WU17
Harps WU17s started the 2024 season with a brilliant display beating Dundalk 4-0.
An excellent first-half display set the tone for this game, with Harps starting brightly. Chloe Deeney set Caitlin Doherty away only to be denied by a smart save. Moments later, Doherty was unlucky as she hit the post after the Harps attacker robbed a defender. After 22 minutes the impressive Emma Wallace won a free kick when bearing down the right after super build up play. The free was swung in by the left foot of Sophie Doherty and was bundled over the line by Scarlett Keyes from close range to make it 1 nil. Harps continued to win the midfield battle with Sophie Canning and Ainara Hutcheson breaking up Dundalk attacks. Soon, work from Deeney and Wallace forced an error from Dundalk’s midfield and the clinical Caitlin Doherty made no mistake to double the lead from 18 yards.
The second half followed a similar pattern with Harps denying any meaningful attacks by Dundalk with Keyes, Niamh Ryan and Kaylagh Sweeney totally in control of their defensive duties to ensure a clean sheet was kept. Doherty got her second on the hour mark after rounding the keeper from close range. Sophie Doherty almost added a goal when her long-range free kick was brilliantly saved by the keeper as it was sailing into the top corner. The goal of the game came on the 70 minute mark when the skillful Sarah McGuinness beat a defender on the left wing and released Doherty, who made no mistake when 1 on 1 with the keeper to create history as the first Finn Harps player in the WNL to score a hattrick.
Harps then saw the game out with some good passages of play with Sienna Bradley and Abaigh Curran heavily involved in proceedings.
Some superb individual performances from Chloe Deeney and Sophie Canning saw them collect the POTM awards. However, it was an excellent team display with each player performing extremely well. The next game sees the squad travel to Bohemians in a fortnights time.
16 Rhianna Doherty GK
3 Sophie Doherty
4 Scarlett Keys
5 Niamh Ryan
6 Sophie Canning
7 Sarah McGuinness
8 Kaylagh Sweeney
9 Caitlin Doherty C
10 Chloe Deeney
15 Emma Wallace
18 Ainara Hutcheson
Subs
1 Lauren McArdle GK
2 Alanna Graham
11 Sienna Bradley
12 Fia Coyle
14 Alannah Curran
17 Abaigh Curran
21 Eabha Daly
WU19
Finn Harps WU19s got their 2024 season up and running on Sunday, 3rd March with a great victory away to Peamount United with the game ending 2-1 to Finn Harps.
Harps started well but were disappointed to concede a goal after only four minutes of play when they got caught in possession just outside their box. Harps goalkeeper Claire Diver pulled off a great save to deny the home side but nothing she could do with the follow up which Peamount tapped in from 6 yards.
This didn’t deter the Harps girls as they stuck to the game plan and with Orla Doherty leading the line up front Harps created some really good chances and were a bit disappointed to go in at halftime a goal down.
The second half started much the same as the way the first half ended with Harps dominating possession and creating decent opportunities to score.
Harps pressure finally paid off in the 62nd minute with some great play from Harps captain Aislinn Coll who played a great ball into the box for Lorinne Greene to score on her competitive debut.
Harps played with great confidence and belief now and kept pushing forward and got their reward in the 83rd minute when Eva Blaney played a great ball from inside her own half to find the unmarked Ella McHugh at the edge of the Peamount box. Ella showed great composure to take it around the goalkeeper who tried to pull her down but Ella showed great desire to stay on her feet and blasted home from 6 yards.
Harps showed great discipline to manage and see the game out after going 2-1 up and were delighted to come away with a victory. Special mention to Eva Blaney and joint captain Erika Gallagher who both returned to competitive play after sustaining serious injuries last season.
Caitlin Doherty and Freya Canning were impressive debutants too.
Goal scorers- Lorinne Greene, Ella McHugh
POTM- Codie Walsh and Darcey kelly
1 Claire Diver GK
4 Erika Gallagher
5 Darcey Kelly
6 Aislinn Coll C
7 Mary Anne Ward
8 Codie Walsh
9 Orlaith Doherty
10 Ella McHugh
14 Freya Canning
17 Lorinne Greene
20 Caitlin Doherty
Subs:
2 Heidi Gill
3 Emily Niamh Irwin
11 Eva Blaney
12 Fiona Doherty
15 Bridin Hynes
16 Leah McLoughlin
18 Olivia Maxwell
MU14
Our MU14s came out the wrong side of a 5 goal thriller in their first away game of the season in Dundalk. It was Ashton Crossan & Jack O’Donnell who found the net for Harps while Odhran McHugh earned the POTM after an excellent performance leading the line for Harps.
20 Reuben Maxwell GK
3 Jonah Cannon
4 Sean Gallagher
5 Cahir Daly
8 Adam McBride
9 Odhran McHugh C
12 Lee McDaid
15 Marcin Pirch
16 Ben Farrell
17 Jack Byrne
18 Ronan McGranaghan
Subs:
1 Matthew Dowds
2 Jack O’Donnell
6 Finn Devine
7 Oran Daly
11 Ashton Crossan
14 Luke O’Donnell
MU15
Our MU15s returned from Drogheda with a point as they came back from 2 goals down to earn a well deserved draw. Goals from Tadhg McDaid and Leighton Green earned the Harps a share of the spoils. Shai Thompson continued his impressive form with a POTM performance.
25 Noah Boyle GK
2 Adam Rodgers
3 Callum Boyle
5 Jack Davies
7 Leighton Green
8 Cole Connolly
9 Temple Akpo
11 Shai Thompson
15 Blake Meredith C
22 Danny Og Cooney
23 Eanna Duddy
Subs
32 Cormac Crossan GK
14 Thomas McHugh
16 Alex Ferry
17 Illia Voronkin
19 Tadhg Mc Daid
27 Adrian Plata
30 Diarmuid Reid
MU17
Harps MU17s lost out at home to Dundalk in a game played at Leckview Park. The visitors lead 2-0 at the break before Conor McGranaghan got Harps back into it, but a flurry of late goals saw Dundalk run out 5-1 winners.
Thanks to Cathal from Kernan’s for the photos!
99 Vladyslav Onyshchenko GK
3 Troy Preston
4 Declan Patton
5 Ruairi Connaghan
6 Josh Cullen
7 Conor Gibson
8 Conor McGranaghan
9 Guilherme Tavares De Morais
10 Gavin McAteer C
11 Matthew McGeehan
21 Rowan McGroarty
Subs
40 Ryan McConnell GK
12 Callum Maskery
14 Eamonn MacBride
15 Liam McLaughlin
16 Shane Sweeney
17 Eoin Gorman
18 Tiarnan Callaghan McElwaine
24 Daniel Cunningham
MU20
There was nothing to separate the sides in the MU20 match between Finn Harps and St. Patrick’s Athletic at LCC. Over the 90 minutes neither side could break the deadlock in what proved to be a tight affair between two good sides.
Thanks to Stephen Doherty for the photo
25 Oisin Cooney GK
4 James McAteer
5 Adam McDaid
6 Reid Kelly
7 Nathan McDaid
8 Mark McGlynn
10 Adam Duffy C
12 Tiernan Ruddy
14 Darragh Coyle
16 David Boakye
22 Dylan McAteer
Subs
40 Ryan Galvin GK
41 Ronan Callaghan GK
2 Óisin Porter
17 Jamie McMonagle Quinn
18 Caoimhin Bonnar
19 Max Johnston
20 Ben O’Donnell
This weekend’s fixture are as follows:
