FINN HARPS 2 COBH RAMBLERS 0
THEY might have won ugly, but goals from Packie Mailey and Wilfried Tagbo fired Finn Harps to the summit of the First Division again.
Harps, as has been their wont for large swathes of this season, made it a nervous night for their supporters.
Ollie Horgan’s men (picture above by Stephen Doherty) failed to put Cobh Ramblers to bed after Mailey’s 29th minute opener – and it wasn’t until Tagbo’s 93rd minute tap in that the win, Harps’ third on the spin, was secured.
Packie Mailey’s goal put Harps in front. Watch it below …
… before Wilfried Tagbo made sure of the three points at the bitter end
They also had Ciaran Gallagher to thank for a 43rd minute penalty save, the Raphoe man thwarting Stephen Kenny to keep his eleventh clean sheet of the season.
Ciaran Gallagher’s save from Stephen Kenny’s spot kick
Videos courtesy of Finn Harps FC
The win moves Harps ahead of Wexford Youths, who have no game this weekend, but perhaps even more significantly it lifts them 10Â points clear of Europa League participants UCD, who occupy the third spot.
It was substitute Tagbo who wrapped up the win in red time.
Raymond Foy carved an opening on the edge of the box and slipped through Kevin McHugh.
The captain went for placement rather than power, but was denied by the goalkeeper, Stephen Hickey, but the alert Tagbo had followed in to net his fourth Harps goal.
Cobh finished with ten men after centre-back Brendan Frahill was dismissed for a late foul on Tagbo three minutes from the end.
Harps, on the back of wins over Cabinteely and Waterford United in their previous two outings, hit the front just shy of the half-hour mark.
Tony McNamee’s long throw-in fell into the path of Nathan Boyle – who scored twice against Waterford United seven nights earlier on his first full appearance. The on-loan Derry striker saw his effort blocked on the line but, in the ensuing scramble, Mailey managed to force home his header.
Harps looked set to take the lead on 15 minutes when McHugh slipped Boyle through.
As he made the pass, the Harps captain was chopped down by Frahill and Adriano Reale, the match referee, was a little too quick on the draw with the whistle, blowing for the free with Boyle poised to pull the trigger in a one-v-one with Hickey.
Mailey went close in the third minute when he glanced Gareth Harkin’s corner over Hickey’s crossbar before McNamee’s low free deflected wide.
Cobh arrived in Ballybofey with only 15 players in the traveling party. Striker Rob Waters, who was their top goalscorer with five goals, left the club by mutual consent during the week, with Darren Murphy coming into the void.
Stephen Henderson’s roster showed one further change from the side that lost 3-0 to Wexford last weekend as James Furlong came in to take the place of Adam O’Sullivan at the back.
They had their opportunities, not least when Kenny squandered his chance from 12 yards.
Cobh were given a golden chance for an equaliser two minutes before half-time when Damien McNulty took down Kynan Rocks and the visitors were awarded a penalty.
Harps ‘keeper Gallagher got down to his left to not only save, but hold onto Kenny’s tamely-hit spot-kick.
There were other moments of hope for the County Cork side, but Jason Abbot saw an opportunistic strike deflect just over and Rocks fieed wide late in the half after McHugh had shot at Hickey.
Harps, whose animated manager Horgan watched from the press gantry as he served a touchline suspension, could have added number two when Boyle raced in, but Hickey bravely got out to save.
The Cobh ‘keeper saved from McHugh before Foy drilled just over from a promising position and it took Tagbo, right at the death, to add the precious second.
Finn Harps: Ciaran Gallagher; Damien McNulty, Packie Mailey, Thomas McMonagle, Ciaran Coll; Michael Funston, Josh Mailey, Gareth Harkin, Tony McNamee; Nathan Boyle, Kevin McHugh. Subs: Raymond Foy for J.Mailey (58 mins), Wilfried Tagbo for Boyle (75 mins), Kieran McDaid for Funston (84 mins).
Cobh Ramblers: Stephen Hickey; Graham McCarthy, Brendan Frahill, James Furlong, Anthony O’Donnell; Stephen Kenny, Jason Abbot, Christopher McCarthy, Kynan Rocks; Darren Murphy, Shane O’Connor. Subs: Ryan Goldsmith for O’Donnell (67 mins), Daniel Barry for Murphy (85 mins).
Referee: Adriano Reale (Kildare).
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