FINN HARPS MANAGER OLLIE HORGAN has signed nine new players for the 2016 SSE Airtricity League of Ireland Premier Division season.Horgan (above) has been busy in the transfer market since his side dramatically won promotion to the top flight in November, when they defeated Limerick FC in the promotion-relegation play-off.
Here’s a run through the new faces in the Harps squad, ahead of Friday night’s Premier Division opener against Derry City in Ballybofey:
Richard Brush
HIS signing was a surprise one by Harps in the closed-season, but the Englishman brings considerable experience to Finn Park.
Birmingham-born goalkeeper Brush was on the books of Coventry City and Shrewsbury Town before moving to the League of Ireland. He was at Sligo Rovers from 2006-2010 before moving to Shamrock Rovers.
Brush had a couple of moves between Sligo and Shamrock Rovers and won the League with Sligo in 2012.
Brush became surplus to requirements at Sligo at the end of last season despite having reclaimed a spot in the Bit O’Red team and is expected to run Ciaran Gallagher close for the starting spot at Harps.
Ryan McConnell
HORGAN will hope that defender McConnell – comfortable at centre-back or at right-back – can recapture the form he showed that led to Manchester United signing his services and, in 2014, handing him a professional contract.
McConnell, after an injury-troubled season, was released by United last June and was without a club until signing for Harps.
McConnell is a Republic of Ireland Under-19 international and had a captain’s armband at Old Trafford, which is surely a pointer to the talents of the Letterkenny man.
Ethan Boyle
BOYLE can play in midfield or in defence, usually at home on the right-hand side of either line, and was capped at schools level by a certain Ollie Horgan.
Boyle is from Wexford and he played 20 times for Waterford United in the First Division last season.
After a turbulent year at the RSC, the club finishing second from bottom, Boyle left and also had a trial at Shamrock Rovers in the off-season, as well as trying his luck at Harps.
Horgan was able to persuade him to make the move to Harps and he looks like he could be a useful asset in the squad.
Adam Hanlon
SO impressed was Kenny Shiels, the Derry City manager, by Hanlon’s performance for Harps in a trial run against the Inishowen Legaue in January at Maginn Park, he tried to lure him to Brandywell.
Hanlon hails from Wicklow, but Horgan was determined to get his man and drove to the player’s house the night after the game against the Inishowen League.
Hanlon was clearly taken by Horgan’s level of interest and has signed for Harps from his local Arklow Town having previously had two spells at Bray Wanderers, during which he accumulated 66 appearances.
Hanlon was at Shelbourne in 2013 while he is a former Republic of Ireland Under-18 international who is said to be one of the bright sparks of Harps’ pre-season campaign.
Liam Flatley
THE right-sided midfielder was one of the mainstays in Sligo Rovers’ Under-19 squad over the last three years.
Flatley only turned 19 in November. The County Mayo man was rated highly at The Showgrounds by Gavin Dykes, who was the Head of Youth Development at Sligo and is now Horgan’s assistant manager at Harps.
Flatley will bring competition for places on the right flank with his boundless energy, which fits neatly into Horgan’s demands of hard endeavour from his players.
Sean Houston
THE only one of Horgan’s new recruits to have played with Harps previously, Houston is no stranger to the club, although it is seven years now since he was at the club in 2009.
Houston subsequently got offered a scholarship at UCD and then moved to Bray Wanderers, while he had two different stints at Derry City.
“He has gathered considerable experience at Premier level since he was last here so Sean will have a good idea of what challenges lie ahead for us this season,” Horgan said of the Letterkenny man.
Horgan knows Houston well from the player’s time at St Eunan’s College as well as his development at Fanad United. Houston netted twice in last week’s pre-season game against UCD.
Dave Scully
IT’S 11 years now since Scully first played in the League of Ireland, spending 2005 and 2006 with the since-departed Kildare County.
Scully has been in and out of League of Ireland football since then. He signed for Bohemians in January 2012 and actually scored an FAI Cup hat-trick against Drumkeen United that year.
He spent two seasons at Bohs before signing for Bray in 2014. While not prolific as a goalscorer previously, Scully does bring a large swathe of experience and Horgan was so keen to get his man he even spoke to Scully’s wife who was concerned about the travel involved.
Michael Rafter
WHILE Rafter’s injury troubles mean his signing was something of a gamble by Horgan.
The striker hasn’t played since late in 2013 when he was at Derry City. He signed for Cork City, but never made an appearance for the Leesiders. Having had surgery on an ankle injury in 2014, he spent last year in Australia.
The Tipperary native was prolific and highly-rated during his previous time in the League of Ireland and is only 23 so Horgan will be hoping this roll of the dice proves an astute piece of business.
Ryan Curran
UPON signing Curran in December, Horgan described the player as one with ‘a lot of potential’ – unlocking that now will be the aim for the Harps manager.
Curran rose through the ranks at Derry City and made his debut for the Candystripes as a 17-year-old.
Most of his game time for his hometown club were made as a substitute, but Curran has showed that he can score goals in the top flight.
His father, Paul, was a no-nonsense centre-back who lined out for both Harps and Derry.
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