Waterford United unlucky in Ballybofey

Finn Harps 3 - Waterford United 2

Finn Harps completed a league double over Waterford United when they struck early and late to beat a brave  Blues team in Ballybofey on Friday last. 

In what could have been Tommy Griffin's last match as manager, the Blues were two down after six minutes and although they did fight back to get back

on level terms they were hit by a late goal which undone all of the hard work they had put in to get back into the game. The following morning it became known that Roddy Collins was expected to take over the managers chair at the RSC. The colourful Dubliner took both Monaghan United and Athlone  Town from the lower division and into the Premier League. His task, should he have agreed to accept it was to get the team into third spot and into the play-off's. If his appointment did go through it was expected that Tommy Griffin would remain at the club as a coach, a move which would be greeted with approval by all supporters because his expertise is vital to the club. 

Michael Funston's rasper after 14 seconds set the north-westerners on their way to what looked like a comfortable win; particularly when Wilfried Tagbo doubled the advantage in the sixth minute as Harps threatened to run riot early.

Then, out of the blue, the visitors managed to pull one back from Shaun Corcoran 28 minutes in. That edgy advantage remained for the hosts until the 73rd minute when Waterford deservedly levelled  at 2-2 though Glenn Hawe, which silenced the Finn Park faithful.

From there, the points could've gone anywhere but despite Waterford seemingly being in the ascendancy, it was Harps who mustered a winner through Ruairí Keating with just three minutes remaining.

The nuts and the bolts of it mean Ollie Horgan's Harps maintain their three-point cushion at the top of the table, while Waterford's search goes on for a second success of the campaign. All in all, though, the Munster outfit can feel a little hard done by.

Right from kick-off, Harps midfielder Funston - innocuously it seemed - picked up possession underneath the stand and pottered his way infield before unleashing a right-footed shot that flew right into the postage stamp top-corner of Matthew Connor's goal. It was a brilliant strike, one that forced those coming through the turnstiles still to gush in.

It also gave Harps a flying start and would've deflated Waterford's precarious confidence. Then, in the sixth minute, Harps went 2-0 up when Tagbo glanced in a near post header from a corner that was played in by Gareth Harkin.

Waterford were clinging on. With Harps so solid in defence with just three concessions in their first nine outings, it seemed Tommy Griffin's team, with just six points this term, were in for a long night.

Waterford awoke and scraped a goal to set in some doubt over the outcome. A centre across the Harps box from Ross Fitzpatrick eluded everyone - both defenders and forwards - before Shaun Corcoran squeezed in at the back post as Gallagher shuttled across his goal.

It was the first goal the Ballybofey side had conceded at Finn Park all season - in their fifth home outing - meaning Gallagher's sheet was dirtied after some 388 minutes.

The 2-1 Harps lead remained intact at the interval, although it was the team from Navenny Road who came closest to adding a fourth goal of the half. Firstly, Raymond Foy could only steer into the side-netting. Then, Tagbo headed a free from Foy just wide.

The uneasiness Harps might've felt with a one-goal lead would've brought back memories of their trip to Stradbrook seven nights' beforehand. Keating's goal on 13 minutes maintained an advantage that lasted until the 95th, when Cabinteely FC equalised through John McKeown for a 1-1 draw.

It was the same in the Twin Towns as dusk set it. On 62 minutes a header from Patrick Fitzgerald, following a dead ball delivery from Ethan Boyle, went wide before Hawe, from another deflected attempt, saw a shoot trickle inches off target in slow-motion.

An equaliser was coming. And it duly arrived when Bobby Donoghue set Glen Hawe scampering into space. The Waterford striker drove low and hard past Gallagher, right in at the near post, to scrape what would've looked like the unlikeliest of points early on. Late on, though, it seemed it was the least Waterford deserved.

Ruairi Keating, however, changed all that when he drove home a winner having hit the post himself after Tommy McMonagle's header from another Harkin corner wasn't cleared. It was that slice of luck those at the bottom seldom get and those closer to the top do.

Finn Harps: Ciaran Gallagher; Josh Mailey, Keith Cowan (Damien McNulty 65), Tommy McMonagle, Matthew Crossan (Kevin McHugh 75); Michael Funston (Tony McNamee 79), Gareth Harkin, Raymond Foy, Ciaran Coll; Wilfried Tagbo, Ruairi Keating.

Waterford United: Matthew Connor; Dean Reidy, Patrick Fitzgerald, Dylan Mernagh, Shane Dineen; Ethan Boyle, Anthony McAlavey (Bobby Donoghue 50), Ross Fitzpatrick, Shaun Corcoran (Greg Peel 90); Glenn Hawe (Mikie Rowe 79), Jack Doherty.

Referee: Michael O'Connor.