Improving Finn Harps share the spoils with Bray Wanderers 

As far as stalemates go Finn Harps’ nil all draw with Bray Wanderers is probably as good as it gets. 

Finn Harps 0 Bray Wanderers 0 

In an action packed 90 minutes, where both sides came close to a breakthrough on numerous occasions a share of the spoils, in the end, was probably a fair result. 

Dave Rogers had been busy with recruitment in recent weeks and the boss handed out six debuts on Friday night in the form of Semi Scott Wara, Daniel Stokoe, Max Hutchison, Jamie Watson, Patrick Ferry and Matthew Makinson. 

BJ Banda - who is back for a second spell in Ballybofey - was also named on the bench.

And there was no doubt that Harps looked much improved as they went toe to toe with a Bray side that had begun the night in fifth place in the First Division standings. 

The visitors had opened brightly and almost took the lead just three minutes in. Forcing an early corner, it took a clearance off the line by Ryan Flood to deny Ben Feeney from nodding in the opening goal. 

Harps soon threatened at the other end with Ferry flagged offside after he was threaded in by Sean O’Donnell. 

On seven minutes, a superb save from Tim Oliver Hiemer, when Max Murphy’s effort to cross almost dipped in under the Harps crossbar, again prevented the visitors from taking the lead.

In what remained a frantic enough opening, a good delivery from Stephen Doherty just missed the head of the stretching Ferry at the back post. 

Harps’ best chance of the first-half arrived on 20 minutes when Ferry put O’Donnell in around the corner but with Stephen McGuinness out quickly, the Bray stopper smothered the effort well. 

With Harps growing into matters a deep Flood delivery from a corner was headed just over by Makinson at the back post. 

Bray then hit a post when the Harps defence failed to deal with a corner into their area, and with the ball breaking at the feet of Ben Feeney, his effort on the turn came back off the outside of the upright and went wide. 

Five minutes into the second period and Harps came within inches of breaking the deadlock when a brilliant Flood effort from outside the area was acrobatically tipped onto the crossbar by McGuinness. 

Almost immediately up the other end the woodwork also came to Harps’ rescue as Dane Massey’s strike rattled the crossbar. 

Banda, just seconds into the fray, capitalised on a Bray defensive mistake to power through the middle but McGuinness did so well to stay big and push a driven effort behind for corner. 

In a real end to end affair, Nadre Butcher dragged an effort just wide of the foot of the post for Bray while Banda, down the wide left, flashed a brilliant low ball into the area but no one was there to finish.

Before the end, Makinson ballooned over from the edge of the area meaning both Harps had Bray had to each make do with a point. 

Finn Harps: Tim Oliver Hiemer; Semi Scott Wara, Daithi McCallion, Matthew Makinson; Jamie Watson, Daniel Stokoe (Noe Baba, 74), Ryan Flood, Max Hutchison (Caoimhin Porter,85), Stephen Doherty; Sean O’Donnell (BJ Banda, 56), Patrick Ferry (Aaron McLaughlin, 85). 

Bray Wanderers: Stephen McGuinness; Len O'Sullivan, Jack Hudson, Nadre Butcher, Ben Feeney; Conor Crowley, Dane Massey, Darren Craven, Harry Groome (Gerard Short, 82); Chris Lyons (CallumThompson, 67), Max Murphy.  

Referee: Robert Dowling.