McNamee wants improvement on 2025 as Finn Harps prepare for season opener

Finn Harps captain Tony McNamee feels they have to improve on last year’s finish in the First Division as they prepare for their opening game on Friday night against Athlone Town.

The Finn Park men were in the hunt for the play-offs for a long period of last season, but one point in their final six games of the season ended those hopes, as they finished in eighth place.

And the midfielder, who is into his ninth season in his third spell at the club, is hoping for better fortunes this year.

“I wouldn’t say we’ll take it in quarters, but we’ll not look any further than Athlone, and every team is going to be different from what they were last year. There have been ins and outs in all of the teams.

“Cork are probably going to be the favourites, and then the likes of Kerry and Wexford have strengthened, and we know what Bray and UCD have as well, so we know it’s going to be difficult.

“But we have to look to improve on last year, and we have to aim for the play-offs if nothing else.”

Finn Harps travel to Athlone in their opening game, and while they play on a 4G pitch at Lissywoollen, the Harps have been training on Letterkenny Community Centre’s astro, while they also had a friendly on the artificial surface at Ray MacSharry Park.

There are a couple of familiar faces in the Athlone squad, with Gradi Lomboto and Patrick Ferry both playing for the Donegal men in 2025 and moved to the Midlands in the off-season.

Athlone finished bottom of the table last year with just 20 points, 13 behind Kerry in second last, in what was a surprising season for the club after investing well and being tipped towards the promotion play-offs.

They will be expecting a big improvement in 2026, but McNamee and co will be looking to get off to a winning start, and will take comfort in the fact that they have picked up seven points in their last three visits to the Athlone Town Stadium.

“We’ll look at Friday night first, and there are a few ex-(Finn Harps) players down there, and we know what they’re capable of, so we’ll have to prepare for their strengths and weaknesses.

“You want a good performance, but again, you want a result by hook or by crook. If you don’t play well but get the points, then so be it.

“We’ll be looking for a result in every game and won’t go into any games this year thinking we can’t win because there’s no point even travelling if you don’t think you can. A lot of the games will be difficult, but that’s part and parcel with the sport.”

The 32-year-old and the side have been doing the hard runs since December as they started back for the new season a bit earlier, getting up to speed quicker before their pre-season friendlies.

And while they lost Ibra Bangoura, Gavin Gilmore, Gavin Hodgins, Gradi Lomboto, Kieran Cooney, Daniel Cunningham and Mikey Place, they have added six new signings in Temiloluwa Ajibola, Daniel Lacerda, Nathan Lumingo, Bernardo Monteiro, Perrault Tokam and Alex Fanle.

The midfielder has felt they have settled in well after a good five friendlies between two against Wigan Athletic and Bolton Wanderers Under-23s, and two matches against Sligo Rovers and one at Finn Park versus Galway United.

“We were all back in for pre-season back in December, and the trialists were in then too, so we had an idea of them before the friendlies.

“But everyone got in or around the same minutes on the pitch in the squad, and it was well balanced as well.

“You get to know players' strengths and weaknesses, and you know in terms of movement off the ball and what style of pass or cross will be played in, and in that sense, the spine of the squad is more or less there again.

“Hopefully, now the boys who have come in can hit the ground running.

“I personally think we are (in a better position). The work that ‘Logie’ (Eoin Logue) has done in the S&C side and then Shane Porter on the nutritional side of things, has been a big help and the coaching staff here are well experienced at a senior level. We got a base of fitness before pre-season, and they knew the top-up we needed then.”

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“The trip to England, it’s the first time it’s happened in my time, so it was good to get away in a sense. The facilities were second to none, and the pitches we played on were their training pitches, which are maintained well.

“It was great in a team bonding situation where everyone got to chat to the newer boys.

“You’re in training, and you might be there half an hour before, and you’re away straight away after, so you get to see them, but on that trip from Thursday to Sunday, you were with the whole squad.

“From the five friendlies we played the two academy teams in England and then the two Premier Division teams so you went from playing two teams that want to play out from the back to a team like Galway where you’re probably aren’t going to get a more physical team in the League of Ireland, never mind the First Division, then Sligo can mix it up between both so it was a good pre-season and hopefully it helps us in the league.”