Finn Harps 1 - 1 Waterford United

• Alan Foley
• Fri, Jul 16 2010


Waterford United may have more in their locker but they were forced to share the points with Finn Harps in Ballybofey on Friday night.

The south-easterners have a squad with a number of players with Premier Division experience in their ranks and although they certainly had enough openings to take the points on the long trip home, that might have been a tad unfair on the exclusively local side from the north-west.

Waterford had most of the ball in the first half, but although possession might be nine-tenths of the law, on the field of play goals is the only currency that counts. Harps’ attacks were not overly frequent, but the one that broke the deadlock was crisp and incisive.

In an instance that could certainly be considered against the run of play, Davitt Walsh put the hosts in front with an excellently created goal on 36 minutes. James Doherty's diagonal ball sets Tommy Bonner away and his tantalising ball across the area is met first time by Walsh at the back post to steer home.

However, on 73 minutes, the sides were level when substitute Willie John Kiely stabbed home from close range after a near pinball series of events. Kiely himself started the move and when the ball came back into the area it was Vinny Sullivan who it the post from a matter of yards out. The ball then fell to Liam Kearney, but James Gallagher remarkably saved from close range only for Kiely to slam home from a handful of yards.

In the first period, Stephen Henderson’s side opened the brightest in front of the sparse crowd of 400 or so. Sullivan caused a number of uncomfortable moments for that home support, but a mixture of bad fortune and bad finishing from the former Cork City striker maintained his side’s inabilities to hit the front.

On 17 minutes, he passed up a real opportunity when his shot on goal was as feeble as a backpass after John Kearney picked the lock. Sullivan looked at an assistant referee's flag for some sort of redemption. It never came. His second real effort resulted in nothing again, but this time he could not be considered wasteful as a fantastically executed volley from the edge of the area drifted inches wide of the yawning goalmouth.

While Packie Mailey hooked a shot wide if the post at the other end, it still looked a safe bet for the visitors to be the first to score. Once more they threatened and this time they come within a lick of paint. Again it was Sullivan, this time from John Kearney's ball from the inside left channel, but the frontman scuffed the shot across goal and sees it bounce off the post and for all their huffing and puffing, it was Harps who led at the interval.

Harps played in spells and although we perhaps a touch undeserving of their lead, did do well in the third quarter against the team currently in second place in the table. The only time they were really under pressure was when Kiely levelled, but that goal engulfed Waterford’s beliefs and they pushed on from there.

The Harps defence though, marshalled by manager Gallagher and captain Mailey, held firm and if there was to be a winner in the closing stages as time wore thin it was when Matt Crossan improvised superbly from a Jonathan Minnock free and Kevin Burns tipped the ball around the post in stoppage time.

Finn Harps: James Gallagher; James Doherty, Jonathan Minnock, Packie Mailey, Matthew Crossan; Mark Forker (Stephen McLaughlin 74), Michael Funston, Thomas Bonner, Marc Brolly; Davitt Walsh (Oisin McMenamin 83), Kevin McHugh.

Waterford United: Kevin Burns; Alan Carey, Seamus Long, Kevin Murray, Michael Coady; Gary Keane (Willie John Kiely 62), John Kearney, James O’Sullivan (Shane Barrett 70), Liam Kearney; Vinny Sullivan (Kevin Watters 82), Paul Murphy.

Referee: John Grimes.