Fintown Harps all fired up after chalking up first league win in five attempts  

Fintown Harps picked up their firsts three points of the new season  following last Saturday’s 5-1 win over Arranmore, in Rannagh Park, in the Glencar Inn Saturday League Division 1.

Sergey Oriabinskyi scored three of the goals and Aaron McGlynn netted the other two for the Harps’ reversal in five outings.

“It was a great performance, a great result and long overdue,” said Fintown’s long serving manager, Paddy Molloy.

It had been a trying start for Harps, last year’s runners up to St Catherine’s in the race for the Saturday league topflight title. 

The perennial problem of the start of the soccer season overlapping with the latter stages of the GAA championship season is having an impact this time out. 

“It is well known we are in the heart of Gaelic football country,” said Molloy. “And with the GAA season in full flow right now, we have been struggling for numbers.

“It’s the same every season.  It was tough to get teams out for the first three or four games and I had to play one game myself which, at 47, is not the wisest thing in the world to do.

“But it was a case of having to do so because the last thing we want is not  be able to field and if you fail to field twice you are out for two seasons.” 

But Molloy is happy to report his team has got stronger in recent weeks.

The return of Joe Shanky Smith and Kealan McMonagle, following Naomh Conaill’s exit from the Junior C championship, has given the boss more options. 

“The lads returning has strengthened the squad. Aaron McGlynn, who scored two of the goals last weekend, in Arranmore, has also signed for us in recent weeks.

“He is a very good lad and a big addition to the squad. I didn’t start him last weekend because I felt it would be unfair on the lads that had been on the team. 

“But I brought him on and he scored two goals and he had no problem with not having started. He understood the situation.

“Sergey Oriabinskyi scored a hat trick against Arranmore and he is our top scorer with five goals. He is a very good player and is one of a number of Ukranians we have in the squad.

“He signed for us last year. He was living in Fintown at the time, but he has since moved to live in Letterkenny but is still playing with us. 

“We have another Ukrainian lad Lila Milokost, he is living in Bundoran but travels down every weekend to play with us. 

“He was living in Ballyshannon last year and Dermot Slevin brought him down with him when he joined us and he has resigned again for this season.

“Last week’s result may have surprised some people but it came as  no surprise to me. I felt it was coming for a few weeks as the team got stronger. Hopefully it is the turning point in our season.” 

Fintown Harps host St Catherine’s reserves this Saturday, in Pairc Acla, and they are away to Oldtown Celtic, the league leaders and early pace setters the following weekend.

“St Catherine’s beat us twice last year and pipped us for the league title. Oldtown Celtic are another very good side. 

“The are two big games. But we have the fire back in the belly for those games and we are really looking forward to the rest of the season now.”        

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