ALL OF A SUDDEN, Finn Harps find themselves feeling the breath of Wexford Youths on their necks again.
Cork City 2 Finn Harps 0
As Harps fell to a 2-0 defeat at Turner’s Cross tonight, Wexford won a madcap game at home to Galway United, winning 5-4 having been five ahead at one stage, to narrow the gap to just six points.
Harps have just two games remaining, Wexford have three. Next Friday night, Ollie Horgan’s Harps will travel to Ferrycarrig Park to take on Wexford with losing simply not an option now.
[adrotate group=”80″]Tonight, on a pitch that was barely playable – indeed Rob Rogers, the referee, just appeared determined to get it finished – Harps slipped to a first defeat in four.
An own goal late in the first half by Damien McNulty and a second goal by former Derry City player Stephen Dooley put paid to Harps’ hopes of an upset against the title challengers.
Harps loooked as if they were going to hold out until the break but, on 43 minutes, disaster struck just before the interval as a Kevin O’Connor’s was deflected to the net off the unfortunate McNulty.
[adrotate group=”85″]Cork threatened early on with O’Connor teeing up Karl Sheppard, who shot off target.
Harps, already with a threadbare squad, lost Michael Funston because of a nasty head injury after just four minutes. His replacement, Tony McNamee, riffled wide on the half-hour while Dave Scully fired into the hands of Mark McNulty.
Harps trailed at the break and went two behind on 59 minutes when Dooley’s low shot beat Ciaran Gallagher after Sean Maguire did the approach work.
[adrotate group=”83″]Harps sub BJ Banda felt that he should have had a penalty when he went down under McNulty’s challenge, but Rob Rogers waved play on.
McNulty denied McNamee and Gallagher saved from Maguire in dreadful conditions.
Cork City: Mark McNulty; Steven Beattie, Alan Bennett, Kenny Browne, Kevin O’Connor (Dave Mulcahy 71); Garry Buckley, Greg Bolger; Stephen Dooley (Colin Healy 81), Gavan Holohan (Mark O’Sullivan 54), Karl Sheppard; Sean Maguire.
Finn Harps: Ciaran Gallagher; Ethan Boyle, Damien McNulty, Josh Mailey, Ciaran Coll; Gareth Harkin; Michael Funston (Tony McNamee 4), Barry Molloy (BJ Banda 64), Adam Hanlon; Dave Scully, Ryan Curran.
Referee: Rob Rogers.
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