Finn Harps manager Ollie Horgan. Photo: Donna El Assaad
Dundalk 2-0 Finn Harps
Finn Harps manager Ollie Horgan was sent to the stands as his side fell to a sixth successive league defeat at the hands of reigning champions Dundalk tonight at Oriel Park.
The referee Neil Doyle removed Horgan from the dugout for his protests after Ciaran Gallagher was yellow-carded in the 69th minute. The Harps goalkeeper appeared to be waiting for a Dundalk substition to take place, but the man in the middle adjudged that he was time-wasting.
Harps trailed to an early Patrick McEleney goal at the time, and were managing to frustrate the home side. However, Dundalk secured their win when Daryl Horgan finished to the roof of the net in the 75th minute.
Ollie Horgan set his team out defensively with five men across the backline, but it took only six minutes for Stephen Kenny’s side to make the breakthrough, when Patrick McEleney fired a low shot to the net.
Ciaran Gallagher was making his first appearance in eight games for Harps and he pulled off a string of fine saves to keep a hungry Dundalk at bay in the first twenty minutes.
Harps battled hard and didn’t leave too many openings towards the end of the half, although Paddy Barrett did hit the crossbar with a header.
Dundalk led by a goal at half-time, but they were having trouble killing off their opponents. Harps were dealt a blow when Ruairi Keating was forced to leave the field on a strecther, and in truth, they never really looked like getting a goal.
Kenny’s men kept probing and they got their elusive second goal 15 minutes from the end when Horgan fired home and they held on to move ten points clear at the top-of-the-table.
Harps will not be too disheartened despite a sixth defeat on the trot, and they will be hoping to get a win when they host Longford Town on Friday night.
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