Irish management surprise visitors as Finn Harps win LOI Down Syndrome Futsal Cup

Finn Harps won the latest League of Ireland Down Syndrome Futsal Festival Series on Sunday.

Harps, who won the inaugural tournament at Gormanstown in June, topped the charts again at Abbotstown on a thrilling day of action. Harps won the Cairdeas Cup after taking a clean sweep of wins with six wins out of six.

Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, assistant coach John O'Shea and goalkeeping coach Gudmundur Hreidarsson were in attendance.  

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Coached by Tony McNamee and Danny Ferry, Harps defeated Wexford 6-1, Bohemians 5-0, Shelbourne 3-0 and Bray Wanderers 3-2 to top their group.

In the semi-finals, Shaun McCosker and Hughie Sweeney scored two apiece in a 4-2 derby win over Derry City.

In a tense final, Harps defeated Dundalk 3-2. It was a repeat of the final from June with Sweeney on target twice and McCosker weighing in with a goal to take the silverware back to Donegal.

The Finn Harps squad was: David Crawford, Daniel O’Reilly, Meg Carr, Hughie Sweeney, Shaun McCosker, Kealin Doherty, Anna Hennessy, Leanne Kelly.

The initiative is a collaboration between the FAI Football For All programme and the League of Ireland via the Club’s Football and Social Responsibility (FSR) Officers and provides players with Down Syndrome countrywide with an opportunity to line out for their local League of Ireland clubs.