Max Hutchison poised for return from injury as Finn Harps travel to UCD

Finn Harps midfielder Max Hutchison is set to return to action in this Friday night’s game against UCD.

Harps will hope to get back to winning ways when they go to Belfield to face the William O’Connor-managed Students.

Hutchison hasn’t featured since being forced out of a home draw against Wexford at the beginning of March with a hamstring injury.

However, the 25-year-old Englishman could feature against UCD.

“Max will probably feature,” Harps manager Kevin McHugh said after Friday’s 2-0 loss to Cobh Ramblers. “He'll get a week's training under his belt.

“It’s great to have Max back. It gives us extra options as well. We'll have to freshen things up as well because you're at the risk of getting injuries then as well.

“A lot of people played about 300 minutes of football in the space of a week. That's a lot of stuff, especially on that heavy pitch. It's going to take its toll on a lot of the players. So we'll freshen it up as much as we can.”

Aaron McLaughlin is expected to be back in training this week and goalkeeper Corey Sheridan is also on the cusp of being back in training while Darragh Coyle remains “another two to three weeks” off a return.

McHugh said of the Burt man:  “We'll have to ease him back in. He's got a cruciate ligament injury and a hamstring injury. We'll just have to make sure he's really ready to rock, but he's itching to go as well.”

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Harps are seventh in the table, four points off Cobh who occupy the final play-off berth in fifth. 

Harps have drawn more games, five, than any other side. 

“We spoke about it before in pre-season, we spoke about it every other week, but we have five draws already this year and we're trying to go for games,” he said. “Sometimes you're just going to get beat like that. When you do, you throw two up, so be it, but we can't settle for draws all the time”