Details

Date Time League Season
23 October 2021 7:30 pm LOI Men's Premier Division 2021

Match Report

10-man Harps fight-back to earn draw with Sligo

Finn Harps staged a dramatic recovery to earned a 2-2 draw with Sligo Rovers, despite playing a man in arrears for the majority of this encounter in Ballybofey.

Kosovar Sadiki earned himself an early straight red card when he inflicted a nasty tackle on Johnny Kenny in the fourth minute, leaving the home outfit with a hill to climb for the rest of the fixture.

Goals from Kenny and Niall Morahan saw the Rovers take the lead after the interval, with a late Sean Boyd strike not enough to mount a comeback for the men in blue.

Sadiki ‘s straight red infringement came on Kenny in the fourth minute, putting a taint on the proceedings right from the off and forcing Harps to switch to a 4-4-1 formation.

Sligo’s leading scorer was then involved in another major talking point later in the game missing a penalty minutes from half-time as keeper Mark McGinley got a touch to it with his feet as he dived across the face of his net.

0-0 at the break, Liam Buckley’s men knew they had to turn on the fireworks if they were to capitalise on the fantastic opportunity for all three points.

Kenny did so within the opening exchanges of the second 45, getting on the end of a superb Buckley ball to make good on his earlier mistake and slot the ball past McGinley.

This was later supplemented to by a half volley wonder strike by Niall Morahan, sending the Bit O’Red into game management mode assured they had a decent cushion under their belts.

The safety net was short lived however as substitute Boyd tucked away the hosts opening effort with 86 minutes gone, O’Sullivan cementing what seemed implausible just a few moments later as he blasted the ball into the back of the net to make it 2-2 in injury time.

Sligo now cede the chance for Derry to edge closer to them in tomorrow’s outing versus Drogheda United, while Harps will have an ecstatic take away but remain in limbo table position wise with Waterford.

Finn Harps

1Mark McGinley Goalkeeper
3Jordan Mustoe Defender
4Kosovar Sadiki Defender 4'
5Dave Webster Defender
6Ryan Connolly 7 Midfielder
11Barry McNamee 17 Midfielder
14Mark Coyle Midfielder
16Shane McEleney Defender
22Ryan Rainey Midfielder
28Will Seymore Midfielder
45Babatunde Owolabi 9 Forward
25Patrick McGarvey Goalkeeper
Luke Rudden Forward
7Karl O’Sullivan 6 Forward 93'
9Sean Boyd 45 Forward 86'
10Mark Timlin Midfielder
17Dan Hawkins 11 Forward
19Adam Foley Forward
21Stephen Doherty Midfielder
24Ethan Boyle Defender

Sligo Rovers

1Ed McGinty Goalkeeper
2Lewis Banks Defender 17'
5Robbie McCourt Defender
21John Mahon Defender
26Garry Buckley Midfielder
8Niall Morahan Midfielder 56'
25'
9Ryan DeVries Forward
10Walter Figueira 15 Forward
17Adam McDonnell Midfielder
22David Cawley Midfielder
24Johnny Kenny 27 Forward 47'
30Richard Brush Goalkeeper
4Danny Kane Defender
11Seamas Keogh Midfielder
12Mark Byrne Midfielder
15Melvyn Lorenzen 10 Midfielder
19Regan Donelon Defender
20Darren Collins Forward
27Romeo Parkes 24 Forward
44Andre Wright Forward
14Shane Blaney Defender
  • All over, 2-2 the final score

  • 93'

    O'Sullivan gets the equaliser! Boyle had played it into him and Harps have snatched a share of the spoils in the dyng embers

  • 90'

    4 minutes added time announced

  • 90'

    Into the last minute of regulation time in Finn Park. Presumably some surefire injury time to come given the stop start nature after halftime

  • 86'

    Boyd goal! Is there a chance for the Donegal side yet?

  • 83'

    Melvyn with a touch of class there inserting himself well into the set up since his introduction

  • 81'

    Sligo utilising game management well at the minute, not letting Harps go on the break at any opportunity

  • 78'

    Romeo Parke's enters the fray for Sligo in place of Kenny

  • 78'

    Melvyn Lorenzen on for Sligo, Figueira comes off

  • 77'

    Chance for Finn Harps but good defence by Sligo sees the ball out for a goal kick

  • 74'

    Freekick for Sligo in a scoring position

  • 71'

    A delay occurred there due to a suspected injury but action has since resumed

  • 67'

    2 more successive corners for the Ballybofey group follow

  • 66'

    Hawkins penalty call but Harps have got a corner out of it instead

  • 64'

    Owalabi off for Harps, Sean Boyd to replace him. McNamee is also replaced by Dan Hawkins, as is Connolly with O'Sullivan to pick up his place. A triple sub for the home side just past the hour mark

  • 61'

    Mahon down for Rovers

  • 60'

    Corner for Finn Harps

  • 56'

    Morahan on the Half Colley for Sligo's second. Harps's clearance goes wayward and Niall controlled the ball with his chest before letting one fly into the bottom left corner

  • 53'

    McDonell with the shot again but it drifts just wide

  • 52'

    A McGinty mix up at the back sees his clearance come off a Harps player but after a scramble he recovers from the situation

  • 50'

    Sligo continuing to push on since the goal and look like they are on the verge of a second here with their attacking momentum

  • 47'

    Buckley plays a superb ball over the top and into Kenny who slots the ball past McGinley and sends Rovers 1-0 up

  • 45'

    The second half has started

  • 48'

    Halftime in Finn Park, the outfits go in 0-0 at the break despite a red card being awarded to Harps early on and a (missed) penalty opportunity for Rovers

  • 45'

    3 mins added time announced as Johnny Kenny has another crack at goal and it results in a corner

  • 44'

