Determined Harps Earn Replay with Cork

Harps Hero, Gavin Cullen

Bottom club Finn Harps may be 37 points behind top club Cork in the league but they managed to smother the Leesiders attack with their blanket defence and an excellent performance by their goalkeeper Gavin Cullen.

From the first whistle Harps put ten men behind the ball and Cork despite all their possession had few clear sights of goal.

Cork did manage to get the ball into the net after 28 minutes when Neale Fenn turned the ball into the net but he was whistled back for offside and George O’Callaghan had strong appeals for a penalty waved away when he was pushed to the ground on the stroke of half-time.

In the 59^th minute Cullen threw himself at the feet of George O’Callaghan to deflect his attempted shot from six yards outside for a corner and again came to the rescue in added time when he acrobatically turned aside a powerful shot from substitute Denis Behan.

Thanks to Cullen’s heroics and their disciplined defensive display, Harps have earned themselves a replay at Ballybofey on Saturday.

Cork City: Devine; Horgan, Coughlan, Murray, Murphy; O’Donovan (Gamble 53), O’Halloran, O’Callaghan, Kearney (Behan 85); Fenn, O’Flynn.

Finn Harps: Cullen; McGowan, Boyle, Bradley, Asukah; Capper, Funston, Gorman, McGranaghan, Lauchlin (Breen 69); McHugh.