Finn Harps overcame the first-half dismissal of Gareth Harkin to take a share of the spoils against highflying Monaghan United at Finn Park on Saturday night.

Finn Harps bounced back from last week’s defeat to Limerick to pick up their third win from four games against Athlone Town on Saturday night in the midlands.  Kevin McHugh hit the solitary goal of the game on twenty minutes that ensures just a point now separates Harps from Athlone at the lower end of the Airtricity League First Division table.

High-flying Limerick brought an end to Finn Harps’ run of wins with an impressive victory at Finn Park on Saturday night.  Denis Behan was the match winner – his wonderful free kick just before the hour was worthy of winning any contest. The striker’s thunderbolt from fully 30 yards was still rising when it crashed into the net past Harps keeper, Ciaran Gallagher.

Finn Harps returned from their mid-season break to record a second successive win against Mervue United in Ballybofey on Saturday night.  Goals from debutant Kevin Devaney and Blaine Curtis (pictured) in six second-half minutes gave Harps their fifth win of the campaign, while Mervue tasted defeat for the tenth time. It was also a second clean-sheet on the bounce for Ciaran Gallagher and his defensive team-mates.

To opine that the second half of this game was of no consequence seems to disrespect the endeavour with which Wexford Youths went about trying to resurrect their fortunes. But the truth is that Finn Harps had this game wrapped up as early as the eighteenth minute.