SSE AIRTRICITY LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
SHELBOURNE 0
FINN HARPS 3
By Daire Walsh
Finn Harps moved off the bottom of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division table with a deserved triumph over Shelbourne at Tolka Park last night.
Thanks to goals from Ethan Boyle, Conor Tourish and Eric McWoods, the Donegal men secured their first win of the campaign in fine style to leapfrog UCD in the top-flight standings.
Hoping to secure their first home success under ex-Republic of Ireland international Damien Duff, Shels breathed a sigh of relief in the second minute when Filip Mihaljević’s acrobatic overhead kick rebounded off the crossbar. Still searching for his maiden goal since joining the club, Croatian attacker Mihaljević shook the woodwork for a second time off a Barry McNamee delivery four minutes later.
While Shels partially grew into the game, their goalkeeper Lewis Webb was forced to turn away a subsequent free-kick from former Reds player Yoyo Mahdy. Brian McManus and Jordan McEneff were both off-target for the hosts, but it was Harps who broke the deadlock on 44 minutes as Boyle fired home underneath Webb following excellent approach work from Mihaljević and Mahdy.
Shels lost John Ross Wilson to a serious-looking injury in the direct aftermath of Boyle’s opener and suffered a further blow just past the hour mark. Following a Ryan Rainey header across the goal, Tourish scrambled home from close-range to double his side’s 1-0 interval lead.
Despite their undoubted endeavours, Shels couldn’t test the resolve of Harps netminder Mark Anthony McGinley and an 88th-minute finish from substitute McWoods rounded off a comfortable victory for Finn Harps.
SHELBOURNE – Webb; O’Driscoll, Byrne, Ledwidge; Wilson (Farrell 44), McEneff (Anaebonam 70), Coyle (Hakiki 70), Kane; McManus (Dervin 57); Boyd (Hawkins 57), Carr.
FINN HARPS – McGinley; Tourish, Webster, Boyle, Carrillo; Connolly, N’Zeyi; Rainey (Alkan 84), Mahdy (McWoods 70), McNamee (Hery 91); Mihaljević (Timlin 91).
REF – J McLoughlin (Westmeath).