Finn Harps were defeated by local rivals Derry City as James Akintunde’s 94th minute header saw Derry take all three points home from Finn Park.
Rob Jones scored his first Finn Harps goal with a header from a Donelon corner on the half hour mark, and they kept the lead for 45 minutes until Ryan Graydon nodded past Mark Anthony McGinley.
Both sides looked for a winner in the seven minutes of injury time and it came for the away side as Akintunde headed home from a Will Patching free-kick.
Photography by Joe Boland, North West Newspix
Finn Harps were going into the game without a win in their last nine games and were hoping to get one up on their local rivals.
Ollie Horgan made three changes from the Shelbourne defeat Friday week ago, with Mark Anthony McGinley and Conor Tourish returning to the squad, while Harry Nicolson made his debut
Derry on the other hand played in Latvia just 72 hours previous as they were knocked out of the European Conference League.
Jones’ header on the half hour mark opened the scoring from Regan Donelon’s corner in a first half which had very few chances, with both keepers not having a save to make.
Will Patching had the first effort of the game after nutmegging Élie N’Zeyi, but he fired well over the bar.
Harps defended well as Conor Tourish made a vital clearance from a Lafferty cross, while Matty Smith played a 1-2 with Patching before shooting low and just wide of the near post.
Cameron Dummigan had a threatening cross cleared well by Donelon, and the Donegal side defended the corner well.
But on the half hour mark, Robert Jones opened his Finn Harps account with a great header.
Ryan Rainey was found by Ryan Connolly and his cross was headed out for the corner, with Donelon taking the resulting corner and he found the Scotsman who ran towards the front post and flicked his header into the top corner past Maher.
Derry tried to find an equaliser but didn’t test McGinley as Patching’s free-kick from a dangerous area.
Harps had a chance to make it 2-0 when debutant Nicolson found Rainey and his flick to N’Zeyi was headed towards goal but the Frenchman couldn’t find the target as the ball sailed over the bar.
Jones’ goal was the only shot on target of the half as Finn Harps went into the break 1-0 ahead.
Derry wasted no time in the second half in search of an equaliser as Harps were caught napping but Rob Slevin made an important tackle, while Tourish again cleared from a dangerous cross from substitute Brandon Kavanagh.
Dummigan and Ciaran Coll also delivered teasing balls into the box but they were all met by blue shirts.
Matty Smith had Derry’s first shot on target after 50 minutes but his tame effort was easily saved by McGinley.
Another half-time sub for Derry, their new signing Sadou Diallo had an effort outside of the box go over the bar.
On the hour mark, Derry had their best chance of the game so far when Patching’s free-kick dropped in the six yard box but substitute Ryan Graydon couldn’t connect to the ball.
With fifteen minutes to go McGinley had his work cut out when Patrick McEleney’s shot from outside the box moved in the air and it almost caught McGinley out, but the Harps ‘keeper saved well to force a corner.
Conor Tourish and Rob Slevin both made brilliant challenges to stop Derry in promising positions, as Tourish blocked a Diallo shot from 15 yards and Slevin cleared a cross before the Derry attackers could pounce.
But Harps couldn’t keep up the brilliant defensive display after a long ball saw Graydon get in behind Ethan Boyle and the debutant flicked his header past McGinley, trickling into the net as Boyle tried to get back to clear but failed.
Buoyed by the goal, Derry pushed as they looked for a winner, and in the 4th minute of added time, James Akintunde found the winner.
From a Patching free, Akintunde was at the back post to head into the corner of the net.
The game would end 2-1 and other results would make the game even more disappointing for Finn Harps, with UCD winning away to Sligo Rovers, meaning both sides are now equal on points.
Finn Harps: Mark Anthony McGinley; Conor Tourish, Regan Donelon, Ethan Boyle, Rob Slevin, Ryan Rainey, Ryan Connolly, Barry McNamee, Élie-Gaël N’Zeyi, Harry Nicolson, Robert Jones.
Subs: Bastien Héry, Filip Mihaljević and Mark Timlin for Donelon, McNamee and Connolly (61 mins), Luke Rudden and Sean O’Donnell for Rainey and Nicolson.
Derry City: Brian Maher; Cameron Dummigan, Shane McEleney, Cameron McJannett, Ciaran Coll, Danny Lafferty, Will Patching, Joe Thompson, Patrick McEleney, Matty Smith, Jamie McGonigle.
Subs: Sadou Diallo and Brandon Kavanagh for Thomson and Lafferty (half-time), Ryan Graydon for Smith (59 mins), James Akintunde for McGonigle (81 mins).