    Been a battle since the penalty as both sides look to score before the interval

  • 40'

    Johnny Kenny's penalty is saved by McGinley! It comes off his feet and out

  • 39'

    Penalty for Sligo as Coyle tackles Kenny

  • 38'

    Massive save from McGinley to put a stop to Figueira

  • 36'

    Freekick for Harps in a lucrative position here. Connolly takes

  • 35'

    McDonell with a strike from 35 yards challenges McGinley and forces him to put it out for the corner

  • 33'

    Corner sligo

  • 28'

    Kenny finds space for himself and releases an effort outside the box but it's not got that much power and McGinley gathers it

  • 25'

    Morahan late on McNamee and he\'s shown a yellow card

  • 23'

    Sligo deep in the home sides half here

  • 18'

    Harps free kick sees them have an attacking flash but it yields nothing in the end

  • 17'

    Banks into the books for an infringement

  • 16'

    Freekick for Rovers is taken by Cawley. McGinley meets it with his two fists and Harps go on the break quickly with the subsequent free

  • 16'

    Harps adapting to their man down situation by forming a 4-4-1 and being quite reserved in their play at the minute

  • 13'

    Corner to Sligo, last touch off Rainey

  • 10'

    Sligo playing the ball amongst themselves these last few minutes. Looking for the hitch in Harps's armour

  • 7'

    Buckley last ditch save there off the line as the Sligo man boots Babatunde Owolabi shot away and keeps Rovers at 0-0

  • 4'

    Sadiki shown a straight red for a nasty tackle on Kenny

  • 4'

    Kenny lets another shot off this time from his feet but McGinley gets a touch to it

  • 2'

    McCourt switches the ball to Figueira who delivers a ball to Kenny. The teenager heads the ball towards goal but McGinley deals with it

  • 2'

    A wet and windy night in Donegal, it's going to be a scrappy game

  • The referee has just signalled the start of the game in Finn Park and we're off

  • Kick off in 15 minutes

  • In contrast, the Donegal group have a chance to overtake Dundalk and go level with Drogheda United if they were to come away victorious, but a loss may see them leapfrogged by last week’s opponents Waterford.

  • If Liam Buckley’s men were to triumph they would edge closer to Sy Patrick’s Athletic in second, but more importantly it may give some breathing room between themselves and Derry City who are currently just one point their deficit.

  • The other end of the pitch Mark McGinley holds four clean sheets this year, while Sligo’s Ed McGinty has his tally at nine.

  • In Harps’ camp Babatunde Owolabi retains his top goalscorer position on 11 so far this season, closely pursued by Adam Foley on eight and the second nearest Sean Boyd with 4.

  • Relying heavily on youngster Johnny Kenny since Jordan Gibson departed the club, they will again look to the 18 year old along with Walter Figueira and Romeo Parkes to pull through on the attacking front.

  • Similarly Sligo faced defeat at the hands of old rivals Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium when Danny Mandriou and former player Aaron Greene netted against them to leave a bitter taste in their mouths on the long way home.

  • There Kosovar Sadiki’s header proved the difference and the Ballybofey group will be hoping they can acquire all three points again at home come 7:30pm. The Harps however did concede four goals to Waterford in their most recent match, Phoenix Patterson, John Martin and a brace from Armando Junior Quitirna seeing them undone.

  • Their last two encounters this year have yielded a split decision in terms of results, the series 14 meet seeing Rovers run away 2-1 to the good and the most recent clash culminating in a 1-0 victory for Ollie Horgan’s side at The Showgrounds.

  • The Bit O’Red flailing their title hopes that had been on the cards earlier in the season now sit in third spot in the table, with the Donegal outfit five times the latter in eighth.

  • The northwest derby unfolds tonight at Finn Park as Harps play hosts to Sligo Rovers in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division. Tonight's match coverage is brought to you by Alanna Cunnane!

Past Meetings

(Series 23)
0 - 1
LOI Men's Premier Division
The Showgrounds

Sligo Rovers v Finn Harps

(Series 14)
1 - 2
LOI Men's Premier Division
Finn Park

Finn Harps v Sligo Rovers

(Series 5)
1 - 0
LOI Men's Premier Division
The Showgrounds

Sligo Rovers v Finn Harps

(Series 10)
3 - 1
LOI Men's Premier Division
The Showgrounds

Sligo Rovers v Finn Harps

(Series 1)
1 - 0
LOI Men's Premier Division
Finn Park

Finn Harps v Sligo Rovers

3 - 1
LOI Men's Premier Division
The Showgrounds

Sligo Rovers FC v Finn Harps FC

2 - 0
LOI Men's Premier Division
Finn Park

Finn Harps FC v Sligo Rovers FC

1 - 1
LOI Men's Premier Division
The Showgrounds

Sligo Rovers FC v Finn Harps FC

1 - 2
LOI Men's Premier Division
Finn Park

Finn Harps FC v Sligo Rovers FC

1 - 2
LOI Men's Premier Division
Finn Park

Finn Harps FC v Sligo Rovers FC

0 - 0
LOI Men's Premier Division
The Showgrounds

Sligo Rovers FC v Finn Harps FC

2 - 1
LOI Men's Premier Division
Finn Park

Finn Harps FC v Sligo Rovers FC

7:45 pm
LOI Men's Premier Division
The Showgrounds

Sligo Rovers FC v Finn Harps FC

3
LOI Men's Premier Division
Finn Park

Finn Harps FC v Sligo Rovers FC

1 - 1
LOI Men's Premier Division
The Showgrounds

Sligo Rovers FC v Finn Harps FC

Ground

Finn Park
Finn Park, Navenny Street, Stranorlar Electoral Division, Lifford-Stranorlar Municipal District, County Donegal, F93 Y27K, Ireland

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