Tommy Canning wants a faster start as Finn Harps come from two down to draw

Finn Harps assistant manager Tommy Canning wants his side to start games better after another slow start saw them on the back foot early on.

A quick brace from Jason Oyenuga saw Treaty United go 2-0 up inside 20 minutes in Finn Park on Friday night.

It’s the fourth time in their five games that the Harps have trailed at half-time, and despite a missed penalty from Temiloluwa Ajibola, goals from Gavin McAteer and one from Conor Tourish deep into added time gave them a share of the spoils in the 2-2 draw.

It was another good comeback from the side, with Canning praising the substitutes who helped to change the game.

“It’s absolutely brilliant to be able to have people, particularly at the top end of the pitch, that you can bring on when you need goals, and they can come on and affect the game.

“All the players that came on did really well and asked questions, and we had chances. In the second half, we had chances outside of the goals we got and the penalty we won, so it’s heartening in that sense, but we can’t keep letting ourselves get into a position where we have to come from behind because you’re not always going to dig yourself out of it.

“We need to start better and start games with more intensity and confidence rather than getting into the situation where we’re behind, and it’s a nothing-to-lose type attitude.”

Canning was happy that the Harps showed that never-say-die attitude in salvaging the result in an entertaining game.

“Whatever people are paying to get in at the gate, they’re getting their entertainment, action, and drama.

“It’s not great sitting watching it from the dugout, but that’s two weeks in a row we’ve come from behind and got ourselves in a position to take points in games where it looked like we left too big a mountain to climb, so the players deserve credit for that.

“From the changes we made at half-time, you have to go for it. I think if the penalty goes in, his confidence goes through the roof, and who knows what happens.”

And while it is a home draw against the Limerick men, who sit bottom of the table with just two points from their opening five games, Canning wasn’t expecting an easy task in a competitive league.

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“The division is like that this year, where everybody is at the same level. Treaty haven’t won a game, but we didn’t talk about that all week, we told the players to expect a difficult game.

“They came up the road with starting players missing, so all credit to them, but you expect that from Tommy Barrett’s teams, they’re never going to be easy games.

“But that’s the division we’re in, it’s a slog every week, and you take Cork out of it, the rest, there’s not a huge amount between.

“They’re tough games, and they’re often decided in moments which we’ve seen in the last few weeks.”