VETERAN attacker Raffaele Cretaro has confirmed his intention to retire from League of Ireland football again after helping Finn Harps secure their Premier Division status.
Last year, Cretaro hung up the boots after leaving Sligo Rovers, but Ollie Horgan, the Harps manager, convinced him to go again.
Horgan, who had tried before, finally lured Cretaro to Finn Park. Now 38, Cretaro made 30 appearances for Harps in 2019, including 90 minutes in last night’s 2-0 extra time win over Drogheda United in the play-off.
“That’s me finishing on a real high,” Cretaro said.
“I gave it what I had to try and keep Harps up.
“I’m grateful to Ollie for giving me the chance and I enjoyed the season.”
Cretaro said Horgan was someone who he ‘admired’ and had been keen to work under.
He said: “It was a new experienced and a really positive one.
“The atmospherewas just electric here, like a Cup final. It was a great experience. The players showed character to go and get the result.”
Horgan will face a battle to hold onto some of his key players.
Unlike their Premier Division counterparts, Harps have none of their senior players tied down for next season while Horgan’s own two-year term from the end of 2017, has also expired.
Mark Russell and Harry Ascroft, Harps’ goalscorer last night, have proved big hits with the Finn Park faithful but could both move on.
Jacob Borg – who has had two fine campaigns at the club since joining midway through 2018 – is in a similar position while striker Nathan Boyle is understood to be moving abroad.