With the season fast approaching its end, Finn Harps make the trip to Longford on Saturday evening with all the pressure on the home side (kick-off 7.45pm).
For the second season in a row, Longford look like they have thrown away the chance of automatic promotion as the season enters the final straight.
For Finn Harps, promotion looks like it has gone for another year and Peter Hutton’s side will travel to Longford on Saturday with one eye already on the following weeks FAI Cup Quarter-Final against Drogheda United at Finn Park.
“This weekend’s clash with Longford will be a good test but one we must look forward to,” said Hutton earlier this week.
“We have a good record against them and we hope that continues. Longford are still very much in the promotion hunt and will view each game now as a must win. We on the other hand must look to the cup as our main priority now so we should go and enjoy the game but continue to finish the league campaign as strong as possible.”
Last Saturday, Harps came out on the wrong side of a five goal game in Cobh against a side who they had knocked out of the Cup in the same St. Colmans Park venue just six days earlier.
“Whilst we were disappointed with the result I was happy with the level of performance in general,” said Hutton of the 3-2 defeat at the Cork venue.
“Defensively we gifted the three goals with some slack play and should have done better in preventing situations developing higher up the pitch. We got off to a great start with a really well worked goal with a real footballing passage of play down our right side which was finished well by Pat McCann. Cobh then got an equalizer from a very dubious penalty when young Kynan Rocks went down very easily in the box.
“We managed though to take the lead again with a well taken goal by young Shane McGinty from the edge of the box but again we couldn’t hold on after Kynan Rocks was allowed to get away from three of our defenders to set up Stanton for Cobh’s second equalizer.
“The second half we dominated possession for long spells and had a few chances but we failed to deal with a long punt forward that caught our defence on their heels and young Stanton broke free to grab what proved to be the decisive goal. Overall we were disappointed with the defeat and there are areas in which we were poor but performance wise I thought that given the amount of changes made to the starting 11, I was pleased and took a lot of positives.”
As Hutton said, he made wholesale changes from the team which had won in Cobh earlier in the week.
“I felt that given Monday’s replay, the journey involved and in particular the potential of a few confrontations given the nature of Monday’s game I decided now was an opportune time to freshen things up and change the personnel,” explained Hutton for his reasons for all the changes to personnel.
“The vast majority of those that came in had for different reasons not played much recently but deserved some game time as they too have been working hard in training.”
Hutton may decide to continue to rest some of his key players on Saturday ahead of the Cup quarter-final. Doubts hang over the fitness of Tommy McMonagle (foot) and Johnny Bonner (knee) and they are unlikely to be risked.
In the three previous meetings with Longford this season, Harps hold the upper hand with two wins and a draw. Harps have won on each of their previous three visits to Longford despite having won only once there in ten games prior to last season.
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TEAM NEWS
Suspended: None.
Doubtful: Tommy McMonagle (foot), Johnny Bonner (knee).
Injured: None.
Form Guide (last six league games)
Finn Harps: L-W-L-W-L-L (6 pts)
Longford Town: L-L-D-L-W-L (4 pts)
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Last six away games against Longford Town
13-Aug-10 – Longford Town 1-0 Finn Harps (First Division)
03-Jun-11 – Longford Town 0-0 Finn Harps (FAI Cup)
09-Jul-11 – Longford Town 3-2 Finn Harps (First Division)
14-Apr-12 – Longford Town 1-3 Finn Harps (First Division)
11-Aug-12 – Longford Town 0-1 Finn Harps (First Division)
11-May-13 – Longford Town 2-3 Finn Harps (First Division)
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Finn Harps Goalscorers 2013
Kevin McHugh – 9 (2 in FAI Cup)
Sean McCarron – 8 (1 in FAI Cup)
Michael Funston – 4 (1 in FAI Cup)
Keith Cowan – 3 (1 in FAI Cup)
Mark Forker – 2
Thomas McMonagle – 2
Pat McCann – 1
Shane McGinty – 1
Lee Toland – 1 (in FAI Cup)
Paul McVeigh – 1 (in FAI Cup)
Thomas McBride – 1 (in League Cup)
Matt Harkin – 1 (in League Cup)
James Doherty – 1 (in League Cup)
Marc Brolly – 1 (in League Cup)
Aaron O’Hagan – 1 (in League Cup)
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Finn Harps Results 2013 (Harps goalscorers in brackets)
31-Aug-13 – AL – Cobh Ramblers 3-2 Finn Harps (McCann, McGinty)
26-Aug-13 – FAI – Cobh Ramblers 0-4 Finn Harps (McHugh, Toland, McVeigh, Funston)
23-Aug-13 – FAI – Finn Harps 1-1 Cobh Ramblers (McHugh)
16-Aug-13 – AL – Finn Harps 0-2 Waterford United
09-Aug-13 – AL – Finn Harps 2-0 Salthill Devon (Forker 2)
02-Aug-13 – AL – Athlone Town 1-0 Finn Harps
26-Jul-2013 – AL – Finn Harps 1-0 Wexford Youths (McHugh)
19-Jul-2013 – AL – Mervue United 4-0 Finn Harps
12-Jul-2013 – AL – Finn Harps 0-0 Longford Town
28-Jun-2013 – AL – Finn Harps 2-2 Cobh Ramblers (Funston, Cowan)
28-Jun-2013 – AL – Waterford United 3-0 Finn Harps
14-Jun-2013 – AL – Salthill Devon 2-1 Finn Harps (Funston)
08-Jun-2013 – AL – Finn Harps 2-3 Athlone Town (Funston, Cowan)
31-May-2013 – FAI – Finn Harps 2-1 Wexford Youths (Cowan, McCarron)
24-May-2013 – AL – Wexford Youths 2-1 Finn Harps (McCarron)
20-May-2013 – LC – Finn Harps 1-1 Derry City (O’Hagan) – Derry win 6-5 on penalties
17-May-2013 – AL – Finn Harps 1-0 Mervue United (McCarron)
11-May-2013 – AL – Longford Town 2-3 Finn Harps (McCarron, McHugh, McDonagh og.)
04-May-2013 – AL – Cobh Ramblers 2-2 Finn Harps (McHugh, McCarron)
26-Apr-2013 – AL – Finn Harps 0-1 Waterford United
19-Apr-2013 – AL – Finn Harps 1-0 Salthill Devon (McMonagle)
12-Apr-2013 – AL – Athlone Town 1-0 Finn Harps
05-Apr-2013 – AL – Finn Harps 0-0 Wexford Youths
29-Mar-2013 – AL – Mervue United 2-2 Finn Harps (McMonagle, McHugh)
23-Mar-2013 – AL – Finn Harps 1-0 Longford Town (McHugh)
15-Mar-2013 – AL – Finn Harps 4-1 Cobh Ramblers (McCarron 2, McHugh 2)
08-Mar-2013 – AL – Waterford United 1-1 Finn Harps (McCarron)
03-Mar-2013 – LC – Mayo League 1-4 Finn Harps (Harkin, Doherty, Brolly, McBride)
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