Finn Harps Thread

Mr_A

Away to Athlone tonight. Cobh and Mervue have tricky fixtures so we may well move up with a win. We've a few injuries and McMonagle is the latest loss to add to Coll and McCarron while Brolly is doubtful. The game should be live on Finn Harps Radio is anyone fancies it.

harpstilidie

Home to Waterford Utd tonight, Finn Park, 8pm Kick off. Please come and support the lads! Tough game, Waterford had a poor start but have done reasonably well in their last few games. Hopefully we can create some more chances than we have been doing and keep the pressure on Longford. Up the Harps!

overshoot

our second string really should have beaten the strongest derry could have put of yesterday, only 3 starters from longford & mervue games... would have been nice to get one over them but the cup isnt a priority this year. good game of football & good atmosphere (probably 1000 at it) so hopefully we can keep up that end of things, the usl is clearly starting to make a difference to the squad.
onwards to wexford and keeping the pressure on longford, we may be second but they are only 3pts behind in 5th. a 3rd league win in a row would be huge, mervue host longford so a win for us will suddenly give us proper breathing space over 2 of or rivals or alternatively we could be one point behind longford (with just 3 pts between the top 3/4)

muffler

very unlucky last night but good experience for the lads

overshoot

the penalties, two brilliant saves by ciaran. well worth his call up the the u21s

shiibata

overshoot wrote: »

our second string really should have beaten the strongest derry could have put of yesterday, only 3 starters from longford & mervue games... would have been nice to get one over them but the cup isnt a priority this year. good game of football & good atmosphere (probably 1000 at it) so hopefully we can keep up that end of things, the usl is clearly starting to make a difference to the squad.
onwards to wexford and keeping the pressure on longford, we may be second but they are only 3pts behind in 5th. a 3rd league win in a row would be huge, mervue host longford so a win for us will suddenly give us proper breathing space over 2 of or rivals or alternatively we could be one point behind longford (with just 3 pts between the top 3/4)

First time down at the Harps this season, thought it was a great spectacle last night, really impressed with Harps..Derry goal was some finish....

overshoot

harps radio back up and running tonight, some new commentators from 8pm
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/finn-harps-radio

er usually i recommend pg18, could need higher :pac:

big weekend though with the top 6 all playing each other (even if there is only 2 more)
want athlone to beat waterford and leave them with a mountain to climb. eventually they will get their act together and be a bigger threat in the long run.
cant decide if mervue winning would be a good or a bad thing though, id love a gap for us in the playoff spots but the last few weeks have seen the lads really step it up (and good use of the squad) and i no longer see longford as a step too far.
of course all this depends on us winning!

Technique

Draws in the other games would probably suit us best.

overshoot

flip we lost... longford won, 7pts to them now, were still second but only on goal difference. just 4pts back to waterford in 6th

nigeldinho

overshoot wrote: »

harps radio back up and running tonight, some new commentators from 8pm
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/finn-harps-radio

er usually i recommend pg18, could need higher :pac:

Cracking commentator he was too. I hear he's a good looking chap.


On another note, a nice chance to gain a bit of revenge tomorrow. Fancy a win.

harpstilidie

2-1 victory tonight! Through to the next round of the cup!

overshoot

thread resurrection 2 for the day!
finally got a win under the belt last weekend, much better performance had been on display for a while and an awful crowd to go with the form, 250 according to extratime but even that seemed a tad generous.

despite the form we sit 6pts off a playoff spot & 10 off top spot with longford appearing to start their yearly end of season implosion (ok this would just be the second time), anything is possible. mcHugh finally got a goal under his belt and McCarron should be back fit again for athlone.

Few in & outs too
IN:Marty Owens (Sligo Rovers, Loan) Shane Buchanan (Fanad United) Matt Henry (Derry City), Pat McCann, (from new york) Lee Toland, (newcastle) Shane McGinty (back from sligo)

OUT: Stephen O’Donnell, Hugh Carlin, Chris McBride, Marc Brolly, Thomas McBride, Matthew Crossan and goalkeeper Rory Kelly
Shame about o'donnell, just seemed to be getting back to fitness, thought he could have had a good influence in the run in.

Few of the usual fund-raisers are on now too, the golf classic (hmm thats monday, pretty late warning) & last man standing (for the upcoming premier league season)

i think theres as bus to Athlone running too, anyone interested pm me and il put ya onto the organisers...

cobh at home in the cup too so good chance of making the Quarter Final... or playing cobh 3 times in 2 weeks (twice away!)

