Finn Harps 1 - 0 Cork City

• Aidan O'Donnell
• Fri, Oct 15 2010


A solitary first-half strike from Kevin McHugh helped Finn Harps to put the final nail in Cork City’s promotion seeking casket with a well-earned first win in seven for the Donegal side at Finn Park on Friday night.

With eight points now separating Cork from third place Waterford, who won away at Longford, and with just two games remaining, the Munster side’s impressive end-of-season surge has come up just short.

Harps, meanwhile, look a good bet on ending the season with an unbeaten home record in the league that stretches back as far as the middle of May. After next week’s meeting with Derry City in the Brandywell, Harps welcome fellow strugglers Mervue United to Ballybofey, hoping to bring the season down on the back of an eleven-game unbeaten run in the league.

Both sides had selection difficulties coming into the game with the hosts having to cope without Tommy Bonner, Tony Shields and Gary Whoriskey, while the Leesider’s travelled north minus the services of eight players – George O’Callaghan, Eoghan Lougheed, Neal Horgan, Billy Woods, Stephen Mulcahy, Greg O’Halloran, Cathal Lordan and Shane Barrett.

The absentees weren’t so noticeable early on, but as the game progressed it was clear that it was Harps who were by far the more galvanised. In contrast, Cork appeared a side bandaged up without repair, and how could it be any different with so many alterations. Neither side really bossed the opening half, but it was Harps who appeared much more likely to score with Cork more often than not restricted to long range attempts.

Harps, it must be said, looked as balanced a side as they have in some time, with the more orthodox 4-4-2 formation seemingly fitting like the proverbial glove. With Mark Forker and Michael Funston tenacious and industrious in the engine room and Stephen McLaughlin and Marc Brolly occupying the wide berths with great invention, the Donegal side possessed lovely equilibrium throughout.

McLaughlin, intent on tormenting Cork skipper Cillian Lordan all night, always looked a threat when cutting in off the right touchline before having a pop at goal. The winger, incidentally, opened the game up with what would become his trademark signature for the night, but his first effort flew narrowly over the ‘bar.

Cork did threaten sparsely in the opening stages with Graham Cummins shooting straight at Gavin Cullen from twenty yards while Davin O’Neill did the same but from a much shorter distance.

Harps had just started to exert their dominance on the game when the deadlock was broken on twenty-three minutes. A patient build-up culminated in a lovely through-ball from Mark Forker for right-back James Doherty to gallop on to. And after luring Cork ‘keeper Mark McNulty from his line, the defender, unselfishly, dragged square for Kevin McHugh to fire home his fourteenth goal of the campaign.

The hosts would go in at the break with a deserved and well-earned lead, but also well in the knowledge that a library worth of mistakes had cost them dear already this season. Luckily, their resistance wasn’t tested that much, though Cork were a much more together outfit after the restart with Cummins dragging a shot wide early on and Gearoid Morrissey hammering off-target from twenty-five yards.

Harps, who more or less just had to consolidate their standing in the second half, didn’t have that many chances to extend their lead, however Marc Brolly almost caught McNulty off his line, when the ‘keeper fluffed a clearance. At the other end, Gavin Cullen did brilliant to deny Graham Cummins from drawing level when the striker took advantage of a slip from Keith Cowan only to be thwarted at point-blank range by the Harps ‘keeper.

Harps, though, ended the game in control and were unlucky not to have got a second when Gary Merritt crossed for Stephen McLaughlin at the back-post, who drilled just past the far post.

Finn Harps: Gavin Cullen; James Doherty, Packie Mailey, Keith Cowan, Matthew Crossan; Stephen McLaughlin, Michael Funston, Mark Forker, Marc Brolly; Davitt Walsh, Kevin McHugh.
Subs: Gary Merritt (Brolly, 74 mins), Oisin McMenamin (Walsh, 78 mins).

Cork City: Mark McNulty; Ian Turner, Gavin Kavanagh, Kalen Spillane, Cillian Lordan; Davin O’Neill, Shane Duggan, Gearoid Morrissey, Paul Deasy; Graham Cummins, Garrett Cambridge.
Subs: Simon Holland (Deasy, 46 mins), Rory Morrissey (Holland, 64 mins), Alan Sheahan (Duggan, 75 mins).

Referee: Phil Caschera