St Pat’s aim to double up against Harps

THE 100th Extra.ie FAI Cup kicks off in the north-west tonight where Finn Harps host St Patrick’s Athletic in Ballybofey (7.45). By coincidence, Harps’ lone FAI Cup success in 1974 came against the Saints in the final. ‘The Cup gives us a break from the League. It’s only four games and you could get into a final, so that’ll be our aim as much as it will be for Finn Harps too,’ said Stephen O’Donnell, the Saints head coach, who won the FAI Cup three times as a player. ‘It doesn’t seem that many games to potentially get to a final so it’s something exciting, but look it’ll be tough starting against Harps who will be looking for a bit of retribution following Friday’s game. ‘It is always tough up there and we know that you have to compete with Finn Harps in the physical stakes if you want to have any chance of winning.’ The Saints beat Harps 2-0 last Friday night in the SSE Airtricity League in Inchicore thanks to a Georgie Kelly double. ‘We were happy to bounce back on Friday and we were much better. We still have lots and lots to improve on and levels to go up that we want to get to,’ said O’Donnell. ‘Full credit to the boys as it was a good response from the Derry defeat and in what was such a short turnaround. It was a solid 2-0 win and it was good to see Georgie Kelly get off the mark as well, but ultimately so long as the team are scoring goals that’s my main concern.’ Tonight’s Cup tie is the Saints’ fourth game in ten days since the restart. It marks the first of three preliminary round ties this week.