McHUGH COMES HOME

February 12, 2010

Ask any Finn Harps supporter which player they would liked to have seen in advance of the 2010 season join the club and the vast majority will say ‘Kevin McHugh.'  The man who scored 122 goals during his time at the club between 1998 and 2005 was a player whose presence at Finn Park has been missed more than most.  Many Harps fans hoped and dreamed that one day their idol would once again represent them on the pitch.

Shortly after 4.00pm on Friday afternoon that dream of McHugh pulling on a Harps shirt once more became a reality, when the man who has spent the last four years away from the club came home.  Although talked about as a possibility since the turn of the year, it was only when McHugh entered the Balor Theatre in Ballybofey for the media conference that the large contingent of Harps supporters present finally believed the rumours.  And, what initially was rumoured to be a loan move from Irish League leaders Linfield, has turned out in fact to be a permanent move back to Harps.

Finn Harps Chairman, Joey O'Leary, this evening confirmed that McHugh has agreed a two-year deal with Harps and says that it is a sign that both the player and the club are committed to one another going forward.

With such a buzz and hype around the club with news of his signing, McHugh might feel that he is under pressure to deliver the goals that were his trademark during his first spell at the club.  However, he feels that is a good thing.  “Every footballer needs a wee bit of pressure to perform,” McHugh told the gathering of media and supporters in Ballybofey. “I don't feel any extra pressure. This is probably the first time I've been involved with a Harps team that's all from Donegal and it's a great chance for the Donegal public to get out and support the team. There's a couple of cracking young players there that I've trained with the last couple of nights. Obviously it's not all about me so hopefully all the players that have come in can help the team move forward.”

Asked if he feels he has changed as a player in his four years away from the club, McHugh says not much has changed.  He said he may have been used in different roles at other clubs, but it's up to whoever is managing him to use him in their team as they see fit.  “When you go to a different team you might change the way that you play to fit that team, but you continue with the hard work you believed in growing up. Hard work is still number one with me. Derry and Linfield were different teams and I might've had to adapt to play there as that's what the managers might've wanted, but I don't think I've changed much as a player.

Harps Manager, James Gallagher, heading into his first full season as Manager, was delighted to have got McHugh on board.  And he also hinted that another face from the past will link up with Harps very soon.  “We've had to wait on Kevin for a good number of weeks now and it's felt like a hundred phonecalls, but we've got our man,” Gallagher said. “Jonathan Minnock is someone who we're just inches away from at the minute. When the chairman (Joey O'Leary) asked me what I was after, I told him that these are the players that we needed and these are the players that would make us competitive.”

With the best of last years young squad already signed up ahead of the new season in addition to McHugh and others to follow, Gallagher is looking forward to an improvement on last years eighth place finish but warned supporters not to be getting carried away.  “We're not looking for instant success here. We suffered in the past with that attitude of going gun-hoe for a year and if doesn't work out then you're back down and you're left to pick up the pieces. I'm looking for a step in the right direction and an improvement. We want to be in the mix around the promotion spots and we must keep building. If we don't improve then I'm not doing my jobs and the players aren't doing their jobs.”

Along with McHugh, another old-face was back at the club again as Gallagher confirmed that former Harps player and Manager Anthony Gorman will be his new Assistant Manager.  During his time as Manager, Gorman gave many young players a chance to prove themselves in the Harps first-team and he was delighted to see that Gallagher had done the same last season.  “Last year it was good to see so many young players get the chance,” Gorman said.  “Playing last year was as good as getting two or three years experience because they were thrown in at the deep end and still finished in a very creditable place in the middle of the table considering there was such youth in the side. A lot of credit must go to James for getting them together and making them gel.”

So with the squad now more or less in place, Harps fans can begin to look forward to the new season which gets underway in just three weeks time.  Before that, supporters will get their first chance to see Kevin McHugh in a Harps shirt at Finn Park again when Sligo Rovers visit for a pre-season friendly on Thursday night next.

(Anthony Gorman, Kevin McHugh & James Gallagher):  Welcome aboard....Finn Harps manager James Gallagher welcomes Kevin McHugh to the team at Friday's press conferance in Ballybofey. Included is newly appointed assistant manager Anthony Gorman.

(Kevin McHugh & James Gallagher): Finn Harps manager James Gallagher unveils his latest signing Kevin McHugh at Friday Press Conference in Ballybofey.

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