League Preview: Finn Harps -v- Sligo Rovers

This weekend’s round of League of Ireland Premier Division games will mark the final fixture before the 12 teams take their mid-season break, however, there is still a lot to be determined in what has been a highly competitive campaign so far and this Friday evening Finn Harps will play host to Sligo Rovers in a clash between two clubs looking to climb up the ladder and as far away as possible from the lower echelons of the league table.

FINN HARPS

Finn Harps will be looking to build on an impressive away point taken last week at Tallaght Stadium against Shamrock Rovers.

That game was the first draw of the season for Pat Fenlon’s side while it also ended a string of three consecutive defeats and no goals scored for Harps as Dave Scully bagged his third of the campaign to ensure a precious point was earned for Olly Horgan’s men.

Speaking on the back of that draw, Horgan was satisfied with how his team fought hard for ninety minutes to pick up the deserved point.

“It was a point gained from our point of view,” said Horgan on the game in Tallaght, “The target is accumulating enough points to get into the play-off spot and that point is one closer to that.

“We’ve had a few bad days in the last few weeks so we needed to change a bit and try to freshen things up. Our defending wasn’t always great against Rovers but it wasn’t as poor as in some recent games.

“If Rovers had scored a second goal in the first half, and they may have deserved to, we could have been in for another tough day.  But we hung on, we showed a bit of fight and got a result

“We knew we were going to be under pressure and were not going to have a lot of the ball. We got that bit of luck we hadn’t got in the last few weeks. We’ll take the point but we need to accumulate more to stay in this division.”

They now welcome Sligo to Finn Park and Horgan is aware of the threat the in-form club will pose on Friday night.

“Sligo should have been out of sight by half time the last time we played them but we managed to get back into the game in the second half and were able to secure a good point.

“Our support was brilliant that night, we’d love to see a repeat of that sort of atmosphere from our fans on Friday night. Sligo are in great form- they’ve strung together a number of wins and are playing good football. 

They have some very talented players in their ranks and it’ll be another tough game, but we will prepare as well as possible and do everything we can to get a result.”

Finn Harps have no injury worries heading into the game with Damien McNulty the only player missing through suspension.

SLIGO ROVERS

Sligo Rovers have been in remarkable form as of late, having won six games from their last seven, the only blip coming against Shamrock Rovers in a 3-0 reverse at the beginning of May.

In the Bit O’Red’s most recent game they defeated Galway United 2-1 away from home with Kieran Sadlier scoring a second-consecutive brace to bring all three points back to The Showgrounds and also close the gap between the clubs to 2 points.

Sligo boss Dave Robertson is delighted with his sides’ current form and is aiming for a win so they can carry a significant amount of momentum going into the break.

“We are in a really good place right now. The players have been working really hard and are focused on this game. We really want to continue the good form that we have been on into the break.

“We want to go into the break with momentum and we want to go into it strong. We have won six games out of seven which is really good. It is important that we continue that tomorrow and if we can we’ll be really well placed for the break and going into the next stage of our season.

“Our composure, our understanding of each other and our problem solving are our three key areas. I have been really pleased with how we have been doing in each of those lately. We have scored 17 goals in those games and been really strong. I am pleased with our attacking play but also we have put in some key performances defensively to keep clean sheets and get those results. We need to keep finding that balance.”

Robertson is fully aware that Sligo will once again face a difficult task in the form of Finn Harps and is urging his side to avoid complacency.

“Finn Harps will provide a different challenge. We have prepared well for it and it is one that we are all really looking forward to. We have a good idea of what to expect from them. They got a good draw against Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght and that will inject more confidence into their group.

“The fact that this is a derby game just adds motivation. They will also be wanting to do well in the league even more having been knocked out of the cup to Crumlin. There is everything to play for and we won’t take the game lightly and are giving them every respect, they have ground out some good results against some good team at the start of the season.

“We cannot become complacent just because we are on a good run. We have to assert ourselves on the game, be attacking and continue to play the game in the right way.”

In team news, Rovers welcome back both Craig Roddan and Michael Leahy who were absent for the game in Galway due to suspension while Tim Clancy has recovered from a thigh injury.

Gavin Peers will miss the game following a slight hamstring injury picked up against Galway but it is expected he should be fit again when the season resumes in three weeks’ time.

Referee: Robert Harvey

MATCH STATS

When these two sides met last March, it marked the first competitive meeting between the pairing for eight years.

Harps are seeking a first win in all competitions since April 15^th when they defeated Bray Wanderers 1-0.

Finn Harps have never beaten Sligo Rovers in a competitive game. Sligo have won five of their six meetings with their draw this season the only time Harps had taken points off the Bit O’Red.

BETTING

Finn Harps 4/1; Draw 23/10; Sligo Rovers 8/11

PREDICTION

Finn Harps 1-3 Sligo Rovers

Finn Harps

Injured: None.

Doubtful: None.

Suspended: Damien McNulty

Sligo Rovers

Injured: Gavin Peers

Doubtful: None.

Suspended: None.