By Matthew Wilson
Finn Harps head coach Patrick McEleney is hoping that his side can back up last week’s victory with another good display this Friday night at home to Longford Town.
Finn Harps recorded an impressive 3-1 victory over Wexford FC at Ferrycarrig Park in the First Division last time out.
Youngster Gavin McAteer opened the scoring early in the second half, but the hosts quickly responded as Jake Doyle levelled matters at the other end.
However, two further goals from Bernardo Monteiro and Oran Brogan secured all three points for the visitors, with Harps boss McEleney, pictured below, delighted with the result.
“I think we were deserving winners to be honest. I think in the first half we controlled the ball really well and it felt quite comfortable.
“In the second half, we made a slight tweak and we got our goal. I was delighted to get the win, I was delighted for the players and everyone else more so than myself because it’s been a tough time for them.”
Last Friday’s win over the Wexford men marked Patrick McEleney’s first points in charge of the Navenny Street club.
It’s been a difficult period for the side which hasn’t been helped by things such as injuries and the departures of players.
But no excuses were made, with the group remaining committed to the cause and they received their just rewards last time out.
There have been signs of progress in the team’s performances in recent weeks and it felt that three points were going to come sooner rather than later.
The victory ended the side’s nine-game winless run in all competitions and it may provide a weight off the shoulders for the weeks ahead.
Speaking to the Donegal News, the Derry native praised the squad for the effort and dedication that they’ve displayed since his arrival.
“When you’re coming in, you’re trying to figure out what’s what and trying a lot of formations. We’d a lot of injuries, people leaving and having young players in the squad.
“Week-by-week you’re getting more answers but I can’t fault anyone’s efforts or anything like that, they’ve been great.
“But the victory for the boys the other day should be a spark for them going forward and for the rest of the season because I thought the performance was there with it.”
The Navenny Street club are back in action this Friday evening when they welcome Longford Town to Ballybofey in the First Division.
The Bishopsgate residents currently occupy sixth place in the league standings but they’re coming into this encounter off the back of two successive defeats.
This will be the pairs fourth league meeting of the season, with both sides having recorded a win apiece, while the points were shared in the other encounter.
The last time that Finn Harps earned points on home soil was at the beginning of July when they registered a 1-0 victory over Wexford FC.
This is something that the group will want to put right, starting this Friday according to McEleney.
“I said to the players, I’ve set small targets for them because it’s been such a difficult period. It’s like get three twenty minutes, see if we can score from open play, see if we can keep a clean sheet.
“There’s a whole load of things that we’re trying to target and I think we’ve hit most of them now. The next one is trying to get points on the board at home, it needs to be a thing if we’re to be successful going forward.
“We’re really looking forward to the game coming off the back of a good win so I’m hoping that everyone is excited for it.”
The morale in the camp will be high coming into this match having ended their winless drought last time out.
The Finn Park residents have only secured back-to-back victories on one occasion this term, when they recorded successive home wins at the beginning of May.
The group will be looking to build some momentum and end the season on a positive note, while demonstrating that they can produce consistent performances from week to week, something the head coach also believes is important.
“That’s it, we’ll see what we can do now back-to-back. It’s alright having a one-off game where you perform really well and get the win.
‘If we’re looking to go where I think the club’s looking to go, you need to be doing it every week.
“It needs to be relentless and it takes time to build that but I’ll do my best to get the message across.”