Dara McGuinness double shoots Finn Harps to win over Kerry

Penalties in either half by Gavin Hodgins and Dara McGuinness helped fire Finn Harps to their first win of Kevin McHugh’s tenure as manager.

Hodgins and McGuinness kept their cool from 12 yards as Harps stretched their unbeaten run to five games with McGuinness netting a brace on the night.

Max Hutchison was also on target for Harps, who had to come from 2-1 down at half-time to carve out the win.

Twenty minutes from the end, McGuinness was bundled over by Abel Alabi and the Harps forward dusted himself down to slam home from the penalty.

Hodgins opened the scoring for Harps in the 22nd minute, but Samuel Aladesanusi and Daniel Okwute struck to give Kerry the advantage. 

Conor McCarthy’s Kerry spurned a couple of big chances to extend their lead and Hutchinson pounced in the 56th minute to draw Harps level before McGuinness put Harps’ noses ahead.

In the 93rd minute, McGuinness sealed the win in front of an 828 attendance on Good Friday including the Republic of Ireland Under-19 manager and former Harps midfielder Tom Mohan.

Mohan’s old team-mate McHugh was in the Harps dugout for the first time since his official installation as manager, the Killea man having had to serve a touchline ban in the recent draws with Longford Town and Wexford FC.

His side hit the front just shy of the midway point of the opening half. As Hodgins weaved his way into the box, he went to ground and the well-positioned referee Alan Patchell had no hesitation in awarding a penalty. Hodgins immediately picked the ball up and fired the spot kick in off the post for the 19-year-old’s third goal of the season.

Three minutes later, Hodgins riffled narrowly wide after McGuinness surged clear down the left-hand side to provide the assist.

With Harps’ tails up, captain Tony McNamee tried his luck from inside the area, but his effort - made by the creativity of Gavin McAteer whose display will certainly have been noted by Mohan - went over the top of David Cawley in a congested penalty area. 

Harps were rocked when Kerry drew level in the 30th minute. Christopher McQueen headed goal-wards from a corner by former Harps attacker Okwute - who was denied by a superb David Aziaya save - and Aladesanusi prodded home from inches. 

Six minutes later, Okwute flipped the night on its head. After playing a quick-fire give-and-go with Luke Palmer, Okwute - who spent the first half of the 2023 season at Finn Park - brilliantly found the far corner.

Harps might have drawn level a minute before the break, but another former Finn Park resident thwarted them as Kerry goalkeeper Tim Hiemer saved a McGuinness header. 

Kerry, too, had a go in advance of the interval whistle, but Oran Crowe headed up and over with Okwute again the provider. 

Kerry won the opening game of the season against Harps at Mounthawk Park on Valentine’s Day 2-0, but that result was annulled with the League of Ireland deeming Harps’ Hodgins and Kerry’s Stevan Stanic-Floody were ineligible due to an issue over international transdermal certificates. 

In a scrappy opening, home ‘keeper Aziaya had to be brave to save at the feet of Okwute, who scampered onto Sean McGrath’s pass in the 15th minute while McGuinness had a momentary slight of goal for Harps in the early moments, but the intervention of Aladesanusi spared the visitors from an early concession.

Hodgkins and Cawley were drafted into the Harps team in place of the suspended Joel Thompson and Conor Tourish - whose absence from the heart of the Harps rearguard was particularly noticeable at times. 

Teenager Josh Cullen kept his place following an encouraging outing in last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Wexford while McHugh continued the nod to youth with the inclusion in the match day squad of youngsters Daniel Cunningham and James McAteer.

Seven minutes into the second half, Crowe went close again from close range. A chance somehow presented itself to Crowe, but Aziaya saved well at the expense of a corner to keep Harps’ arrears at a single goal.

McGrath then attempted to lob the somewhat stranded Aziaya, but Harps survived before Hutchison bagged the leveller. McGuinness’s effort was beaten away by Hiemer and a long throw-in by McNamee was turned in by Hutchison.

Harps inched in front again when McGuinness converted and Gradi Lomboto wasn’t far away from stretching the lead when he tried his luck. 

There were nervy moments in both goalmouths during the closing chapter, but McGuinness expertly tucked home in added time to seal the deal.

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Finn Harps: David Aziaya; Mikey Place, Josh Cullen, Max Hutchinson, Joel Bradley-Walsh; Daid Cawley (Aaron McLaughlin 76), Tony McNamee; Gavin Hodgins (Anto Dodd 80), Gavin McAteer, Gradi Lomboto (Patrick Ferry 90); Dara McGuinness. 

Kerry: Tim Hiemer; Kevin Williams, Samuel Aladesanusi (Abel Alabi 68), Christopher McQueen, Sean O’Connell; Daniel Okwute, Sean McGrath (Eemeli Honkola 80), Niall Brookwell, Oran Crowe, Joseph Adams (Cian Brosnan 80); Luke Palmer (Ryan Kelliher (62).

Referee: Alan Patchell.