Rogers switch flick means it’s time for business - Ryan Rainey

When Dave Rogers first came on board with Finn Harps he made a point, where it was possible, of meeting as many of last season’s squad as he could.

One by one though, polite declines were offered to enquiries made to those he looked to retain the services of. It had to have been the most disheartening of tasks. However, one hand finally went up.

And it was vertical long before terms or conditions in relation to any contract renewal were discussed. That paw belonged to Ryan Rainey. The Bonagee man came on board in Ballybofey back in 2021.

It was the Covid hit League of Ireland season but previous boss Ollie Horgan had still managed to secure the services of some exciting talent like Will Seymore, Tunde Owalabi and Kosovar Sadiki.

For the second season in a row, Harps had stayed in the top flight on their own terms with the likes of home grown talents Mark Anthony McGinley, Barry McNamee and Mark Coyle also neatly spliced into the mix.

It should have been a platform to build upon - to kick onto the next level. But it never felt like that because it was never going to be that. One by one, that familiar spate of inevitable departures were confirmed.

Horgan’s excellent record of six Premier Division seasons out of nine was built on short term deals. It had to be or some of the aforementioned names would never have darkened the door on Navenny Street.

But life back in the basement tier of the League of Ireland, as unwelcome as it was at the time, presented Harps, its backers and its board with a chance to press a complete reset button.

After the departure of Horgan, Rainey says there was a real concern that Harps might struggle to get a suitable replacement or, more importantly, the right replacement.

But Rainey says the acquisition of former Nottingham Forest U-21 boss Rogers was a serious step in the right direction.

“Dave is a great character,” he explained. “He’s warm, he’s positive but see once it’s time to get down to training and football, he’s all business. He just switches to a completely different person. But that’s a mindset - a winning mentality. He’s been fantastic to have around.

“His CV is brilliant - he’s worked with so many top class lads. What he’s trying to do here isn’t a quick fix. It’s groundwork and foundation work that will, sooner rather than later, allow us to push on.

“Regardless of the opposition, he’s sending us out to win games. So we know what’s expected of us every single night now. Again, that’s continuity in terms of our approach”.

He added: “Stability and continuity, they’re big things in team sports. Like, it was so difficult in the Premier Division to get that. Brilliant players came in, but they were always moving onto the next thing.

“In the First Division, a sort of reset button has been pressed on all of that. Dave is taking lads in on longer term contracts. Regardless of where this campaign takes us, when we walk through the door next season for pre-season, there’ll be 12, 13 or 14 lads still here.

“They’ll all have a full season under their belts and the aim will be to hit the ground running. That learning process, that settling in period will have already been done”.

Six games into their First Division season and Harps currently sit sixth in the standings. They face into a big four days with back to back home games against both Longford Town and Athlone Town.

Rainey explains that there is a real opportunity for Harps to not only pick up valuable points but, in the process, hurt two sides in their immediate vicinity.

“It’s a massive few days for us - especially with the two games being at home. And I know our supporters are going to do their best to help us make the most of it. I can’t not mention how great they’ve been.

“Even when we threw away a two-goal lead against Cobh, they kept shouting right up until the final whistle. You’re talking about two sides in our vicinity in the league. It’s early days but I’d still look at them as huge games for us. There is real potential there to make a dent in our season.

“Last weekend in Wexford, we didn’t play our best football but still came away with the win. In the first few games, we dropped points in games where we felt we deserved more. But it definitely feels like we’re turning the corner.

“We’re working so hard. And ahead of back to back home games, there is a real chance there now to push things on considerably”.

In regards to that entire process, Rainey admits the wheels can be slow to turn. But, he insists, they are definitely turning in the right direction.

“People are quick to criticise. But something like this is going to take time. It’s a completely different set-up to last year. Dave is looking to play a completely different brand of football. We want to play with the ball on the ground, on the front foot.

“To be fair, there has been serious progress there already. And these young lads are only going to improve as the season goes on now. It’s been an accelerated learning curve. So the hope is that all that graft now is finally starting to show in results”.