New contract in works as Finn Harps' Darragh Coyle undergoes ACL surgery

Finn Harps teenager Darragh Coyle underwent surgery on his cruciate knee ligament injury on Friday.

The Burt native, who went under the knife at the Sports Surgery Clinic in Santry, is expected to be given a new contract at Finn Park in the coming weeks.

The 17-year-old sustained the horror injury, a grade 3 tear of his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a summer friendly against Ballinamallard United and faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Harps manager Darren Murphy says an extended contract is in the works for the youngster “so the boy gets time to heal instead of forcing himself back wondering will he be here”.

Last November, Coyle signed his first pro contract at Harps. Coyle played nine games in 2024 before his season ended prematurely.

Murphy said: “I spoke to the committee about extending his contract by two or three years to give the boy peace of mind. He's one of our own. We hope that his operation went well.”

Goals by Patrick Ferry and Jamie Watson gave Harps a much-needed win over Cobh Ramblers on Friday night.

Murphy touched on Coyle's situation when he spoke to his players pre-match.

He said: “It's not nice for the young boy to be laying down in Santry. We spoke about Darragh in the dressing room. I told the players they were fortunate to be playing when that young boy has a long trek back.”