Harps come to the Boyle with Sligo win

TWO NATHAN BOYLE goals got Finn Harps three points and off the bottom of the table with victory over Sligo Rovers at Finn Park tonight.

Finn Harps            2

Sligo Rovers          0 

Boyle opened the scoring for Harps on 28 minutes when he managed to place the ball past Ed McGinty in the Sligo goal. Mark Russell provided the cross from the left for the Ballybofey team, who had only won twice from 22 this season. 

Then, on 78 minutes, Rafaelle Cretaro and Boyle managed to establish a breakaway after Lewis Banks and substitute John Russell dithered and lost possession. Cretaro carried possession deep into the territory of his former club before laying off for Boyle to seal the much-needed home win.

Harps hadn’t picked up a point in their last five outings and went into the contest joint-bottom with UCD, although worryingly for the side managed by Ollie Horgan, with three matched more played

Photographs by North-West NewsPix

Mark Anthony McGinley, the Harps goalkeeper, was called into action as early as the second minute when he had to make a one-handed save from Same Warde. 

Boyle, on eight minutes, with a close-range header struck the Sligo Rovers crossbar following a cross into the penalty area by Rafaelle Cretaro. 

The former Rovers favourite came within a whisker of opening the scoring on 16 minutes when, from a direct run from midfield, really had the bit between his teeth and struck from 25 yards. 

Ed McGinty in the Sligo goal got hands behind the ball only to let it spill before recovering it inches before the line with the optimists among the Harps support wailing at match referee Tomas Connolly.  

Eight minutes before half-time, Sligo put together a fine move that concluded with Warde at the edge of the Harps box and his shot flew inches wide of McGinley’s goal at the River End. It was an outcome that was greeted by a collective sigh of relief from those in blue on the terraces and in the stands. 

Horgan made three changes from the team that was lucklessly defeated 1-0 two weeks beforehand against St Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park, with Jacob Borg, Caolan McAleer and Boyle coming into replace Colm Deacy, Tony McNamee and Mikey Place.

Sligo arrived in the Twin Towns with Donegal duo Johnny Dunleavy from Ballybofey and Ramelton native Kyle Callan-McFadden back in the team from their 1-1 draw against Cork City. David Cawley and Dante Leverok were also back with the latter having been in scoring action for his native Bermuda in the Gold Cup. 

David Cawley missed a massive chance eight minutes into the second half when he scuffed wide in front of an open goal following a ball into the area by Kris Twardek, who minutes later would head over from the corner kick. 

However, Harps hung in and McGinley wasn’t overly test in the second half, with Jack Keaney from Donegal town coming on for Rovers. The second goal from Boyle gave Harps some breathing space.

Harps welcome Cork City on Monday night. 

Finn Harps: Mark McGinley; Daniel O’Reilly, Keith Cowan, Sam Todd; Jacob Borg, Gareth Harkin, Mark Coyle, Mark Russell; Rafaelle Cretato (Mickey Place 88), Caolan McAleer (Harry Ascroft 75), Nathan Boyle (Mikey Place 88).

Sligo Rovers: Ed McGinty; Johnny Dunleavy, John Mahon, Dante Leverock, Lewis Banks; Kyle Callan-McFadden (John Russell h/t); Sam Warde; David Cawley (Jack Keaney 71), Kris Twardek; Ronan Murray, Romeo Parkes.  

Referee: Tomas Connolly

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