FINN Harps coach Tommy Canning doesn’t feel that his team’s performance levels have dropped that much in recent weeks but he’s adamant that they have to do all in their power to put an end to a run of three defeats on the trot.
After a slow start, Harps fans were optimistic when Kevin McHugh replaced Darren Murphy as manager and the team started to climb up the table.
However, Cobh Ramblers, Treaty United and Athlone Town have all put them to the sword in recent weeks and Canning says they have to be more clinical with the chances that come their way against Longford Town on Saturday.
“Absolutely we will be looking to put an end to that run. We will be going down to get the result.
“Since post-match last Friday, we have been looking ahead to Friday and to focus on getting the three points.
“I suppose there are different optics to a lot of this. For me, our form had turned before Kevin had taken over when Darren was still there.
“We went six games unbeaten and that sounds great but we didn’t win them all.
“We have lost our last three now and of course we want to rectify that, but the staff have discussed it, and we don’t think there has been a huge difference in our level of performances.
“We’re not creating any less chances than we were when we went six unbeaten but we’re just not taking the chances we are creating.
“Last week after Athlone went 1-0 up, we had a great chance to level it and if we had maybe things would have been different.
“That wasn’t the way it went. The team received plaudits when they went six unbeaten but that’s three games in which we haven’t picked up anything so we have to try and put that right.”
Longford Town have found the going tough in the First Division in recent years.
They are currently propping up the table but are level on points with the three teams above them, including Harps.
“Athlone were the bottom last week so I wouldn’t be reading too much into the table.
“We are seventh on goal difference and there’s no shying away from it that we’re in that group with the bottom four.
“We had done well to move into that middle group, and you were hoping to kick on, but it didn’t happen and now we have to try and go again.
“We have only played 14 games so there’s no panic yet.
“Conor Tourish and Dara McGuinness will be missing this week. Josh Cullen’s injury isn’t as bad as first feared but he hasn’t trained this week.
“Max Hutchinson is suspended and Mikey Place is getting married so we are down players but we have to try and put out as strong of a team as we can, and there will be opportunities for players.”
There’s a lot of travel for Finn Harps supporters in the First Division, but Longford isn’t the worst trip, and Canning hopes that the fact that the match is on Saturday might encourage a healthy cohort to make the journey down.
“Hopefully a few extra can make the difference.
“To be fair, we were down in Cobh a few weeks ago and there were a handful down supporting us.
“When you see that, it makes you realise how much this football club means to people.
“We were well beaten that night but the players got a great reception from the fans that travelled and it’s not lost on them.
“If there’s a splattering of blue and white in Longford on Saturday, it could help to make a difference.”
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