Feeney is also out due to a hamstring injury picked up in the A Chamionship game against Bohemians. Connor O’Grady is suspened.

Finn Harps are also missing a number of players through injury, a common theme this season for the Ballybofey outfit. New signing Davy Byrne is out having only played half an hour of his debut game before limping off. Despite this short spell on the pitch Paul Hegarty was very pleased with the new man.

"I thought Davy was dictating the pace of the game," commented Harps boss Paul Hegarty, "and he, Neil McCafferty and Shaun McGowan had a grip in the middle of the park. We looked nice and solid in there as well as looking like a good football team."

The injury curse though continued and has the Harps Manager frustrated. "At the end of the day, if you can't get out your best starting eleven and get some consistency then you are going to have problems. I believe we are capable of giving anyone a game if we can get our experienced players out on the park."

Apart from Byrne, Stuart Macolm, Declan Boyle, Aaron Labonte, Gary Beckett and Cornelius Gallagher as all missing for the Sligo clash.

The game kicks off at 20.00.