Remembering Finn Harps’ famous hat-tricks down the years

Belgian striker Tunde Owolabi scored a sensational hat-trick as Finn Harps shocked St Patrick's Athletic at Finn Park last Friday night in a 3-1 win. Down the years, Harps players have scored memorable trebles - some even more - and here’s the pick of them.

Brendan Bradley
November 30, 1975. Finn Harps 6-1 Sligo Rovers
Harps received a tasty £400 from Bass for scoring the most monthly goals in November 1975 thanks in no small part to a Brendan Bradly double hat-trick against Sligo Rovers on the last day of the month.
His six goals meant the Ballybofey side sat top of the League of Ireland table, unbeaten after nine games. Sligo went one up through a goal from Graham Fox before two Bradley goals meant the home team led 2-1 at the break.
Four more goals from the Derry native sealed one of Harps’ most famous wins. They would finish the season in second place behind Dundalk. Bradley would score 29 league goals in only 26 games.

Kevin McHugh
April 24, 2002. Finn Harps 3-2 Longford Town
(3-3 on aggregate. Longford won 6-5 on penalties)
Has there ever been a more unfortunate man to lose a play-off? Kevin McHugh produced a marvellous display for Harps in the second leg of their promotion-relegation play-off against Longford Town and ended up with nothing.

Longford, a goal ahead from the first-leg, looked to be on course for an easy win when Eric Levine doubled their advantage but the match turned when Alan Reynolds got his marching orders for a second booking.

McHugh put Finn Harps back in the tie after 57 minutes and made it 2-2 on aggregate with 10 to play. The Harps striker completed a hat trick in the second half of extra-time before Paul McNally converted a penalty for Longford late on. Stephen O'Brien became the hero for Longford after he saved Tom Mohan's spot-kick in sudden death.

Charlie Ferry
January 27, 1974. Finn Harps 7-1 Home Farm
As 1974 took shape, Harps were in good stead and a 7-1 home win over Home Farm in Ballybofey meant they trailed league leaders Cork Celtic by just a single point at the end of January. There was a minute’s silence beforehand for the victims of Bloody Sunday in Derry two years beforehand.

Jim McDermott opened the scoring before a second from Jim Smith. Charlie Ferry only entered the fray as a substitute on 34 minutes in place of Tony O’Doherty and would score three - all from the penalty spot. Brendan Bradley and a second from Smith completed the rout, with the visitors’ goal coming from Damien Byrne.

Tragically that night, whilst leaving the babysitter home in the club’s minibus, McDermott and his neighbour Sean Gallagher were killed by a falling tree. Harps went onto win the FAI Cup and finished fourth in the league.

Terry Harkin and Joe Nicholl
November 7, 1971. Finn Harps 7-0 Athlone Town
Harps and Athlone entered the league on the same day in 1969 but just over two years later a considerable gulf between the teams was already evident, particularly after a record win for the Ballybofey side.

The display was described as “faultless” by The Donegal Democrat, who added: “It is no exaggeration to say 14-0 would have been a truer reflection” and Harps played “a brand of football that would beat any team in Ireland, not alone Athlone”.

Usually, only two players scored. Terry Harkin helped himself to four goals and Joe Nicholl netted three. Harps ended the season just one point behind league champions Waterford.

Con McLaughlin
April 14, 1985. Dundalk 1-3 Finn Harps
An already relegated Finn Harps continued their uncanny knack of getting results at Oriel Park, with this their fourth on the bounce.

Dessie Gorman, an Arsenal triallist, gave the hosts the lead before three from McLaughlin sealed a Harps away win on what would be their last top flight away fixture for 11 years.

Conor Gethins
March 18, 2006. Kildare County 2-5 Finn Harps
Player-manager Anthony Gorman had brought in Jim McGuinness to help put his squad through their pre-season ahead of a return to the First Division in 2006.

Harps’ opening day fixture against Athlone Town was postponed due to a water-logged pitch but with Conor Gethins scoring four and Stephen O’Donnell also on the mark started the season in style with a 5-2 win at Kildare County, before tailing off to end the campaign in sixth.

Jonathan Speak
April 27, 1997. Finn Harps 3-4 Sligo Rovers
The last top-flight hat-trick at Finn Park for 24 years was the property of Jonathan Speak’s. He bagged a treble on the last day of the season - his second being his 100th goal in League of Ireland football - as Sligo won an entertaining north-west derby, with both sides clear of relegation.

Alan Doherty
December 3, 1994. Kilkenny City 1-8 Finn Harps
In a club record away win, Alan Doherty helped himself to three at Buckley Park, which meant Harps joined UCD at the top of the First Division table. Kilkenny’s 16-year-old goalkeeper Liam Delaney made a few notable saves but Harps won at a canter with Pierce Devenney grabbing a brace, and Maurice Toland, Richie Parsons and John Gerard McGettigan were also target.

Davitt Walsh
May 16, 2006. Finn Harps 4-1 Monaghan United
Keerykeel native Davitt Walsh helped himself to a treble of the perfect variety when Monaghan came to Finn Park, with a left-footed effort, a right-footed strike and a header in a routine home win where Jonathan Minnock was also a scorer.