- Stuart Connolly
- Sat, Aug 28 2021
Tunde Owolabi netted a spectacular second half penalty as Finn Harps beat Derry City in the second round of the Extra.ie FAI cup - their first ever triumph over their North West rivals in this competition.
After a goalless first half, Owolabi netted from the spot with just shy of 20 minutes to go, as Finn Harps produced their first double win in a season over Derry since the 1997/98.
Both sides went into this cup encounter on the back of a good run in recent weeks. Finn Harps winning their previous four on the bounce in all competitions while Derry have gone one better.
For the second week running, Finn Park was able to accommodate 800 spectators and in a welcome sight, all the tickets sold, including the away allocation.
This North West Derby got off to a fast-paced start but chances were difficult to come by as both teams were defensively solid, effectively neutralising the opposition attack.
Both sets of supporters were very vocal in the first half and despite a lack of clear cut chances, the game remained very open.
The side netting at each side of the pitch was struck approaching the half hour mark while Jordan Mustoe had two half-volleys from the edge of the area, both of which failed to hit the target.
Perhaps the most clear cut chance of the half came with the half time whistle just seconds away. Finn Harps moved well down the right and Barry McNamee found Owolabi in space in the area.
His effort was blocked but fell to Ryan Rainey who also saw an effort thwarted with claims of handball against Jack Malone. Referee Rob Harvey however, waved away the appeals before blowing for the break.
The second half started in a similar fashion to the first and zero opportunities were fashioned as defences remained on top.
Adam Foley brought about the first strong save of the game, forcing Nathan Gartside to dive to his right to palm away a goal bound effort on the hour.
Just over ten minutes later and after a period of pressure, Finn Harps had a spot kick due to a Ronan Boyce foul on Rainey.
Owolabi stepped up and blasted it into the roof of the net, giving Gartside no chance.
A few moments later, he almost doubled the lead but headed over under pressure from Eoin Toal.
Gerard Doherty, who turned 40 on Tuesday, had perhaps his busiest period of the game during the last 15 minutes.
Evan McLaughlin called the former Candystripe into action late in the tie with a deflected effort while he was also called upon to deal with ambitious shots from Jamie McGonigle and Ciaran Coll.
After six minutes of stoppage time, Rob Harvey blew his whistle for the final time in the game as Finn Harps progressed to the quarter-finals, recording their fifth win in succession.
Finn Harps: Gerard Doherty; David Webster, Shane McEleney, Jordan Mustoe(Karl O'Sullivan 45), Ethan Boyle(Kosovar Sadiki 67), Johnny Dunleavy; Mark Coyle, Ryan Rainey, Barry McNamee; Tunde Owolabi(Sean Boyd 83), Adam Foley.
Subs not used: Mark McGinley, Luke Rudden, Stephen Doherty, Dan Hawkins.
Derry City: Nathan Gartside; Ciaran Coll, Eoin Toal, Ronan Boyce(Patrick Ferry 83), Danny Lafferty; Jack Malone, Ciaron Harkin(Evan McLaughlin 75), Joe Thompson, Jamie McGonigle, Bastien Hery(James Akintunde 64); Junior Ogedi Uzokwe.
Subs not used: Jack Lemoignan, Mark McChrystal, Darren Cole, Michael Harris, Caolon McLaughlin, Caoimhin Porter.
Referee: Rob Harvey
extratime.com Player of the Match - Mark Coyle (Finn Harps)
