Dave Cawley happy with his first Finn Harps goal but happier with the win

Finn Harps player David Cawley said there was a lot of soul-searching during half-time last night as Darren Murphy’s side trailed 1-0 against Wexford. 

The midfielder proved to be the hero of the evening as he slotted home his first Harps goal on the 88th minute which saw the Donegal side run out of the south-east with all three points secured.

“The lads are absolutely buzzing with that win,” said Cawley. “We did something similar at the start of the season against Longford where we went a couple of goals behind and ended up winning. It’s not always the best way to do it but if it works out it’s brilliant. 

“We knew we had a bit of a mountain to climb at half-time, we knew we had work to do and thankfully we started the second half strong and got an early goal, that settled a bit of a tempo for us to push on.” 

The away side had their backs to the wall for the majority of the first half as Wexford started to dominate following the opening goal with the Leinster side really troubling Harps with dangerous corners on the right-hand side.   

But it was the introduction of Patrick Ferry at half-time that proved a smooth move when a long ball over the top of the Wexford defence to Ferry allowed him to slide the ball under Owen Mason to level matters as Harps entered a purple patch minutes into the second half.  

And while Harps played the second period on their own terms, it was Cawley who was the hero as he slotted home the winning goal late on as the away side saw the game out for a 2-1 win.  

“Yeah, I was happy to chip in with a goal, it doesn’t often happen to me, I don’t be in the opposition box too much, so I was delighted it fell my way. 

“We started the game alright, but we were unfortunate to concede an early goal from a set-piece in the first half. That’s something we spoke about and something we’re going to have to iron out going forward.” 

In terms of what was said at the break in the dressing room, Cawley reveals that while they were upset with their performance, they kept their heads, knowing there was more to give in the second half. 

“We never panicked at half-time, we knew there was a lot more in us and thankfully we turned it around,” said Cawley. 

“Darren is a calm man, but he knew, and the staff knew we weren’t at the level we should’ve been at or the level that we have shown in previous games.  

“It’s never a case of pointing fingers or shouting, we just knew as a group we had to start on the front foot and play a bit more direct up top, we did that and that set us on our way and thankfully we got the win.”