Details

Date Time League Season
21 April 2023 7:45 pm LOI Men's First Division 2023

Match Report

Own Goal Sees Harps Capitalise To Take Three Points To Ballybofey

A Late own goal is all that separated Finn Harps and Wexford FC as Harps snatch a 1-0 victory in Ferrycarrig Park where Ben Lynch turned the ball into his own net to give the visitors all three points.

Though they were outplayed by a Wexford team who couldn’t find that golden touch in front of goal. Both teams threatened early, as expected it was a physical start with the ball spending an awful long time in the air, leaving for moments of good football to have to try and wrestle its way into the game, but when it did come neither team looked infallible at the back.

A Dobbs header after 12 minutes and a number of crosses that tested both defences in the early minutes proceeded a period where the final ball eluded the attacking moves. Mark Hanratty had a couple of shots from range which proved the best either side could muster.

The game was predictably even and despite all the huff and puff it took a long time for the half to get going.

Dobbs and Hanratty always looked the most likely to provide a breakthrough in a half where quality chances were few and far between, and this was almost proven as Dobbs slide rule pass sent Hanratty through on goal after 41 minutes.

Racing onto the pass, Hanratty cut back onto his stronger left foot fooling one Harps defender but enough cover had gotten back to deflect the strike allowing Tim Heimer in the Finn Harps net to stop at his near post.

A cross from Wexford left back James Crawford was begging for a touch to steer it in and Dobbs had a header blocked from the follow up ball in as Wexford looked to snatch a lead heading into Halftime ending the half the side in the ascendance with the Finn Harps forward line being marshalled well by the Wexford backline who limited their chances to a couple of speculative efforts from range.

The break would come as solace to Finn Harps but the second half would start with little change as Crawford nearly found the opposite top corner with a wayward cross before a magnificent leap and header by Dobbs took a good stop by Heimer to keep out within five minutes of the restart.

Terrific defending from head of Corban Piper kept Harps at bay in the 60th minute as the team in white had a succession of free kicks and corners in their first dangerous attacking spell of the game since the opening minutes.

Dobbs continued to threaten from set pieces guiding two efforts wide from corners around the 70th minute mark that he arguably should have done better with. In the 75th minute Harps had their first effort on target as a fierce shot from Ryan Flood was denied by the fingertips of Charlie Heffernan.

Wexford went somewhat off the boil after 80 minutes and were made to pay for this lapse as when with 85 minutes on the clock, Shane McMonagle swung in a teasing ball from the Harps left hand side, only for Ben Lynch to bundle the ball into the back of his own net.

Wexford pushed hard for the remaining minutes having a penalty appeal for a challenge on Dobbs turned down before heroic defending in the last minute of normal time kept two Corban Piper shots from levelling the score when the New Zealander looked destined to finish.

Wexford couldn’t find a way past the Harps rearguard and the Donegal side will be returning on the long journey home very pleased and three points the richer as they now overtake Wexford into sixth place after ten games played.

Wexford FC

18Charlie Heffernan Goalkeeper
3Ben Lynch Midfielder
4Hugh Douglas 7 Defender
5Ethan Boyle Defender
10Aaron Dobbs Forward
11Mark Hanratty Midfielder
13James Crawford Defender 84'
16Corban Piper Midfielder
17Kian Corbally 15 Midfielder
20Reece Webb Defender
25Aaron Doran 14 Midfielder
14Conor Levingston 25 Midfielder 90'
7Karl Chambers 4 Forward
15Danny Furlong 17 Forward
1Colm Cox Goalkeeper
2Darragh Levingston Midfielder
8Brandon McCann Midfielder
9Jordan Adeyemo Forward
12Matthew Dunne Defender
23Jordon Tallon Defender

Finn Harps

1Tim Heimer Goalkeeper
6Noe Baba Defender 14'
7Ryan Flood Defender
9Filip Da Silva Forward
10Michael Harris 8 Forward
11Seamas Keogh Midfielder
15Kevin Jordan 14 Defender
17Shane McMonagle Midfielder
18Ellis Farrar Defender
19Daniel Okwute 20 Forward
22Ryan Rainey Midfielder
8Katlego Mashigo 10 Midfielder
20Sean O’Donnell 19 Forward
14Caoimhin Porter 15 Defender
16Brendan McLaughlin Forward
21Damian Duffy Midfielder
44Shaunie Bradley Forward
  • That’s all from here at Ferrycarrig tonight!

