Dave Rogers says Ryan Flood 'is the best left-sided player in Ireland'

Dave Rogers insists he has the best left-sided player in Ireland at Finn Harps.

Ryan Flood took his goals tally to 11 on Friday when scoring two crackers in a 5-0 FAI Cup win over Skerries Town.

Flood’s brace once again showed his worth. The 24-year-old was recruited from Phoenix Rising on a two-year contract in January and has been one of Rogers’ best pieces of business.

From Scottsdale, Arizona  Flood has been a shining light and two pieces of magic lit up a dreadful night in Ballybofey on Friday.

Flood doubles up in the rain as Finn Harps reach FAI Cup quarter-finals

Ryan Flood scored twice to see Finn Harps past Leinster Senior League side Skerries Town in the second round of the FAI Senior Cup at Finn Park.

“For me he is the best left-sided player in Ireland - in both Leagues,” Rogers said.

“I’ll back the boy right to the top. He wants it so badly. Sometimes we encourage him to relax because he tries to do so much and it’s about keeping it simple.

“Show me a better left-footed player in Ireland, in the Premier Division or First Division, and I’ll eat my hat.”

Flood will surely have suitors once the 2023 season is over and Rogers was keen to point to the two-year deals, which raised plenty of eyebrows initially.

The Harps boss said: “The good thing is that we have him tied down on a long-term contract. Ryan wants to be here and that’s the big thing.

“We will have 16 players under contract at the end of the season and that’s a phenomenal base for pre-season. I only want players who want to play for Finn Harps Football Club. People will come here and get an opportunity to play. They will have a platform to play and Ryan is doing that.”

Max Hutchison, Patrick Ferry and Sean O’Donnell also scored as Harps eased past their Leinster Senior League opponents to book a spot in Tuesday afternoon’s quarter-final draw.

Rogers said: “I challenged the players. The two things I wanted were a clean sheet and to be in the quarter-finals of the FAI Cup. We have accomplished that. We did our homework diligently when we drew Skerries Town because you have to treat teams with respect. You have to be professional, diligent and on the ball. You have to win the battle and we did win the battle.

“What we found in the last couple of games was that, barring the Athlone game when we didn’t turn up, we have played some good football. We had 69 per cent of the play against Treaty and 16 shots on target. When you don’t score goals, it will come back and bite you on the backside.

“We know we haven’t been good enough in the final third at times. We get on with it.

“There have been no targets set. The target for me and Darren has been to create a culture and an environment where people will want to come and play for Finn Harps for the right reasons.  We have plan and we will do it structurally and will do it sustainably and in the right way.”