We didn't create enough - Finn Harps boss Kevin McHugh on defeat to Cobh

Finn Harps manager Kevin McHugh had few complaints on Friday night after his side were beaten by Cobh Ramblers in Finn Park.

In very testing conditions, the Harps battled their opponents and the heavy wind and rain in the first half and did well to get in at the break level after a number of big chances for the visitors.

And as the wind died down after the restart, they got little advantage, and the Cobh men struck twice for a deserved 2-0 win, which McHugh agreed was a fair result.

“I think overall, you have to be honest in your assessment, and they created the better chances in the game.

“In the first half, I think we handled the conditions really well, it was such a storm coming down towards the Town End, and we couldn’t get out of our own third. We couldn’t get up the pitch to create anything of note in the first half, so it was a matter of just getting in at half-time.

“Then the wind stops, and they get up the pitch, and we don’t, which is unfortunate, but we didn’t do enough in the final third to win the game.

Maybe we could have got a draw out of the game, but we spoke about it before in pre-season, and we have five draws already this season, and we’re trying to go for games, and sometimes you’re going to get beaten like that when you throw two up, but we can’t settle for draws all the time.

“The wind seemed to die at half-time, and we struggled (in the first half). Lorezo’s kicks were coming back at him, and it was really strong, and it was like someone turned off a wind machine at half-time, and we didn’t get that advantage.

“It’s unfortunate, but the moments we had in the final third, we just didn’t do enough or create enough. It was all half-chances, and we didn’t create anything of proper note, so in that regard, we didn’t deserve to win.

“Cobh are a very good side, and we know that. We played them down there, and they have players coming back, and they’re strong all over the pitch, and they have serious options on the bench.

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“And that’s what the First Division is, everybody has options and good players, and if you’re not on it on the day, then that’s what can happen, and that’s what happened to us.”

It was a third game in eight days for the Harps after draws with the top two in Cork City and Bray Wanderers, but on a heavy pitch, the side looked fatigued in the second half.

And while McHugh freshened it up in the final half an hour, there were still a number of tired legs out there.

“If we ran away and got the first goal, nobody would have said too much about it, and that’s the fine margins between every single team. Set plays can make a difference, and it ended up being a set play that we didn’t deal with, and the ball gets stuck in the mud, and their man comes in and taps it in.

“Then the second one is unfortunate for young Adam McDaid. His back pass gets stuck in the mud as well, so we’re unfortunate in that way that the pitch cost us tonight, and we couldn’t get our more technical players on the ball in Bernardo and Gavin, and it wasn’t a night for Nathan to run at people because the pitch was so heavy and bobbly.

“There are three or four people coming back from niggling injuries, and we couldn’t take a chance on the heavy pitch incase they get a recurring injury. Young Alex was out on his legs, Conor Tourish and Joel Bradley-Walsh, and Josh Cullen have all played 90 minutes over the last number of weeks and we do have options, but we have a lot of youth on the bench and sometimes in games, especially at home, you want your most experienced players and three games at home probably caught up with us.

“There’ll be more of them to come in May and August, but we have to get used to it, it’s the same for everybody.

“But Cobh probably fully deserved the three points because we didn’t create enough to win the game.”