Bray Wanderers 1 (1)
(Lynch)
Finn Harps 2 (3)
(McHugh 45, Whitehead 68)
at the Carlisle Grounds, Bray
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Their 3-1 aggregate victory was built on their attacking supremacy over a Bray side lacking ideas in front of goal, with Harps goalkeeper Gary Ramsey being rarely called into action at the Co. Wicklow venue.
Goals from top scoring striker Kevin McHugh and his partner Damien Whitehead, who also netted in the first leg on Wednesday, sent Noel King’s side on their way. Harps continued where they left on at Finn Park with Tom Mohan going close with an early chance.
On 17 minutes midfielder Mohan, who scored in the 1999 FAI Cup final first replay against Bray, found Niall Bonner on the edge of the area and the former Irish schoolboy international manage to clip the Wanderers’ crossbar with a vicious curling shot. The Donegal men continued to press for an opening goal and Donal O’Brien went close with a header five minutes later.
Bonner was again involved two minutes later when he attempted to round Bray ‘keeper John Walsh but his snapshot rebounded off Walsh and with the goal in his sights, Whitehead’s attempt to fire home the loose ball struck the butt of the left upright. Bray forced four corners in the opening half, but little in the way of goal chances and it was the visitors who took the lead in first-half stoppage time.
McHugh hit home his nineteenth goal of the season when he shot home past Walsh into the bottom left corner of the Bray net, having been played in superbly by Paddy McGrenaghan.
Merseyside-born Whitehead hit the second on 68 minutes when he managed to steal in after the normally reliable Colm Tresson lost control of the ball 25 yards out from his own goal. Whitehead ran in on Walsh and confidently stroked the ball past the former Harps ‘keeper.
Bray did manage to threaten Ramsey in the Harps goal late on, with a 25-yard free kick from Kieran ‘Tarzan’ O’Brien testing him out and deservedly Bray got on the score sheet near the end when central defender Jody Lynch ghosted onto a right-sided free kick to force the ball home from close range.