Another difficult night for Finn Harps as they lose away to Bray Wanderers

Despite taking the lead through Gavin Hodgins, Kevin McHugh’s side eventually found themselves behind at the break and with the hosts adding another in the second-half, Bray were deserving winners in the end

Bray Wanderers 3
Finn Harps 1

By Daire Walsh

Despite taking an early lead through a Gavin Hodgins goal, Finn Harps ultimately came off second best to Bray Wanderers in an SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division clash at the Carlisle Grounds on Friday night.

The Harps starting line-up for this game showed two changes from their agonising 2-1 defeat to UCD seven days earlier with Gavin Gilmore and Adam McDaid (who found the net against the Students) coming into the side instead of Aaron McLaughlin and the suspended Mikey Place respectively.

McDaid was making his first start for Harps in advance of beginning his Leaving Certificate examinations next weekend and he headed narrowly off target from an early cross by Gilmore. Even though Oisin Cooney produced an excellent stop from Bray striker Cian Curtis at the opposite end, it was the visitors who opened the scoring with a little under nine minutes on the clock.

Gavin McAteer’s left-footed strike from outside the area took a massive deflection off his team-mate Hodgins, deceiving opposition netminder Jimmy Corcoran on its way into the bottom left-hand corner.

While this was a dream start to the proceedings, Harps were almost immediately placed on the back-foot again with Cooney coming to their aid on a number of occasions.

However, the teenage netminder was powerless in his efforts to prevent Bray restoring parity in the 26th minute as Seagulls winger Billy O’Neill calmly slotted home from close-range.

This ramped up the pressure on a Harps outfit that had picked just two points from the last 18 available in the First Division and it came as little surprise when Bray subsequently edged in front just past the half-hour mark.

After Josh Cullen upended Conor Knight inside the box, Seagulls full-back Max Murphy stepped forward to drill the resulting penalty beyond the reach of Cooney.

This set-piece finish ensured Harps trailed 2-1 at the break and in a bid to force his troops back into the reckoning, away boss Kevin McHugh introduced Aaron McLaughlin for Gilmore on the resumption. The 19-year-old certainly made a difference upon his arrival as his pace caused plenty of problems for the Bray defence.

While a McLaughlin header from close-in was comfortably saved by Corcoran, Hodgins poked marginally over the woodwork via another enticing corner from Harps skipper Tony McNamee.

Bray remained in the driving seat as the action progressed, but when McLaughlin played a through ball towards McAteer inside the area on 65 minutes, Corcoran had to be on his toes to gather possession before the Harps attacker had an opportunity to get a shot away.

Anthony Dodd was also brought off the bench by McHugh just shy of the third-quarter mark as Harps maintained their gallant search for an equaliser and he was later joined on the pitch by Shaunie Bradley and Conor McGranaghan.

Yet the introduction of the latter duo as a double substitution on 81 minutes directly preceded a decisive Bray goal from Danu Kinsella Bishop to leave Harps eighth in the First Division standings and without a win in seven league games.

Bray Wanderers: Jimmy Corcoran; Alain Kizenga, Killian Cantwell, Benjamin Fagbemi (Paul Murphy 74), Max Murphy; Cian Doyle, Rhys Bartley; Billy O’Neill, Rhys Knight (Jamie Ryan 85), Conor Knight (Calum Costello 93); Cian Curtis (Danu Kinsella Bishop 72).

Finn Harps: Oisin Cooney; Josh Cullen, Max Hutchison, Joel Bradley Walsh (Daniel Cunningham 86), Joel Thompson; Adam McDaid (Anthony Dodd 66), Tony McNamee; Gavin Gilmore (Aaron McLaughlin half-time), Gavin McAteer (Conor McGranaghan 81), Gradi Lomboto (Shaunie Bradley 81); Gavin Hodgins.

Referee: Alan Franklin.