Fnn Harps have announced that Joe Logan will be Friday night’s guest of honour for Friday night’s game against Cork City.
Logan joined Finn Harps in January 1975 from Sligo Rovers. Joe came in a swop deal for future Ireland international Paul McGee.
Jobby Crossan from Derry had secured Joe’s signature at the start of the 1974/75 season when he was briefly in charge at the Showgrounds.
Jobby wasn’t able to get his own release from Belgian club Tongren and Billy Sinclair replaced him.
Joe was transfer listed by Sinclair and Patsy McGowan mooted the idea of a swap for McGee and the deal was done in the January. Joe then made his debut, on 12 January 1975 in a 4-4 draw with Drogheda in Finn Park.
Joe scored his first goal in Harps colours later that season, on 9th March, in another 4-4 draw this time against Athlone Town in St Mel’s Park.
Harps fought back from four goals down to get a point. Joe’s goal was the third scored in the seventy-second minute and was described in the Irish Times: ‘A perfect centre by Ferry found Joe Logan who headed home No. 3 for Harps in the 72nd minute.’
Joe didn’t have to wait too long for his second when he notched the equaliser five minutes from the end.
In total Joe made 213 appearances (17 of those as substitute) for Harps scoring 52 goals. On two occasions he was top scorer for Harps in the League of Ireland. In the 1979/80 season he shared that accolade with John Minnock both scoring ten times. Joe repeated that tally in the 1980/81 season to again be Harps top scorer.
A knee injury sustained away to Sligo Rovers at the end of the 1980/81 season would see Joe sidelined for a period of eighteen months. Joe had to undergo a cartilage operation in Derry in October 1981 and eventually battled back to play seven games in the 1982/83 season.
Joe realised at that point his senior career was over and returned to the Donegal League to play for his first club Swilly Rovers.
Joe made a brief return to Harps in 1986 with Harps in the first division when Charlie McGeever asked him back to “solve Harps midfield problems and help the younger players.”
Joe made six appearances scoring once, his last goal coming in a Shield game away to Sligo Rovers.
His final appearance in the colours of Finn Harps came at Finn Park on 23 February 1986 against Monaghan United as Harps lost by a goal to nil.
Joe also won a representative honour in Finn Harps colours when he played for the League of Ireland against Irish League in a one nil victory on 15 March 1981.
Tags: