SLIGO PIP HARPS IN EXCITING UNDER 15 OPENER

SSE AIRTRICITY UNDER 15 LEAGUE:                                                                            FINN HARPS   2   V   3   SLIGO ROVERS.                                                                       This opening game in the Under 15 League, played at Curragh Ath’s ground in Killygordan, produced a cracker of match with the visitors just holding on to take all three points as Charlie Collins reports.                                                         Kevin Mc Hugh’s young Harps team could be excused for feeling a bit hard done by, and certainly that little bit of the luck that eluded them could have helped to earn them the point they deserved to take for their performance.                   Harps were the better team in the early stages and went ahead in the 13th minute when Adam Mc Caffrey’s fine cross was headed firmly to the net by Conor Black at the back-post.                                                                                                                 However, as manager Mc Hugh described later, his young were still celebrating that goal when the conceded not once but twice in the next six minutes.      Sligo’s Sean Kerrigan played a super through ball between Harps central defenders for Cillian Heaney to round keeper Patrick Mc Garvey and slot home the equaliser and two minutes later Sligo went ahead when full-back Dylan Walsh’s long through ball put Heaney in for his second, with the defence again caught too square.                                                                                                                                    That’s how it remained until the break although Harps Jamie Doherty tested Sligo keeper James Robinson with a piledriver which the keeper could only parry but the ball was scrambled clear at the expence of a corner in 37th minute.          There was a lively start to the second-half, Harps full-back Kelan Collier’s cross cum shot was just kept out by Robinson while Kerrigan’s excellent pass sent Callum Lavelle clear but he dragged his shot wide.                                                      However five minutes into the half Sligo increased their lead when Ciaran Jennings was given too much time and space and his well struck shot took a slight deflection giving keeper Mc Garvey no chance as it flew into the net to make it 1-3 to the visitors.                                                                                                 Harps needed a quick reply and they got it when a series of good passes sent Luke Rudden through and he drilled the ball low to the net from a narrow angle. Mc Garvey made a good save to keep out Kailen Barlow’s free-kick in the 52nd minute and three minutes later it was Harps chance to make it 3-3.  Inter-change player Frankie Campbell made a super run into the Sligo box and was taken down, Referee Joe Mc Hugh left with no choice but to point to the spot. Up stepped Luke Rudden to take the penalty but keeper Robinson guessed right and blocked out the Harps man’s effort.                                                                                   It was pretty much all Harps after this, although Sligo remained dangerous on the break. In the 68th minute the home side thought they had equalised when Adam Mc Caffrey’s brillant 25 yard piledriver crashed back off the crossbar and Conor Black followed up to slot the ball home. However the offside flag ruled the ‘goal ‘ out despite the fact that Black looked to have been played on by a slight deflection off a defender from Mc Caffrey’s drive.                                                                 Try as they might in the final ten minutes Harps could not produce that vital touch in front of goal and Sligo held on for a winning start to their league campaign. Credit to both sets of players for a well contested and highly entertaining game of football which was well handled by Referee Joe Mc Hugh and his officials on an excellent playing surface at the Curragh Athletic grounds.   FINN HARPS;  Patrick Mc Garvey, Kieran Tobin, Kelan Collier, Charlie White, Domhnall Mac Giolla Bhride, Dylan Woods, Jamie Doherty, Adam Mc Caffrey, Luke Rudden, Jack Murphy, Conor Black.                                                                        Inter-Change Players; Jamie Mc Daid, Fionnan Coyle, Frankie Campbell, Carlos O Reilly and Stephen Black.                                                                                     SLIGO ROVERS ; James Robinson, Dylan Walsh, James Devanney, Bryan Lynch, Peter Maguire, Stephen Gill, Oran Groarke, Kailan Barlow, Cillian Heaney, Sean Kerrigan, Callum Lavelle.                                                                                                       Inter-Change Players ; Ciaran Jennings, Ben Feeney, Ultan O Grady, Johnny Kenny, Liam Walsh.