Shelbourne prove much too slick for Finn Harps at Tolka Park

There were new faces on show although the same old story for Finn Harps as their winless streak edged out to nine games with defeat at Shelbourne.

Shelbourne 3
Finn Harps 1

Two Gavin Molloy goals - either side of an equaliser from Ethan Boyle - meant for a 2-1 half-time lead for the home team at Tolka Park. With Ireland U-19 international Jad Hakiki particularly impressive in the second half, a third goal duly arrived with Jack Moylan on target.

Harps - with three debutants featuring - didn’t look to have the same level of cohesiveness as Damien Duff’s team. And with Drogheda United upsetting Dundalk in the Louth derby and now 13 points ahead in eighth place, the play-off, almost certainly even now, will feature either Harps or UCD, who are three further behind.

Molloy, with the simplest of headers on 14 minutes from a corner by Shane Farrell put the home side in front. Molloy was totally unchallenged as he nodded in from close range in what was from a Harps perspective, much too easy.

However, Ollie Horgan’s opposite number Duff might’ve had a similar feeling just five minutes later when Ethan Boyle nodded a header past Brendan Clarke from a Regan Donelan free-kick to make it 1-1.

Gavin Mulreany and Clarke - through little fault of their own - had both been beaten before either of the respective goalkeepers made a save. The first of the evening came on 23 minutes, when the Harps stopper got down to hold a drive from Moylan.

Not to be undone, Clarke, at the other end, made a fantastic one-handed save from McNamee’s dipping half-volley, with the Harps skipper latching onto a flick-on by new signing Robert Jones.

The Scot - most recently of Clyde FC - was making his first appearance for the Ballybofey club, providing a presence up top at 6ft 4in, while two other July new recruits - defenders Harry Nicolson and Liam McGing - who came in late on - were on the substitutes’ bench.

Luke Byrne’s header from another Farrell delivery forced Mulreany into a full-stretch save and by the 38th minute the hosts were back in front, with Molloy again the scorer.

The chance came about when Conor Kane slipped Hakiki in down the left and having made his way inside the area, knew there was nothing on so laid the ball back to the edge of the penalty area, where it was swept home by Molloy with aplomb to put Shelbourne back in front.

Ninety seconds before the break, it almost got worse for Harps when Moylan made an angle for himself and got plenty behind a shot that Mulreany saved at the near post by keeping on his feet. With Shelbourne certainly finishing the half strongly, the visitors were glad to hear the half-time whistle.

The Premier Division hasn’t been the happiest of hunting grounds for Finn Harps this term, winning just twice in 21 matches, with both those successes coming against Shelbourne.

In March, Harps were 3-0 victors in Drumcondra, with Boyle, Conor Torish and Eric McWoods the scorers before a last minute strike from McNamee was the only goal of the return in May.

Much of the play in the first half had centred on the deadball abilities of Donelon and Farrell and both saw curling frees go over and wall and just wide in the opening minutes of the second half.

On the hour-mark, Adam McCaffrey, who was only announced as having penned a deal with the Harps seniors on Thursday, was welcomed on for a first appearance - a brilliant moment for the Dungloe native, who last year suffered a serious head injury playing for the Harps U-21s.

New Finn Harps striker Jones straight into team at Tolka Park

The Scottish centre-forward Robert Jones makes his debut against Damien Duff's Shelbourne at Tolka Park, with another new signing from Scotland in the form of defender Harry Nicolson on the bench

Sean Boyd missed a great chance to put one over on his former employers with two opportunities in a minute. Farrell was the architect on each occasion, with Boyd missing his kick the first time and then Boyle making a vital interception the second.

Eighteen-year-old Hakiki and Moylan were playing between the lines and although Harps weren’t clinging on for dear life as they say, they had a lot of nervous moments and Shelbourne sought to put the game to bed.

Fifteen minutes from time, Moylan’s third helped Shelbourne pull up the sheets as he strode onto a pass from Boys to clip a third, which was certainly deserved considering the direction the match had been taking. Now the challenge for Harps is to stop taking the direction their season continues to be taking.

Shelbourne: Brendan Clarke; Shane Griffin, Luke Byrne, Kameron Ledwidge; Shane Farrell, Gavin Molloy, JJ Lunney (Mark Coyle 83), Conor Kane; Jad Hakiki (Ryan McManus 80); Sean Boyd (Daniel Carr 86), Jack Moylan.

Finn Harps: Gavin Mulreany; Ryan Rainey (Liam McGing 82), Ethan Boyle, Rob Slevin, Regan Donelon; Élie N'Zeyi (Bastien Héry 69), Ryan Connolly; Dylan Duncan (Adam McCaffrey 60), Barry McNamee, Filip Mihaljević (Luke Rudden 82); Robert Jones.

Referee: Rob Hennessy.