Mint Sauce

So any update on the new stadium, seen some foundations in place the other day near to or where the stadium is planned.

Was that for the development or something else?

overshoot

overshoot wrote: »

.

see that post, although since then.... er.....

those foundations went in last year and are for the main stand

muffler

Mint Sauce wrote: »

Was that for the development or something else?

Thats a new community and enterprise building

overshoot

good win yesterday, forker scored two absolute screamers, first from about 30 yards, turned and fired it past the keeper, second was a run from around the halfway line, beating a few players.
mcveigh could have had a hatrick, first attempt or 2 probably didnt show a killer instinct and got blocked but then drew some great saves and had a 30 yard + curling effort hit the corner of the cross bar right on full time. would have been a spectacular goal and he would have well deserved it.

Toland & mcCann we impressive too, good work ethic and toland has a lovly cross, something we have been lacking... altho we could do with a few more men loitering in the box too

Gallagher was on top form in goals too, called upon a could of times & was good and commanding & made a few great stops. McCarron coming back to fitness too is also reassuring.

Now the question is it too late to make a charge? 6 pts in 3 games, and from what i hear (including athlone fans) we didnt deserve to lose that one. performances are much better and the new signings seem so far an improvement on what was there before.

waterford at home next week. a win would put us within 5 & they have to go away to everyone who is still (remotely) in the hunt, we only have an away trip to longford, who are another team who are faltering... and if they go as bad as last year could also be catchable. Home to athlone tonight could really hurt them or get them back on track.

We have a lot of work to do but we arent out of the hunt, we are capable of going on a run & everyone is capable of taking points of each other. others will drop points, but we cant afford to at this stage. whatever hope is left... we are buggered if we lose next friday, win & 5 points isnt much!

in other news the u17s are in the macron cup final in galway (in half an hour), its a replay of their opening group game which they drew 2-2 but harps did top the group.

in addition to the last man standing comp theres also a harps fantasy premier league. can see how good your EPL knowledge is!

edit-also if anyone can stand fair city for 30 seconds we got a mention there! jump to 14.50 i wouldnt subject you to more, the man who found that is still trying to wash his eyes out.

and waterford! friday @ 8 last chance saloon but we have found a bit of form! if anyone wants a lift from donegal town iv usually a spot or 2 in the car

last edit- the u17s won the final with dean boyle getting player of the tournament

Mr_A

Two massive games now that could well define the season. Nothing but a win will do against Waterford, but do that and we're back in the hunt for a playoff and with momentum too.

Then the cup match against Cobh on Friday week. The way the draw has panned out there are a lot of potentially lucrative ties in the quarter finals.

overshoot

Mr_A wrote: »

Then the cup match against Cobh on Friday week. The way the draw has panned out there are a lot of potentially lucrative ties in the quarter finals.

lot potential nice ones through it, good to have a cup run! been a while. a draw tho would be a disaster, 2 trips to cobh in a week.

huge game now v waterford on friday, shame forker is suspended after the 2 crackers against salthill. kids for 1e may still be working too, iv asked elsewhere

also with the premier league starting saturday thought id give another reminder about the fantasy football competition. about 60 in so far, so about 400e for first and 150/100 for 2nd/third. (according to joe on the facebook)

overshoot

cup weekend and last hurrah!
another lob like this from kev would be good

Technique

Last minute equaliser and a long trip to Cobh.

Derry City.

overshoot

draw 1-1 at home
travel the length of the country
to play a match the same day
win 4-0 (with mcveigh actually scoring!)
we do like to do things the hard way!

another plus is cobh should be minus 2 players for the league game friday after finishing with 9.

home to drogs on friday the 13th in the QF. lets hope they are superstitious still tough but shels are really the only other team you would have wanted unless bluebell take Derry
2 games from the lansdowne!

overshoot

poster by cobraharp "for use as a cover/profile pic on Twitter/FB OR where-ever promoting Drogs cup game." had an image removed before so credit where its due!

