Finn Harps are at Oriel Park tonight to face League champions and Europa League-bound Dundalk – and we’ll have live updates throughout the fixture.
Full-time: Dundalk 2 Finn Harps 0
There will be six minutes of added time at the end of this one.
Mark Coyle is in for his first appearance for Harps and BJ Banda – remember him! – has come in for a first appearance of the season.
75 mins: Daryl Horgan slams home for 2-0. That’s that. DFC 2 FH 0
70 mins: Ollie Horgan has been banished to the stands by referee Neil Doyle. The Harps manager as furious as I’ve ever seen him just there. DFC 1 FH 0
68 mins: On comes Ronan Finn for Dundalk. John Mountney is off.
67 mins: Dundalk have a chance from a corner as Andy Boyle’s header goes just over.
58 mins: Mountney blasts a free kick over. Dundalk owning possession here, but can’t kill Harps off. DFC 1 FH 0
51 mins: Keating is carried off on a stretcher and Harps will introduce Dave Scully to the action. DFC 1 FH 0
50 mins: Ruairi Keating down injured and there is a stretcher on. Been quite a delay here already.
The second half is underway at Oriel Park.
Half-time: Dundalk 1 Finn Harps 0
There will be one minute of added time at the end of the first half. DFC 1 FH 0
43 mins: A free by McEleney finds Paddy Barrett, who heads off the crossbar. So close to a second Dundalk goal. DFC 1 FH 0
40 mins: Dundalk are in total control here, but have only McEleney’s goal to show so far. DFC 1 FH 0
30 mins: Dane Massey is fed by Chris Shields’ through ball, but Gallagher races out to thwart the advances. DFC 1 FH 0
[adrotate group=”50″]One way traffic in Oriel Park so far @DundalkFC pic.twitter.com/6nvx9B9MDP
— Séamus Murphy (@caesarLopez) September 12, 2016
18 mins: Gallagher forced into action again, this time by Daryl Horgan. The Harps keeper has been busy and does well to save again. DFC 1 FH 0
13 mins: Great effort by John Mountney forces the full-stretch Gallagher to turn around the post. DFC 1 FH 0
11 mins: Daryl Horgan shoots from the outside of the box, but his shot is well held by Gallagher. All Dundalk here, as we’d expected. DFC 1 FH 0
8 mins: You get the sense that this could be a long evening for Finn Harps…
6 mins: GOAL in Dundalk. For Dundalk. Patrick McEleney works his way through and clips past Ciaran Gallagher from the edge of the box. Gulp. DFC 1 FH 0
2: Great play by Gannon and Mountney force a corner for the home side…Harps get it clear, but Dundalk recycle back to Mountney whose ball in is turned over the crossbar by Gallagher, who then tips away the follow-up corner. DFC 0 FH 0
0 mins: The game has kicked off at Oriel Park. DFC 0 FH 0
Dundalk have fielded a strong team for tonight’s game, a fixture that Stephen Kenny is none too pleased to have had scheduled. The Dundalk manager, who lives in Fahan, says the schedule means that his team go to the Europa League with their ‘hands tied behind our backs’.
Dundalk face Az Alkmaar in the Europa League group stage on Thursday night and Harps face Longford Town. The glamour, eh…
The Finn Harps website called this one ‘mission almost impossible’ yesterday with Ollie Horgan’s men in search of a first goal in six games now.
[adrotate group=”38″]Including the 21 minutes of the recently-abandoned League game against Sligo Rovers, Harps haven’t scored in 492 minutes of football.
Horgan has rang the changes with six changes in personnel to the side that began in Sligo on Saturday-week past. Ciaran Gallagher, Michael Funston, Ryan Curran, Tony McNamee, Thomas McMonagle and Josh Mailey all come in with Barry Molloy, Adam Hanlon, Sean Houston, Dave Scully and Ethan Boyle out.
[adrotate group=”50″]BJ Banda and Mark Coyle have been included among the substitutes with Harps having only five on the bench tonight.
Finn Harps: Ciaran Gallagher; Josh Mailey, Keith Cowan, Packie Mailey, Thomas McMonagle, Ciaran Coll; Michael Funston, Gareth Harkin, Tony McNamee, Ryan Curran; Ruairi Keating.
Dundalk: Gary Rogers; Sean Gannon, Andy Boyle, Paddy Barrett, Dane Massey; Chris Shields, Robbie Benson; John Mountney, Patrick McEleney, Daryl Horgan; David McMillan.
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