Finn Harps teen Oisin Cooney happy to live in the moment

It may not have been the result his side was looking for, but last Friday’s match against UCD was a red-letter day for Finn Harps teenager Oisin Cooney.  

The 17-year-old goalkeeper made only his second appearance for the senior squad (his first in 2024), having signed a two-year deal with the club last October.  

And while Harps fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Students last week, it gave the Clonmany Leaving Cert student that hunger to go on the hunt for more game time with the Donegal club.  

Already, the Inishowen ‘keeper seems to be wise beyond his years, acknowledging that he knows he’s going to have to be patient and bide his time in Harps, while also admitting that he’s not looking too far ahead just yet.  

“I’m loving it at the minute, but the way I am, I don’t look too far ahead. The furthest I’ll be looking to is the game against Cobh Ramblers this weekend,” Cooney told Donegal Live.    

“I’m privileged to be involved with the first team from such a young age, but I don’t look too far ahead. I have my Leaving Cert this year, I signed a contract with the club last October, and I’m enjoying my time here, so it’s all great at the moment.  

“Hopefully there’s many more appearances to come, who knows. I came up the road from Dublin last Friday night and I had the feeling that I wanted to do it all over again and hopefully I will.”  

Having played for Ireland’s underage teams, as well as the School’s International side, Cooney has been developing and gaining experience every step of the way, but to be told late on Friday evening that he will be playing for the club where he’s honed his skills is a feeling that still gives him the most joy.  

“I was delighted that the staff decided to trust me and throw me in,” Conney said. “Obviously, Tim Hiemer was carrying a knock from training, so I was just delighted when the staff said they were giving me a chance.  

“I only found out that I was playing a couple of hours before the game in the pre-match meeting. I had no idea that I’d be starting, I wasn’t told beforehand, even though I knew Tim was carrying a knock and there was a possibility that he wouldn’t be playing.   

“I just did my usual training all week and when they told me I was playing, I was buzzing. I couldn’t get on the pitch fast enough.”   

For the Inishowen man, there were no airs or graces before the game. Despite being thrown in at the deep end, he knew he had a job to do as Harps continue to fight this season in the hope of making a play-off spot.

“I was a bit nervous before the game because of my inexperience, but once you cross the line and the whistle goes, you forget all about that stuff,” he said.  

“Darren (Murphy) told me just to go out and play my own game, he said that the staff and the players believe in me. He just wanted me to go out and express myself and play my game, and not let anyone else tell me what to do.  

“He trusted me to go off my own instincts. I also had Eamonn Curry and Tim there to guide me, and to be fair, there’s no better men to have in your corner. They’re so supportive, and they’re great men to have guiding you, and they’ve been great to me all year.”  

There still remains no indication on whether Heimer will be back fit for this Friday’s clash with Cobh Ramblers in Finn Park, but Cooney knows he’ll have to be on hand if he’s required once again to do a job for his side, something he admits he itching to do.   

“Tim is doing his best to get around that injury, we don’t really know yet what the story is,” Cooney said. “I’m just going to keep working hard, I’ll keep my head down, and focus on the next game if needed.  

Obviously, I’d love to play at home and get my debut in Finn Park, but at the end of the day that’s not up to me, that’s for Darren and the staff to decide on what’s the right choice for the game, and I’ll back the staff all the way because they have the team’s best interest at heart.  

“At the end of the day, if I play, Tim is happy for me, and vice-versa. We have a great relationship with each other and we push each other to be the best we can be.  

“With Tim, I can always pick up the phone to Tim for a call, no matter what the issue is, big or small, he’s always there for me and he’s been great for my career over the last two years.”  

With two club appearances in the bag, the Leaving Cert student is hungry for more game time and to gain more experience as each day passes, all the while staying level headed and keeping his feet firmly on the ground.