AS THE ultimate pragmatist, Finn Harps manager Ollie Horgan will have been quite satisfied with his side’s lot on Friday night.
Goals from Packie Mailey and Wilfried Tagbo fired Finn Harps to the summit of the First Division again after a 2-0 win over Cobh Ramblers. It was a night when Harps won ugly and when they made it, as as been their wont for large swathes of this season, made it a nervous night for their supporters.
“It seems to be the only way we can win, but we’re certainly not complaining,” Horgan said.
Harps failed to put Cobh Ramblers to bed after Mailey’s 29th minute opener – and it wasn’t until Tagbo’s 93rd minute tap in that the win, Harps’ third on the spin, was secured.
They also had Ciaran Gallagher to thank for a 43rd minute penalty save, the Raphoe man thwarting Stephen Kenny to keep his eleventh clean sheet of the season.
The win moves Harps ahead of Wexford Youths, who had no game at the weekend, but perhaps even more significantly it lifted them ten points clear of Europa League participants UCD, who occupy the third spot – and who Harps may play on Sunday depending
Horgan said: “We ground out the win and it wasn’t pretty, but it’s better that than play like we did against Wexford and come out with nothing. We need to kick on from this and we need to improve.
“I think that we can and I’m hopeful that we will – but we just have to.
“We need to improve to stay with the likes of Wexford, UCD and Shelbourne. They have all improved. While our results have improved – which is the main thing – our performances are still lacking.
“If we can compete with the top three or four and be in contention going into the last game we’d be thrilled, but we have to improve to have a chance of doing that.”
It was substitute Tagbo who wrapped up the win in red time.
Raymond Foy carved an opening on the edge of the box and slipped through Kevin McHugh.
The captain went for placement rather than power, but was denied by the goalkeeper, Stephen Hickey, but the alert Tagbo had followed in to net his fourth Harps goal.
“He put it in from a yard – great!” smiled Horgan. “That might kick him on now. “Wilfried isn’t an out-and-out goalscorer. He’s very athletic, very strong in the air and very strong all-round. He’s a handful and has a fair amount of pace.”
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