Preview: Finn Harps vs St Patricks Athletic
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Finn Harps face their toughest home game of the season so far when they welcome St. Patrick's Athletic to Finn Park on Friday evening (kick-off 8.00pm). It took a wonder strike from Derry City's Owen Morrison at Richmond Park last Friday night to end John McDonnell's side winning start to the season.
This will be the Saints second visit to the north-west in a matter of days, as they played Derry City in the Setanta Sports Cup in the Brandywell on Monday night. Fresh from their 1-0 reversal three days earlier, St. Pat's again lost out to the candystripes, this time on a 2-0 scoreline. For Harps, they have a 100% home record to protect having won each of their opening two fixtures against Cobh Ramblers and UCD.
Harps boss Paul Hegarty had hoped to have Kevin Ramsey available again after the striker sat out last week's game against Bray Wanderers through suspension. However, the frontman picked up a foot injury in training during the week and is a definite non-starter. To make matters worst, Chris Breen is also a serious doubt having received an ankle knock in training at the start of the week. Breen partnered Conor Gethins in attack last weekend in the 1-0 defeat in Bray. Hegarty is hoping to have Stephen Parkhouse back again after the former Derry City striker missed the last three games with a back problem. The club's fifth striker, Gary Beckett, has yet to play this season with knee ligament trouble. "Gary and Stephen have been doing some jogging, but we'll have to see", said a fustrated Hegarty. "Kevin's out for sure and we're not certain about Chris right now. At the minute, we have one fit striker in Conor, but hopefully that situation will improve come Friday."
Hegarty said Harps deserved something from last week's trip to the Carlisle Grounds. "Last weekend in Bray, I thought we were unlucky to come away with nothing. I thought we looked solid at the back all night and defensively we were very good," he said. "We looked like we weren't going to give anything up, but we got caught with a ball over the top and it was disappointing in itself that we had so many chances and didn't score."
"Since we were last at Finn Park three weeks ago, we have had two disappointing results on the road following defeats to Bohemians and Bray Wanderers, but we are looking to get back on track with a win on Friday - although we know it will be extremely difficult as St Pat's have had a fine start to the season," said Hegarty.
Harps have only managed to beat the Saints once in eight previous Premier Division games at Finn Park – that 2-1 victory coming in September 1998 with James Mulligan and Jonathan Minnock on target for Charlie McGeever's Harps.
