Curtain falls on 2024 as Finn Harps undone by Treaty United

Thomas Considine was the architect as Treaty United came from behind to defeat Finn Harps in both sides’ finale to 2024.

Considine scored one and made the other for Tommy Barrett’s men, who overturned Conor Tourish’s first-half opener for Harps at Finn Park.

Considine and fellow substitute Mark Byrne netted to give Treaty the win.

Harps broke the deadlock on 33 minutes when Tourish brilliantly flicked a header beyond Michael Dike after connecting with Kevin Jordan’s superb cross.

It was the Letterkenny man’s first goal of the season and a goal that finally broke Treaty resistance after prolonged probing by the hosts.

The breakthrough came just a minute after Tourish was denied by the post after Jamie Watson headed on from a Tony McNamee corner.

With 20 minutes to go, Considine brought Treaty back on level terms. Considine found the top corner, delightfully curling home after being given too much time on the edge of the area.

Eight minutes later, Considine skipped away from Luke O’Brien and his cross was tucked in by Byrne.

Harps’ faint hopes of sneaking into the play-off positions were quashed on Monday night when Wexford, who played over 50 minutes with ten men, won 3-1 in Ballybofey. There was a real end-of-season feel around Navenny Street as two sides out of the hunt for the sought-after places crossed swords for a final time.

The Harps side showed six changes from that which lost to Wexford with Noe Baba, Jordan, Max Johnston, David Cawley, Gavin Gilmore and Gavin McAteer all coming back into the XI. In the case of Gilmore, it was only a second start in Harps’ colours - and a first since a 1-0 loss to Treaty in July.

While McNamee took the sting out of a dangerous attack when blocking from Christopher Horgan in the sixth minute, Harps found a groove and were unfortunate not to be ahead after a series of chances.

Tourish strode forward from centre-back but his end effort was wife of the far post. At the other end, Trpimir Vrljicak struck well from distance, but without accuracy.

Harps had a big chance in the 15th minute when Success Edogun - who was in Treaty’s ranks last year before moving to the north west - fed Gilmore and Treaty’s teenage net-minder Mike Dike did well to save. The follow-up, by Max Johnston, was blocked.

Gavin McAteer and Yoyo Mahdy - who had a spell at Harps in 2022 - tried their luck with free kicks at either end, but the former was narrowly over the crossbar and home ‘keeper Oisin Cooney saved from the latter.

Harps’ teenage aces McAteer and Cooney will travel on Monday to Premier League club Nottingham Forest for a trial that will include a game to try and impress the City Ground coaches.  A measure, perhaps, of the antennae raised by some of the youngsters on show were the presence of scouts from Forest, Derby County and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Edogun drew a fine save from Dike, who leapt out to his right to push away from the Harps attacker’s powerful shot after half-an-hour.

The opener did arrive, via Tourish, but Treaty might’ve been level had David Tarmey got a better connection on a free header in the final minute of the opening period. As it was, Cooney was able to make a routine save.

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It took the best of Cooney’s abilities to keep out a goal-bound shot by Treaty sub Considine while McAteer whizzed inches over with a decent chance of a first Harps senior goal in the 57th minute.

Last October, Treaty was jointly acquired by Tricor Pacific International, a Vancouver-based family investment group, and former Republic of Ireland international Ciara McCormack, who is the club’s CEO. Their ambition at the outset was to ‘professionalise things’ in year one and a seventh-place finish represents a drop of just one - with only two fewer points - from last season with Harps leaping from ninth to sixth.

Harps might have had a penalty late in the night, but referee Declan Toland waved play on when Edogun went to ground.

Finn Harps: Oisin Cooney; Jamie Watson, Noe Baba, Conor Tourish, Kevin Jordan (Bruce Strachan 62); David Cawley (Matthew Makinson 89), Tony McNamee; Max Johnston (Luke O’Brien 62), Gavin McAteer, Gavin Gilmore (Sean Patton 66); Success Edogun.

Treaty United: Michael Dike; Evan O’Connor, Mark Walsh, Richkov Boevi; Christopher Horgan (Thomas Considine h-t), Steven Healy (Luke Ryan 82), Colin Conroy, Oisin O’Reilly; Yoyo Mahdy (Nikodem Kozlowski 70), David Tarmey (Mark Byrne 64), Trpimir Vrljicak (Cillian Mulvihill 82).

Referee: Declan Toland.