AN INJURY TIME PENALTY save by goalkeeper Ciaran Gallagher saved the night for Finn Harps.
Finn Harps 0 Bohemians 0
Gallagher beat away Anto Murphy’s 95th minute penalty as a dull night came to a dramatic end.
Bohemians broke away after Ryan Curran’s free kick was charged down. Kurtis Byrne fed the scampering Roberto Lopes, who was tumbled over by Ciaran Coll.
[adrotate group=”43″]Substitute Murphy shimmied his way to the kick, but Gallagher flung himself to his right to make the vital save.
Picture caption: Ryan Curran in action against Bohemians. Picture by Gary Foy, newsandsportfiles
It was an otherwise uneventful night by the Finn, but a point gained here represents a decent result for Ollie Horgan’s Harps, who close the first third of the campaign with 12 points from 11 games.
Barry Molloy returned for a first start since the opening night win over Derry City in Ballybofey, with the former Derry captain having shaken off a knee injury.
Molloy, who played the last 35 minutes in last week’s 1-1 draw at Wexford Youths, took the place of Liam Flatley with Harps otherwise unchanged in their selection.
While Damien McNulty and Keith Cowan playing through the pain barrier as they nursed knocks, Harps suffered a blow when Gareth Harkin was forced off eight minutes before half time after being on the receiving end of a heavy challenge from Daniel Byrne.
Bohs should have taken the lead in the 17th minute when Paddy Kavanagh beat the advancing Ciaran Gallagher in a race for possession.
With Gallagher outside his area, Kavanagh’s touch beyond the Harps ‘keeper wasn’t convincing and, with the ball trickling goal-ward, Keith Cowan got back to clear his lines.
The first half was one devoid of much in the way of notability, with McNulty side-footing well wide in added time after taking a cut-back to the edge of the box from Ryan Curran.
[adrotate group=”50″]Striker Curran cut a lonely figure in the Harps attack for the most part, while Bohs – searching for a first goal in a month having not scored since a 2-0 win over Bray on April 9 – didn’t create too much aside from that chance for Kavanagh.
Early in the night, Gallagher turned over a dangerous cross from Ayman-Ben Mohamed, but the contest didn’t come to life.
Harps hadn’t beaten Bohemians in a 12-game sequence stretching back to a February evening in 1999 when Jonathan Speak netted the only goal of the game at Dalymount Park.
A tame header from Michael Funston – who had replaced Harkin – that was gathered easily by Dean Delany was as close as Harps came while Lopes flung himself at a Kavanagh cross, but a diving header soared onto the Town End terrace.
Harps sent on veteran striker Kevin McHugh and the Killea man warmed Delany’s palms nine minutes from time from 20 yards while Packie Mailey headed at the goalkeeper after connecting with Tony McNamee’s free kick.
[adrotate group=”38″]The nerves shot in the final minute when Dave Scully, who played for Bohemians last season, fouled Derek Pender on the edge of the box, but Jake Kelly drilled his free kick into the Harps wall.
It was in keeping with what had gone before. What came after was the high drama, but Gallagher’s save maintains a healthy home record for Harps and takes Bohemians’ wait for a goal to almost 400 minutes.
Finn Harps: Ciaran Gallagher; Damien McNulty, Keith Cowan, Packie Mailey, Ciaran Coll; Adam Hanlon (Kevin McHugh 71), Barry Molloy, Sean Houston, Gareth Harkin (Michael Funston 37), Tony McNamee (Dave Scully 84); Ryan Curran.
Bohemians: Dean Delany; Derek Pender, Roberto Lopes, Derek Prendergast, Lorcan Fitzgerald; Paddy Kavanagh, Daniel Byrne, Keith Buckley (Anto Murphy 76), Dave Mulcahy, Ayman-Ben Mohamed (Jake Kelly half-time); Mark Quigley (Kurtis Byrne 76).
Refereee: Dave McKeon (Dublin).
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