League Preview: St. Patrick’s Athletic -v- Finn Harps

ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC

The Saints face Finn Harps on Friday night at Richmond Park (7.45pm ko) having ended a run of four games without a win following an away victory over bottom of the table UCD on Easter Monday.

The win over the Students win came late for Tim Clancy’s men and the prospect of a fifth winless came was only avoided thanks to Joe Redmond’s 89th minute winner. 

That result against the Students also ended a run of two successive games without scoring and if there is a weak point in the Saints’ make up this year it appears to be in the striker department.

The inchicore side opened the season with a resounding 3-0 win over Shelbourne but have netted just ten times in the ten league games since then. And only five of their 13 goals have come from recognised strikers while their top-scorers are Eoin and Mark Doyle who have two each.

But for all that the Athletic are third in the table, seven points shy of leaders Derry City, and on Friday night they host Finn Harps who have just one win to their name and have conceded 19 goals in their 11 matches to date.

At home Pats’ form is solid enough. They lost their first home game, against Sligo, but have won two and drawn two since then. And they have also enjoyed some bumper crowds at home matches with 4,322 coming through the turnstiles at their last home game, a scoreless draw with Dundalk.

Tim Clancy will be without Jamie Lennon and Adam Murphy who are out with foot and hamstring injuries respectively. However, Ben Curtis and Paddy Barrett have returned to training after injury and are hopeful of being involved.

FINN HARPS

It’s been a difficult start to the season for Harps and they go into the game against St. Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park with only UCD below them in the 2022 Premier Division table.



They have managed just one win so far, a 3-0 win over newly promoted Shelbourne at Tolka Park in mid-March. And the gloss of that win is somewhat tarnished by the fact that Shels are now five points ahead of them in the table.

In eleven league matches Ollie Horgan’s men have kept just two clean sheets; from that win over Shelbourne, and a scoreless draw against fellow strugglers UCD on the opening night of the season. They have also struggled at the other end, failing to score five times.

But there is some positive news for Harps fans. Their total of ten league goals this season is just three short of their opponents on Friday night, which indicates a tighter affair than a glance at the league table might suggest.

It’s also true that Harps’ away form is markedly superior to their home form. They have gathered just two points from their games at Finn Park, from draws with Bohemians and Drogheda. But on their travels they have managed to earn five points, from one win and two more draws.

Referee: Adriano Reale

MATCH STATS



The teams have already met once this season, when St. Pats won 2-0 at Finn Park back in early March.

Both teams have top-scorers on just two goals. Mark Doyle, Darragh Burns and Eoin Doyle for the Saints, and Filip Mihaljevic and Eric McWoods for Harps.

Pats won two of the three games between the teams in 2021, but in the one game that Harps won (3-1 at Finn Park in August 2021) current Pats player, Tunde Owalabi, scored a hat-trick for the Donegal side.

PREDICTION

St Pats Athletic  1-1  Finn Harps

St Patrick’s Athletic

Injured: Jamie Lennon, Adam Murphy.

Doubtful: Ben Curtis, Paddy Barrett.

Suspended: None.

Finn Harps

Injured: Unavailable

Doubtful: Unavailable

Suspended: None.

    About Simon O'Gorman

    Simon O'Gorman began reporting for Extratime in 2010. He remembers Milltown and Flower Lodge and, back in the mists of time, saw Diego Maradona play at Lansdowne Road. He now lives in Co Kildare and … View Full Profile