Nightmare start for Rovers
FINN HARPS SLIGO ROVERS 1 0
LIAM Buckley had to plan without the injured duo of John Mahon and Regan Donelon, while Johnny Dunleavy and Lewis Banks were named on the bench.
Banks had not featured in pre-season at all, while Dunleavy only clocked up a few minutes, playing in the first friendly against Galway.
Buckley handed starts to four of his five new signings; Will Seymore, Teemu Penninkangas, Garry Buckley and Darragh Noone all making their first competitive starts for the club.
Fans of the Bit O’Red will remember Finn Harps’ Karl O’Sullivan from that infamous FAI Cup win over Limerick last season, when he scored twice in the first half.
He fired his shot across the face of goal after six minutes on Friday night in Finn Park, the first real effort of the game.
Sam Todd missed a glorious opportunity to give the hosts the lead just two minutes later, he was just inches away from getting on the end of Raffaele Cretaro’s free-kick.
O’Sullivan’s next effort was a tame one, and didn’t trouble Ed McGinty in goal, but if the former Limerick man had spotted the run of Mark Coyle ahead of him, it may have been a different story.
The Bit O’Red did have a couple of opportunities of their own, Ronan Coughlan opted to take his free-kick quickly as he spotted the run of Garry Buckley down the right hand side; the former Cork City man could only send his effort straight into the arms of Mark Anthony McGinley.
A draw at half-time was certainly a fair reflection of the first 45 minutes of action.
The hosts looked dangerous from set plays, and from a corner they took the lead on 56 minutes.
A short corner came to Mark Coyle who floated it nicely into the danger zone, with former St. Patrick’s Athletic defender Dave Webster nodding it down for O’Sullivan, who bundled it over the line.
Coughlan fired a free well over the bar on 62 minutes, before finding an inch of space on the edge of the box but only managing to blaze his effort well over.
It should have been 2-0 to Harps in injury time as O’Sullivan’s cross made its way across the face of goal, but substitute Barry McNamee could not get there in time.
Mark Anthony McGinley stood his ground well and kept out Ronan Murray at the death.
Up next for Rovers is St. Patrick’s Athletic at The Showgrounds this Friday evening.
Finn Harps: Mark Anthony McGinley; Dave Webster, Kosovar Sadiki, Sam Todd; Shane McEleney; Ryan Connolly, Gareth Harkin, Mark Coyle (Ruairi Harkin, 85), Mark Russell; Raffaele Cretaro (Barry McNamee, 71), Karl O’Sullivan.
Sligo Rovers: Ed McGinty; Danny Kane, Kyle Callan McFadden, Will Seymore; Darragh Noone, David Cawley, Garry Buckley (Jesse Devers, 77) Niall Morahan, Teemu Penninkangas; Ronan Murray, Ronan Coughlan.
Referee: Damien McGraith