Frustrated Finn Harps slip to home defeat against Wexford 

Finn Harps slumped to their ninth defeat of the season as Wexford deservingly departed Ballybofey with all three points. 

Finn Harps 0 Wexford 1 

The hosts had gone into the two-week break off the back of a morale boosting 3-2 win over Longford Town. 

And in the interim period, boss Dave Rogers was able to coax former fans favourite Tony McNamee back into the mix and bolster his squad further with the recent additions of defensive duo Scott Wara and Matty Makinson. 

And while they can’t be involved until after July 1, seventh placed Harps went into Friday night’s clash knowing a win had the potential to see them swap places with Wexford, who began the evening in sixth. 

And while Rogers’ side did edge matters inside an evenly enough contested first-half, there was no doubt the visitors were by far the better outfit after the break. 

Harps could have found themselves one up inside the first ten minutes but they could easily have also fallen behind inside that same spell. 

First, Ryan Flood’s freekick just outside the area, well won by Sean O’Donnell, was beaten away by Noel Heffernan. 

For a moment it looked like the visiting stopper had palmed it straight into the path of the lurking Filip De Silva but Harps’ Brazilian striker cruelly lost his footing on the greasy surface at the vital moment. 

Up the other end Danny Furlong cut across onto his favoured right far too easily and it took a very good Tim Hiemer stop to prevent the visitors from going in front. Damien Duffy then almost found the top corner with a brilliant effort from distance but it just didn’t come back in enough to nestle in that upright. 

In what was a loose enough affair already, Caoimhin Porter then got a run on goal, just right of centre. But with O’Donnell and De Sliva to his left and genuine options for a cut back on, the former unfortunately decided to go it alone and the effort was easily cut out. 

Passing the half hour mark Flood drove another freekick on target but it was comfortably dealt with while Keith Cowan almost got on the end of corner.

Into added time at the end of the first period and O’Donnell really should have done much better inside the area from De Sliva’s pull back but his attempted connection skimmed off his boot and went harmlessly wide. 

And a frustrating first-half for Harps ended with the scoreline locked at nil all. Wexford began the second period on the front foot but just hadn’t enough guile to really make that period of dominance count. 

It took until the 57th minute and a hard earned freekick top of the left by De Silva for Harps to forge their first real opportunity after the restart. However, Flood’s delivery was looping and deep and it was easily dealt with by Wexford. In an attempt to relieve some pressure, a clearance from deep by Kevin Jordan almost inadvertently put substitute Aaron McLaughlin in. 

But on 64 minutes it was Wexford that eventually made the deserving breakthrough when Harps were caught sleeping on the wide right. 

Play was eventually switched into the area by Wexford and with Mark Hanratty being desperately closed down by the outrushing Harps defence, a disguised roll to his left perfectly set up Aaron Dobbs to whip home. 

Wexford could have went two up three minutes later but Hiemer did very well to deny Hanratty from almost point blank range. From the resulting corner Hugh Douglas just nodded wide. 

With Harps in complete disarray now, Dobbs got in behind the home defence again but after rounding the advancing Hiemer he somehow steered his effort into the side netting. 

Nearing the last quarter of an hour and another clean pair of heels shown by teenager McLaughlin down the left, who was a really bright spark when introduced, seen Harps mount a rare counter. 

But with options steaming forward in the middle the latter was unlucky to see his effort to square possession cut out. Going into the final ten minutes Flood was also unfortunate to see an effort from outside the area just go the wrong side of the post. 

Improving, O’Donnell got to the endline for Harps but his drilled centre just couldn’t find a blue body. Moving into five minutes of added time the hosts, to their credit, pushed hard. 

A last gasp corner did fall at the feet of Porter inside the area but he just couldn’t get a swipe away at it and the full time whistle eventually signalled. 

Finn Harps: Tim Hiemer; Shane McMonagle (Ellis Farrar, 86), Keith Cowan, Noe Baba; Caoimhin Porter, Daithi McCallon, Damien Duffy, Kevin Jordan (Max Johnston, 71); Ryan Flood; Filip De Silva (Aaron McLaughlin, 57), Sean O’Donnell. 

Wexford: Noel Heffermain; Benjamin Lynch, Hugh Douglas (Sean Fitzpatrick, 79), Corban Piper, Kian Corbally, Karl Chambers (Daniel Levingston, 61), Brandon McCann, James Crawford, Danny Furlong (Mark Hanratty, 61); Aaron Dobbs, Reece Webb. 

Referee: Paul Norton.