  • Huge win for Harps who hold on to win a game they were second best for large parts of, this will be a massive blow to Wexford who will feel this is a real missed chance to put space between themselves and the bottom 4. A tight affair it took an own goal to split the two teams but Harps showed the grit to pull through when the business end of the game came.

  • 92'

    Wexford pushing hard here but it looks like it won’t be enough!

  • 88'

    Two huge blocks by Harps defenders who threw themselves in front of shots by Piper who looked nailed on to draw the sides level

  • 85'

    Own Goal by Ben Lynch as he turns a cross by Shane McMonagle past Heffernan into his own net off his shin. He didn’t seem to know much about it and that’s a sucker punch for Wexford who have dominated so much of this game

  • 82'

    Long shot by Ethan Boyle causes little trouble to the harps goal

  • 73'

    The game is gaining some real tension, only heightened by the tough challenges being dished out by both teams

  • 69'

    It’s not a stretch to say one goal could absolutely decide this game as we close in on the final quarter

  • 67'

    Again Dobbs rises highest from a Wexford corner but can only put his header harmlessly wide

  • 58'

    Harps need a spark from somewhere to lift the side, but have been slowly turning the Wexford pressure back on itself

  • 53'

    Small skirmish of pushing and shoving as Harps are clearly frustrated with their performance so far

  • 50'

    Terrific header by Dobbs as he rises highest and nearly directs a floated cross into the top corner but Heimer gets across well to pluck it out of the air

  • 48'

    A cross by Crawford nearly flies directly in over Heimer in goal leaving the Harps keeper very worried looking for a moment

  • 46'

    And we are back! Let’s see what the sides bring to the half

  • A half where both sides could feel they should probably have done more in an attacking sense, but Wexford will definitely feel they had a stronger end to the half, Dobbs and Hanratty are causing the Harps defenders all sorts of headaches but outside that an even affair with little to report

  • 45'

    A couple of crosses across the Harps goal almost bring the first goal of the game but Dobbs header is blocked as Wexford begin to turn the screw here

  • 41'

    Great chance for Hanratty as he chops inside onto his favoured left after being released into the box by Dobbs, his deflected effort is stopped at the near post by Heimer. Clearest chance of the game so far

  • 38'

    Strike by Daniel Okwute goes harmlessly wide for Finn Harps

  • 33'

    Story of the game so far encapsulated in one minute as a Wexford corner is swung in only for what looked to be a good chance to go begging, this leads onto counter attacks for both sides in fantastic positions but are far too simply snuffed out. It remains 0-0

  • 31'

    Both teams working hard to cancel each other out, but the match is crying out for a moment of real quality to bring it to life

  • 23'

    Another strike from range from Hanratty has the keeper scrambling but slips a foot wide of the post

  • 20'

    The game has taken a little dip in action, both teams getting into fine attacking positions but not quite finding that last pass, still an entertaining game here that could shift either way at any moment

  • 14'

    A sliding tackle on the edge of his own box earns Baba an early trip into the referees book, taking down the breaking Hanratty

  • 12'

    Header by Aaron Dobbs flashes wide from a corner. Both teams are threatening here especially in wide areas as neither defence looks particularly settled under the cross

  • 7'

    Long range effort by Mark Hanratty struck well but is held by Harps keeper Tim Heimer

  • 5'

    A couple of corners for Finn Harps look very dangerous as Wexford fail to clear properly but ultimately come to nothing

  • 3'

    Some early pressure from Wexford easily dispelled by the Harps defence who pass their first test of the game

  • 1'

    And we are off!!

  • This game looks to be a real arm wrestle between two teams who will hope to turn their early season form into something more productive from here on in and state a claim to their spot in the playoff places

  • We are nearly getting started here at Ferrycarrig Park for this mid table battle that looks on paper like a very even affair based on what both sides have produced so far this season

Past Meetings

(Round 4)
0 - 0
LOI Men's First Division
Finn Park

Finn Harps FC 0-0 Wexford FC

7:45 pm
LOI Men's Premier Division
Ferrycarrig Park

Wexford FC v Finn Harps FC

1
LOI Men's Premier Division
Finn Park

Finn Harps FC v Wexford FC

1 - 1
LOI Men's Premier Division
Ferrycarrig Park

Wexford FC v Finn Harps FC

Ground

Ferrycarrig Park
Ferrycarrig Park, Kilpatrick, The Borough District of Wexford, County Wexford, Leinster, Y35 E296, Ireland