BY MATTHEW WILSON
FINN Harps’ Joel Bradley-Walsh hopes that they can bring their winless home run to an end this Friday when they meet Kerry FC at Finn Park.
Finn Harps made the journey to Limerick last Friday evening for an encounter against Treaty United in the League of Ireland First Division.
The visitors hit the front courtesy of a strike from Aaron McLaughlin but the home side equalised shortly afterwards through Ben Feeney, leaving us level at the break.
Harps battled hard after the restart in a bid to restore the advantage but it was the Limerick-based club that sealed the win, with Billy Regan heading home for the hosts.
Speaking to the Donegal News, Bradley-Walsh feels the side aren’t taking enough pride in the manner of their defending at present.
“We took the lead five minutes before half-time and a little bit of an achilles heel we’re starting to gather is we score and we concede not long after.
“I knew that if we went in 1-0 up at half-time then we definitely would’ve got something out of the game because even at 1-1 we went in and thought we could win it.
“There’s a lot more freedom in our play and we’re starting to play more which is a risk reward. When it clicks you’ll do what we did to Wexford and when it doesn’t you can get caught on the break.
“But we’re not getting close enough to teams either, especially at home which is coming this week. We’re not getting out to the ball and we’re not taking pride in defending as much as we should.”
The Finn Park residents sealed a much-needed three points when they made the trip to Ferrycarrig Park for a meeting with Wexford FC just shy of three weeks ago, ending a nine-game winless run.
The group would have hoped to build on this victory as they looked to finish the campaign as strongly as possible, but that win has since been followed by back-to-back defeats.
However, despite not earning the points, there have been positives to take from the side’s performances, with the team coming up just short in recent outings.
Their build-up play and chance creation is improving, but Bradley-Walsh said they need to be more ruthless at both ends of the pitch.
“We feel that we’re a bit naive sometimes and we don’t pull the trigger when we could. When the other team gets one attack they seem to score from it.
“We’re probably not ruthless enough at either side of the pitch and in the division that we’re in, you get punished regardless of who you’re playing.”
Patrick McEleney’s outfit may not have recorded the points in Limerick last Friday but it was a proud day for two Finn Harps Academy graduates.
James McAteer made his first start for the club at Markets Field, while 15-year-old Charlie Bonner became the youngest ever player to feature for the senior side when he was introduced from the bench.
With so many Academy players having featured for the first team in recent times, there is a clear pathway in place, and the Finn Harps defender believes that bodes well for the future.
“I was delighted for James (McAteer) who got a start there and Charlie (Bonner) got on as well. It’s important for them boys to get blooded into the team to see what the division is about.
“You don’t really understand how fast or physical the league is until you get thrown into it. But I thought they did really well and it’s a good account of the Academy and what is to come.”
The Navenny Street club are back in action this Friday evening when they welcome Kerry FC to Finn Park.
The Mounthawk Park residents currently occupy sixth place in the league standings and are chasing down a spot in the play-offs as the season draws to a close.
The sides have met three times already this term, with the Kerry men claiming victory in both of their home fixtures. Finn Harps, however, came out on top when the teams last met in Ballybofey, securing a 1-0 win.
It is approaching three months since the side last picked up points in their own backyard, and with just two home games remaining this term, Bradley-Walsh will be hoping they can bring that run to an end on Friday.
“Regardless of the opposition, the managers that have come in haven’t got a win at home so it would be nice to fix that this week.
“We have been so close to getting something out of the game at home in the last couple of weeks.
“Something we need to look at is being harder to beat at Finn Park so it would be nice to turn Kerry over this week and get three points.”
