- Éanna Mackey
- Sat, Oct 19 2024
Treaty United ended their season with a 2-1 victory away to Finn Harps in the final round of the SSE Airtricity League First Division in awful conditions on Friday night in Ballybofey.
Tommy Barrett’s men came from behind to secure an impressive win, ending their campaign in seventh place.
He gave highly-rated teenage goalkeeper Michael Dike a fifth league start and named a number of academy prospects on the bench. Barrett was dealt some disappointing news earlier this week when talisman Enda Curran announced that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.
The first chance of the night fell to Harps in the seventh minute as Conor Tourish found himself in behind after a long ball forward, however he stabbed his effort well wide.
Dike came to the rescue for the Shannonsiders in the 14th minute as former Treaty man Success Edogun played Gavin Gilmore straight through on goal. Seventeen-year-old Dike did well to keep out Gilmore’s shot and reacted sharply to save Max Johnston’s follow-up effort.
Three minutes later 16-year-old Gavin McAteer was next to go close for Harps but his curled free kick from the edge of the box went narrowly over.
Treaty’s first sniff at goal came in the 22nd minute by way of a Yoyo Mahdy free kick at the edge of the box. However, his effort was drilled straight at Oisín Cooney in the Harps goal.
Dike was called into action again in the 28th minute as Edogun drilled a low snapshot that seemed destined for the bottom corner. However, Dike did well in palming the ball out for a corner.
Five minutes on and Harps came inches from taking the lead as Conor Tourish's header from an in-swinging corner rattled off the upright. The ball fell to Max Johnson with the entire goal to aim at but he somehow scuffed his effort skywards before Richkov Boevi managed to clear the ball to safety.
However, ninety seconds later Tourish got his and Finn Harps well deserved opener. Tourish got on the end of Kevin Jordan's cross from deep to flick the ball effortlessly to the back of the net as Harps went in at the interval full value for their lead.
Shortly after the restart substitute Thomas Considine forced a superb save from Cooney from close range. Considine and Mahdy linked up well but his effort was smothered by the highly rated Donegal man.
Gavin McAteer came close to doubling the Finn Harps lead ten minutes into the second period. He found himself in space on the edge of the box before jinking passed a couple of Treaty challenges. He unleashed a left-footed effort that curled agonizingly over the bar.
Considine then levelled the game spectacularly in the 68th minute, netting his fourth goal of the season. The pacey winger picked up possession on the edge of the box before beating his man and unleashing an unstoppable shot into the top corner as the helpless Cooney remained rooted to his spot.
Ten minutes later Treaty took the lead and Considine played a pivotal role. The winger drove at his man on the right flank before delivering a dangerous ball on top of Oisín Cooney. Mark Byrne nipped in front of the goalkeeper to flick the ball to the back of the net to give the Shannonsiders the lead.
Harps almost responded immediately with Edogun powering his way through the Treaty defence before forcing another big save from Dike. Captain Mark Walsh flicked the loose ball off the line and away to safety.
Edogun had a late penalty shout was waved away by referee Declan Toland to the dismay of the home crowd as the Shannonsiders held on to end their campaign on a positive note.
Tommy Barrett will probably look back on this season with frustration, lamenting his sides 14-game winless run as the season’s defining period. With one of the youngest squads in the league and several exciting academy prospects making their first team breakthrough this year, the Shannonsiders will hope to build on the foundations for next season.
Finn Harps: Oisín Cooney, Noe Baba, David Cawley (Matthew Mackinson 88), Success Edogun, Gavin Gilmore (Sean Patton 68), Max Johnston (Luke O’Brien 63), Kevin Jordan (Bruce Strachan 63), Gavin McAteer, Tony McNamee, Conor Tourish, Jamie Watson.
Treaty United: Michael Dike, Richkov Boevi, Colin Conroy, Steven Healy (Cillian Mulvihill 83), Christy Horgan (Thomas Considine 45), Yoyo Mahdy (Niko Kozlowski 69), Evan O’Connor, Oisín O’Reilly, David Tarmey (Mark Byrne 63), Trpimir Vrljicak (Luke Ryan 83), Mark Walsh.
Referee: Declan Toland.
