Credit:
Longford Town -v- Finn Harps
- Diarmuid Kelly
- Sat, Jul 09 2011
Longford Town welcome Finn Harps to Flancare Park on Saturday evening (kick-off 3.30pm)
Both sides come into the game on the back of losses, the hosts away to Waterford United and the visitors at home to Cork City. Otherwise however Harps travel to the midlands in marginally better form having accumulated seven points from a possible fifteen in the past five League of Ireland First Division encounters contrary to the solitary point picked up by Longford in the same period. The Midlanders did however account for Harps in the FAI Ford Cup with a win and a draw over two legs giving them a better head to head in the past month.
Harps who sit in ninth position in the league will be without Packie Mailey and James Doherty while there are question marks over Keith Cowan and Kevin McHugh. Marc Brolly is also unavailable, he's getting married. In their absence there could be starts for new signings Peter Hutton, Stephen O'Donnell and JP Gallagher.
Having seen his side struggle at Flancare Park in recent times Peter Hutton singled out the formidable defence of the home side, a defence he'll have to crack if Harps are to move further up the table than ninth. “They are a hard-working and very well-organised side”, said Hutton ahead of the trip to the midlands. “They don’t give many goals away, especially at home, so we know it will be a tough game. But, we’ll be quietly confident that we’ll have learned something from the two games we played against them recently (in the cup). We obviously drew with them down there in the first game and we felt the second game was one of our better performances.”
The hosts, in sixth position, but in poor form of late are not without their absentees also. Michael Lee is out with a groin injury and Keith Gillespie also misses out with suspension. The midlands club can count on returning Austin Skelly who should recover from a back injury in time enough to make the bench tomorrow evening. Niall O'Reilly too returns from injury and Graham Dowling should make the starting line-up after serving his suspension.
Longford Town
Injured: Micael Lee
Doubtful:None.
Suspended: Keith Gillespie
Finn Harps
Injured:Packie Mailey, James Doherty
Doubtful:Keith Cowan, Kevin McHugh
Suspended: None.
Unavailable:Marc Brolly
Referee:Rob Rogers
Paddy Power Odds:Home 17/20 Draw 12/5 Away 11/4
Extratime prediction: Longford Town to continue their hex over Harps 1-0
About Diarmuid Kelly
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