MOD: sweet jesus that was a large image. re hosted and resized. Click for full size!

overshoot

overshoot wrote: »

MOD: sweet jesus that was a large image. re hosted and resized. Click for full size!

sorry never looked when i posted, was normal where i got the link from!

anyway big game tomorrow, Preview here
McCarron suspended even if he was coming back from injury hes still a big loss

danniemcq

overshoot wrote: »

sorry never looked when i posted, was normal where i got the link from!

anyway big game tomorrow, Preview here
McCarron suspended even if he was coming back from injury hes still a big loss

Ah its no problem it can sometimes happen with direct linking!

overshoot

last thing

Finn Harps V Drogheda Arrangments
Important to point out that the match tomorrow night is a Quarter Final and the Fans will be segregated Drogheda Fans to enter by Chestnut Road Entrance ONLY and Finn Harps Fans to Enter by Navenny Street All other rules for a Cup match will also apply

i hope they move the chip van from its usual :pac:

overshoot

good to have the crowd and atmosphere back in Finn Park last friday, most biased display by officials i have ever seen in any code tho!
mcHugh scored an absolute cracker, worth a look on MNS tomorrow

altho if anyone wants to make the trip iv space in the car, leaving Donegal Town

Mr_A

Highlights from Friday night's game- some goal from McHugh!

Heartbreak at the end as we were on the break and instead of a chance for 2-0 contrived to concede instead.

muffler

Mr_A wrote: »

some goal from McHugh!

He wont score many better than that.

overshoot

so... we are the current Irish managers last club, im sure stranger things have happened

overshoot

last home game to round of what turned out to be a pretty disappointing season tomorrow v the divisions recently crowned champs.

only one questions left to be answered this year... is hutton the right man to bring us forward?

NIMAN

Don't think he will be there for much longer

Mr_A

Hutton has resigned. We need to advertise this and see who's interested. Not acceptable to be finishing in and around the amatuer clubs.

overshoot

definitely, had been hoping that they would anyway and hutton would be given his chance to interview many lay out his mistakes/future plans, at the same time i wasnt sure he was up to it.

I think last night was the first time kev & mccarron seemed to be playing as proper strikers, usually one was coming very deep. I dont think the squad is a million miles away, need a right winger with a good final ball, a good creative midfielder (not sure mcCann or bonner are the players to fulfil the role but i would keep them) another striker to cover kev whose getting on and mccarron, although hopefully duffy will step up.

last time athlone went up we followed the year after, 60th years next year too, repeat of 2004 please!

overshoot

may as well do another resurection....
the stadium... its growing!
Finn Harps Schools (a few more pics)

Mint Sauce

Even though a Sligo Rovers fan, have been up Finn Park a couple of times, and in fairness, it was a bit of a kip.



But cant wait to see this eventually finished. Would be great to see another quality LOI stadium in the NW.

overshoot wrote: »

may as well do another resurection....
the stadium... its growing!
Finn Harps Schools[/URL] (a few more pics)

Link Broken/Page Gone.

overshoot

Mint Sauce wrote: »

Even though a Sligo Rovers fan, have been up Finn Park a couple of times, and in fairness, it was a bit of a kip.

But cant wait to see this eventually finished. Would be great to see another quality LOI stadium in the NW.

Link Broken/Page Gone.

yea but it will be missed when its gone!
plan last i heard is main stand & admin building, move in (2k)
start opposite stand (4k)
the ends at some point (6,600-all seated tho )

never tested it, i edited it try again, should be fine now
its the "Finn Harps Schools" facebook page & its public so if you serch it you can probably get it there

Mint Sauce

overshoot wrote: »

yea but it will be missed when its gone!
plan last i heard is main stand & admin building, move in (2k)
start opposite stand (4k)
the ends at some point (6,600-all seated tho )

never tested it, i edited it try again, should be fine now
its the "Finn Harps Schools" facebook page & its public so if you serch it you can probably get it there

Works now

overshoot

So it begins!

also huzzah for the nice big blue crane put up over the last 2 days at Finn Park 2

muffler

overshoot wrote: »

also huzzah for the nice big blue crane put up over the last 2 days at Finn Park 2

They hadnt to move it far

dregin

My uncle Jim lifting the FAI Cup in 74!

harpstilidie

Can't wait for tonight! UTH!

NIMAN

Well? What was the game like?
Crowd?

overshoot

working all day yesterday and never got around to it.
crowd i thought 800, extratime put it at 850 so decent enough, nothing official announced but was around that for the first game last year too

first half was pretty dire, whistle happy ref giving many nothing decisions stopped anyone from getting a rhythm. waterford slightly on top this half, created the most clear cut chances at least.

second half harps were much improved, keating & mccarron playing out wide in a 4-3-3 were causing havoc for the waterford full backs but we struggled to create many clear chances against a well organised waterford defense, still a couple of decent ones and we probably should have taken one. waterford also had a few but were mostly limited to counter attacks


new lads
winn had a decent enough first game, one or 2 things i would have questioned but quick and good judgement on when to advance, and given that he is hugh it makes it even trickier for the attacker

tiofack, quiet in the first half, seemed to come into it more in the second, couldnt quite pin down his role, possibly just had a free one

keating, as mentioned earlier thought he had a great game, great effort and really wants to be there (something which i suppose has got us onto the backs of past loanees) coming up from westport i believe

mailey, good game too literally put his head on the line on one occasion and to have him back

fisher wasnt on long enough

others
coll & mcnulty both had great games, getting forward in support of attacks, mchugh still has the touch but possibly lost another bit of pace, i think this is going to be made up for though with the pacey pair of mccarron & keating running either side of him.

