Finn Harps 2
Shamrock Rovers 1
Alan Foley reports from Finn Park
IT WENT to form in Ballybofey, where, rather perversely, a Finn Harps side still with the shadow of relegation hanging over their heads beat the champions-elect Shamrock Rovers.
Tunde Owolabi, five minutes from time with his fifth goal in three home games, bundled home the winner from a Karl O’Sullivan cross after a daring break upfield from Harps skipper Dave Webster.
It gave Ollie Horgan’s team a sixth win in succession — four league victories and two in the FAI Cup — and meant Shamrock Rovers’ fourth loss on the bounce.
An Adam Foley own goal looked to have gifted a threadbare Rovers a share of the spoils. Harps’ top-scorer perhaps tried to be too delicate in attempting to head a cross from Dylan Watts back to his own goalkeeper Mark Anthony McGinley, only to see it nestle in the corner on 71 minutes.
Beforehand, Jordan Mustoe, the Harps left-back, had scored his first goal for the club on 56 minutes when he swept past Alan Mannus from a Ryan Rainey assist, after good approach play from Barry McNamee, Will Seymore, Webster and Foley.
The closest any side came to scoring beforehand was when Rory Gaffney struck the post on 51 minutes, although that was all the league champions had created at that point barring Watts’ effort that ran across the line on 35 minutes.
Stephen Bradley’s side was a shuffled pack. Daniel Mandroiu’s indiscretion against Bohemians in the FAI Cup brought a one-match ban to join Ronan Finn on the suspension list, whilst Roberto Lopes was unavailable due to World Cup qualifiers with Cape Verde. Lee Grace, Sean Hoare, Sean Kavanagh and Neil Farrugia missed out through injury.
Harps had shaded things in the first half with Mannus saving from Foley on 10 minutes after the Rovers rearguard was caught out by a long clearance from McGinley.
Finn Harps: Mark Anthony McGinley; Dave Webster, Shane McEleney, Kosovar Sadiki, Jordan Mustoe; Will Seymore, Mark Coyle; Adam Foley (Karl O’Sullivan 72), Barry McNamee, Ryan Rainey (Ryan Connolly 88); Tunde Owolabi (Sean Boyd 90+2).
Shamrock Rovers: Alan Mannus; Sean Gannon, Barry Cotter, Joey O’Brien; Max Murphy (Aidomo Emakhu 69), Richie Towell, Aaron Greene, Gary O’Neill, Dylan Watts; Rory Gaffney, Graham Burke.
Referee: Damien McGraith.
HARPS WIN!!!!
— Finn Harps FC (@FinnHarpsFC) September 3, 2021
Goals from Owolabi and Mustoe make it six wins on the bounce!
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