After off-season of change, Darren Murphy 'excited' by latest Finn Harps challenge

Finn Harps manager Darren Murphy still has eyes on a couple of new recruits ahead of the start of a new season on Friday.

Harps open their First Division campaign away to Kerry FC and there has been a lot of changes in personnel at Finn Park since the shutters came down at the end of last term.

Top scorer Success Edogun was among the departures from last season while Tim Hiemer - who could line out against Harps this week - Jamie Watson, Matty Makinson, Noe Baba and Ryan Rainey have also left.

Stephen Doherty signed for Institute before the end of the 2024 season and loanees Luke O’Brien and Sean Patton have returned to their respective parent clubs.

“It’s an exciting challenge,” Murphy said. “I look at the young players and the one thing that they have is a love for the club, Easy day, they will learn and each week they will learn. They will get better for it. 

“Our academy has done a fantastic job and maybe in previous years it was harder for the academy players to progress.

“If you produce your own and have them ready, then if you lose them and have another one coming behind, you’ll be stronger and in a better position to move forward.”

Aaron McLaughlin is carrying a quad injury, which Murphy says he picked up during a recent trial at Stoke City, while Gavin McAteer is on international duty with the Republic of Ireland Under-17s in Spain and will be absent from the squad for Friday.

Murphy said: “Hopefully, maybe we will get one more in. Maybe two, but definitely one.”

Harps finished sixth in the 2024 First Division and, with off-field matters taking precedence down Navenny Street, the budget strings have been tightened further.

Murphy said: “I understand where we are more than most people. I am obviously at the coal face of everything. The stadium is the number one priority so that has a knock-on effect in terms of what happens on the pitch.

“We aren’t a club that can attract the names that we did in the past and I think the fans need to know that.

“For us to get back to where we need to, we need the fans on our side. We need them more than ever. This is a very young squad that we have. We have a great group of players here and I’ll stand by each and every one of them.

Read next: Gavin McAteer drafted into Republic of Ireland U17 squad

“We had a very unexpected season last year. A lot of people wrote us off from day one. We fell just a wee bit short. Maybe we are a bit less experienced, but some of the young players now are more experienced.”