TWO WEEKS AGO, Ethan Boyle became a landmark player for Finn Harps.
When he lined out against Dundalk at Oriel Park, Boyle became the 500th player to play for Harps in the League of Ireland.
Although one of two debutants that night in Dundalk, Boyle was given the mantle of the 500th ahead of Richard Brush both on account of the fact that he was the first of them signed to the club and also on alphabetical order.
Finn Harps historian Bartley Ramsay was the adjudicator and Boyle now sits at the milestone number in his file of players to have turned out for the club since their entry into the League of Ireland in 1969.
The 19-year-old Boyle was a surprise capture by Ollie Horgan in the winter.
Delving a little closer, it shouldn’t have been a surprise, though, given that Boyle – while a student at Wexford Vocational School – was capped by Horgan with the Republic of Ireland Schoolboys team in 2015.
“I wasn’t expecting the call from Ollie. I was happy enough to join up,” Boyle says.
“I knew him well from the Schoolboys team. I know all about Ollie and know how good a manager he is. I was more than happy to come up here to Ollie and Finn Harps. I just love playing football so I’ll go wherever it takes me.
“He’s a brilliant manager. I always got on well with Ollie and I’m enjoying working with him.
“The chance of being in the Premier Division was the big one. I wanted to test myself at a higher level. Ollie has given me that chance so it definitely made the decision easier.
“I love a challenge so why not.”
Boyle played for the last two campaigns at Waterford United. In fact, he came close to a stunning goal against Harps at The RSC in August 2014, when a brilliant effort beat Conor Winn, the Harps goalkeeper, only to crash off the underside of the crossbar.
Boyle played as a central midfielder with the Blues and was capped at Under-19 level at the end of 2015 by Paul Doolin.
Horgan has described Boyle as ‘a good kid who is in great shape and has a great attitude’. It might be said, then, that he’s the perfect Horgan player.
He first came to prominence in his native Wexford in 2014 when he won the Wexford Premier League with North End United, from whom he signed for Harps.
Boyle also had a trial at Shamrock Rovers at the end of last year, but is now making the commute to Donegal for training, coming once a week with Adam Hanlon and Dave Scully.
“I don’t mind the traveling at all and it does make it easier when you’re playing, but I won’t get frustrated if I don’t get in,” Boyle says.
“There are some really good players here at Harps and everyone can do a job.
“I’m getting along great with everyone here. I’m very happy here.
“I’ll be doing my best to stay in the team now. It won’t be easy because they’re all top players here. I’ll do my damndest to stay here.”
On Tuesday night, he scored his first Harps goal when he netted the winner in the EA Sports Cup game against Cockhill Celtic. The chance presented itself and Boyle showed an instinctive side when he drilled past Gavin Cullen, the Cockhill goalkeeper, from the edge of the box.
Boyle says: “I didn’t expect to score, but happy days, we’re into the next round and that’s the main thing in these cup games. I just seen the space, I ran into it and I tried my luck – I don’t get that chance too often so I just had a go.”
With four points from their first four games, Harps have made a decent start to life in the top flight.
After battling to a 1-1 draw in the abandoned game against Sligo Rovers – the result from which stands, the FAI confirmed on Monday morning – Harps now take on a Longford Town side that also has four points, but which lost 6-0 to Cork at Turner’s Cross on matchday three.
“Longford is huge,” Boyle says.
“It’s massive. Every game at home is. We’ll just take it game-by-game and try to pick up as many points as we possibly can. I think we need a big crowd here to keep us going.”
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