BY MATTHEW WILSON
FINN Harps forward Bernardo Monteiro is hoping that they can return to winning ways as they play host to Bray Wanderers in the FAI Cup.
Finn Harps were in action last Friday evening when they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Treaty United in Ballybofey.
It was a tough day at the office for Kevin McHugh’s side, with the loss to Tommy Barrett’s side seeing them drop to the bottom of the First Division table.
Bernardo Monteiro was involved in last Friday’s encounter at Finn Park and he expressed that it was a frustrating result for the group.
“It’s obviously not good, right now we’re at the bottom of the table and we never want to be in that position. I think we played better than we did against Wexford, I think we created better chances.
“We played well in the first 30 minutes and then we let them have control, it was a very good goal that they scored.
“In the second half, we tried to go again and the game got imbalanced. We were going all-in after conceding the goal, they had good chances on the counter attack so they also could’ve killed the game.
“It’s a frustrating result but we now need to pick ourselves up and get ready for the cup game against Bray Wanderers and then Kerry away in the league.”
Finn Harps were entering last Friday’s meeting off the back of a superb 1-0 home victory over Wexford FC seven days prior.
The team’s confidence would’ve been boosted after this result and they’d have been keen on backing it up with a second successive win.
However, it wasn’t to be for them on the night and Monteiro stated that this added to the disappointment of the outcome.
“For sure, beating a very good Wexford team at home gave us confidence for the next game and we wanted to keep the run going.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t do it as Treaty also had a good game. We’ve played them before and they’re a good team, we couldn’t get the better of them.
“It’s definitely frustrating, we were expecting to win the game. We always work towards winning the game so it is frustrating.”
The Portuguese native is in his first term at the Navenny Street club having joined in the lead-up to the 2026 First Division campaign.
He has played his part for the side this season and has chipped in with some vital goals in recent weeks.
Monteiro came off the bench to convert a 90th minute penalty in Finn Harps’ 1-1 draw away to Athlone Town three weeks ago.
The Cascais man was on target again in the narrow win over Wexford FC, curling home a superb finish after coming off the bench.
He is settling in well at the club, but remains determined to keep improving in the weeks and months ahead.
“Yeah, but I can be better obviously. When you look at the last few games, my impact has been good but when you look throughout the season, I can do much more.
“I’ve been working hard and giving it my best so that I can help the team. It was good to score against Athlone Town and Wexford but now it’s about building on it.
“We’ve got very important games coming so it’s important that both I and the team are at our best. For me, to contribute with goals and assists but every player in the team has their role. If we’re all at our best then I’m sure that we’re going to get the results that we want.”
Finn Harps are back in action this Friday evening when their attention turns to the FAI Cup as Bray Wanderers come to town.
The two teams have met twice already this season in the First Division, with the Finn Park residents registering four points out of a possible six.
Kevin McHugh’s outfit shared the spoils with the Wicklow based club in a 2-2 draw back in April before sealing a 2-1 home win over them four weeks later.
The pair also met in last year’s FAI Cup, with Finn Harps securing a 3-1 victory en-route to the quarter-finals of the competition.
But the Carlisle Grounds residents are entering this contest with momentum following back-to-back league wins including a 6-0 landslide victory over UCD last time out.
Despite last week’s defeat to Treaty United, Monteiro expressed that there’s still confidence amongst the group as they prepare for their latest test this Friday night.
“We’re confident, last weekend was obviously a blow but the cup is a new competition. If you win then you move forward and if you lose then you’re out so there’s a different type of feeling to these games.
“But we’re confident, when we give it our best in our training sessions then we have to be confident for our games.
“I don’t think the league table reflects our value as a team, I think we’ve a better team than that. It’s obviously our fault that we’re there but the only thing we can do now is to give our best in our training sessions, regroup mentally and try to move on from last week’s defeat.
“It’s a new competition, it’s exciting, we want to beat Bray Wanderers. We know that it won’t be an easy game, they just beat UCD 6-0 so they’re coming in confident against us.
“But we’re playing at Finn Park and we know how tough it is to beat us here at home. We just have to work hard, give it our best and use our qualities the best way that we can to try and get a result.”