Finn Harps 1 - 1 Athlone Town

• Alan Foley
• Sun, Jul 19 2009


Finn Harps might have extended their unbeaten run in the league to six matches with their 1-1 draw against Athlone Town last night, but there was disappointment in the fact there were two points dropped.

A goal from Marc Brolly might have seen a continuation to the good home form, but the home support trundled out the gates with only a point after an equaliser from Noel McGee 12 minutes from time.

Brolly had scored the winner in the friendly against Ipswich Town last Tuesday week, and having missed the previous league game against Sporting Fingal through suspension, made the most of his chance. On 12 minutes, MarK Forker nipped possession on the right hand side and pulled the ball back into the path of Brolly, who beat Alex O’Reilly with a crisp strike from 12 yards.

The home side continued to keep good possession, but they failed to find a second. Stephen Place fired a warning shot when he blazed over the crossbar from six yards after he was fed by Robbie Benson eight minutes before the break.

Harps were forced to plan without the influential midfielder Michael Funston, who was sent off in the FAI Cup loss at the hands of Galway United and had his one-game ban increased to three. Also absent was Sean Houston, who has been in fine form of late, but was suffering from a sore back.

James Gallagher’s team held their slender advantage and little changed after the break. Within a minute of the restart, a throughball from John Mernagh set Place away, but the alert Ciaran Gallagher scampered from his goal to avert the danger.

Two minutes later, Gary Whoriskey found Fintan Bonner and he, in turn, played in Brolly, who had bother controlling an awkward ball, and that gave O’Reilly the chance to save, which he did competently.

Then, on 75 minutes, Brolly was again out of luck when his near post header was placed just wide of the goal, when Whoriskey was the architect. Harps, despite not creating an awful lot, should really have put the matter to bed.

However, when substitute McGee, who was on the field less than two minutes at that point, picked up the ball in opposition territory from Place’s pass, there was no immediate challenge and he placed the ball past Gallagher.

Athlone have been the scourge of Harps in recent seasons. Last May, when Harps were in the Premier Division, the midlanders belied their position at the bottom of the First Division to send Paul Hegarty’s side from the FAI Cup. The year beforehand, the nabbed a 1-1 draw in the penultimate game of the season when the RTE cameras rolled into town – effectively a result that cost the Donegal club the Division One title.

That sticky run continued last night at a Finn Park that could hear the roars from MacCumhaill Park across the road. Try as they might to lift the atmosphere, the promising positions that the home side created late on came to nothing and both camps had to be content with a draw. The run continues for Harps and next weekend they welcome Wexford Youths to Finn Park.

Finn Harps: Ciaran Gallagher; Ian Rossiter, Seamus Sharkey, Packie Mailey, Ciaran Coll; Mark Forker (Mark Moran, 71), Paddy Bonner, Shaun McGowan, Gary Whoriskey; Marc Brolly, Fintan Bonner (Oisin McMenamin, 84).

Athlone Town: Alex O’Reilly; Robbie Hamm, Kevin Dunne, Brian Cleary, Kevin Williamson; Kieran Reilly (Anthony Hayes, 83), Damien Russell, John Mernagh (Noel McGee, 75), David Tyrell (Gary Murphy, 33); Robbie Benson, Stephen Place.

Referee: Darren Coombes.