Quick interview with Ollie Horgan

away jersey also unveiled nice but home much nicer imo (big head on martin :pac: )

tl;dr
decent crowd
harps much more attacking than last year, entertaining enough second half
ref ruined the first but was at least equally fussy

& 54 crew have a bus to tallaght stadium next sunday, shams B opening with a 1-1 in cobh
estimated; leave about 10:30am from Finn Park, 10:50 Letterkenny at McGettigans, 11 Manor if needed, 11:15 Lifford.

overshoot

big 3-0 win down in Tallaght in Shams B's first home game, Cowan, Funston(p) and mcCann with the goals.Result all the better considering Coll, McHugh and Mccarron weren't fit

Puts us second in the league and yet to concede.
wasnt at it but il let extratime sum it up

Well The Hoop "B" side have been beaten in their first outing at Tallaght Stadium. Finn Harps were excellent on the pitch, aswell as off it, as The Harps faithul sang their teams praises through out and are continuing to do it now as they depart Tallaght. Till next time, I've been Josh Dolan. Enjoy your Paddys day.!

bet Cockhill in the EA cup on monday too 3-2, we can face Sligo, Derry or Galway in the next round.

Home to Cobh on Friday at 8

NIMAN

You should pray for Derry in the next round, we were shockingly poor v Cork!

overshoot

NIMAN wrote: »

You should pray for Derry in the next round, we were shockingly poor v Cork!

Galway away although on a bank holiday monday so good excuse for a trip!

5-0 to the Harps and top of the league, great start to the weekend, could have been more too

3 clean sheets and 8 goals in the last 2 games from 6 different players without our 2 main strikers who scored ALL our league goals until a midway through last season, it has to be some cause for optimism!

McCann (2), Tiofack and Keating had great games and deserved their goals, Doc opening the scoring in a goalmouth scramble, defence is solid although unsure about Winn (despite the clean sheets), id like him to impose himself better, and given his size it shouldnt be hard!

Hard to fault anyone, tireless workrate and constantly making support runs and giving the man on the ball options too. Hastling the opposition when and where ever they have the ball too and making it very difficult. Something thats been sorely lacking for a few years and quite refreshing.

Heard Tommy Bonner pulled out of a tackle during the Cockhill game, got a right yelling at from the touchline and subbed 5mins later so a manager there who wont accept less than 100%

Poor crowd, about 400 although given the game was called of at 5, given the go ahead at 6 and the general atrocious weather its not too surprising. Was certainly value for money even if the temperature was 0!

Donegal News Report
Extratime Report

Bring on Galway next Saturday @ 7.45 as opposed to the usual friday.
Not sure what to make of them, opening day victory against big spenders longford and drawing with Shams B at home today.

Table (its been a while since we were there)

Mr_A

That's what it's all about- volunteers work hard to get the game on and the team reward them with a cracking performance. Cobh and Shamrock Rovers B aren't the strongest but it's great to see them both ruthlessly dispatched.

Galway lost their opener and drew the two games since that and are the only team in the league not to have scored yet. But they're built around a good Mervue side and have a lot of good players so are a big step up from our last two games.

Good times though and the team is shaping up really well.

overshoot

Yea good so see them dispatched so well, we were drawing these games last year so to be building a goal difference is a vast improvement!

overshoot

Tried opening a thread in the soccer forum to see how it goes there, (lead from harpsmans gaa thread)

preview for the next home game v galway on saturday at 7.45
(horgan has a irish schools international, so moved from usual friday)

overshoot

seen as it probably got buried in the soccer forum il repost the stadium update as its quite Donegal relevant. there is about 27 photos in the link
Also quarter final of the FAI cup today... edgy given our last 2 results, travel without mcHugh & McCarron but hopefully we can do it. Long trip to Cork and Avondale have won 4 of the last 5 intermediate cups

overshoot wrote: »

Finn Park 2 is still growing From Finn Harps Schools Facebook