Limerick 0
Finn Harps 2
Andrew Cuneen reports from Markets Field.
TEN-MAN FINN HARPS climbed out of the bottom three thanks to a two-nil win in Limerick.
These sides met just six days previously, but this encounter was far more lively from the off.
Harps were content to sit deep and break when appropriate, but were almost caught out by clever movement from Lee-J Lynch on a handful of occasions throughout the opening stages.
The Blues’ biggest chance arrived just shy of the half hour mark when a corner caused all sorts of difficulty for the visitors.
Hungarian striker Peter Berki prodded the ball goalwards but Ciaran Coll was on the line to clear the danger.
For all their possession, Limerick fell behind five minutes before the break.
Some brilliance from Paddy McCourt found a lane to play Dsane into. The nippy forward skipped past Joe Crowe and got his shot away. Brendan Clarke did well to stop the powerful drive, but the danger wasn’t clear.
Tommy McBride raced into the box to pick up the scraps – powering into the roof of the net to hand Harps the lead.
Trying to defend their lead before the break, Harps dropped to the edge of their eighteen yard box. Tony Whitehead, noting this, gained possession and played a brilliant forty yard pass into the feet of Peter Berki.
Berki was hauled down by Killian Cantwell and for the second time in six days Ollie Horgan’s troops were down to ten, as referee Tomas Connolly issued a straight red card to the Harps defender.
Tosi has netted eleven times this year, including three penalties – but his blast smashed off the post and rolled away from the danger area.
Ollie Horgan was sent to the stands at half time for an altercation, but he’d only have a better seat to watch his charges coast to a victory.
Danny Morrissey sealed the points twenty minutes from the end as a misunderstanding at the back allowed him to round Clarke and tap home from six yards.
Limerick: Brendan Clarke; Barry Cotter (Henry Cameron, 49), Tony Whitehead, Joe Crowe, Dave O’Connor; Lee-J Lynch, Bastien Hery, Shane Duggan, Chiedozie Ogbene; Peter Berki (Stephen Kenny, 49), Rodrigo Tosi (John O’Flynn, 73).
Finn Harps: Ciaran Gallagher; Ethan Boyle, Damien McNulty, Killian Cantwell, Ciaran Coll; Paddy McCourt (Jonny Bonnar, 82), Tommy McBride; Mark Timlin, Sean Houston, Eddie Dsane (Shane Blaney, 88); Ibrahim Keita (Danny Morrissey, 49).
Referee: Tomas Connolly (Dublin).
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