Boyd could be a key figure for Shelbourne against Finn Harps tonight

Finn Harps will be hoping that their former striker Sean Boyd’s rich vein of form does not continue tonight.

The 23-year-old Dubliner finished last season on a high with a number of crucial goals for Harps, and has begun the new campaign with Shelbourne in a similar fashion.

Indeed, in his last two outings he has bagged the equaliser in 1-1 draws at home to Dundalk and away to Bohemians.

Tonight, the Damien Duff managed Shelbourne host Finn Harps at Tolka Park in what is seen as an important test for both clubs.

Harps are still seeking a first win after five games and manager Ollie Horgan is only too well aware that they don’t want to be playing “catch-up” too early in the season. 

A win for Shels would put the Dubliners seven points ahead of bottom of the table Harps who lost 3-1 away to Sligo Rovers on Monday.

While ultimately that defeat was disappointing, Harps actually played well early on.

“I do think we will get better, especially with the amount of new players that we have from outside the country, but we need to be within striking distance of the ones above us at the bottom of the table by the time that happens, ” commented Horgan.

“We need to get something from this game,” Horgan continued. “We will be hoping to defend better and to take the chances we have.”

Given that Harps’ next game after Shelbourne is a home tie with champions Shamrock Rovers, there is even more pressure on to get something from Tolka Park tonight.

New strikers Filip Mihaljevic, Yoyo Mahdy and Eric McWoods have yet to score, and that is a concern.

Boyd, meanwhile, will be a man that Harps will have to mark closely, and Horgan knows him well.

Indeed, he gave the Dubliner - who spent over 15 months out of the game through injury - a chance of a second stint with Harps last season to rejuvenate his career.

Boyd’s flurry of goals towards the end of last season were a factor in helping Harps to stay up.

He stormed onto the League of Ireland scene back in 2016 and scored a cracking goal for Shamrock Rovers against arch-rivals Bohemians.

In December 2019, he was one of a number of players at a PFAI winter training camp which involved playing a game against a Rochdale Under-23 side near Manchester. 

But Boyd ruptured his cruciate ligament and tore his meniscus.

The next time that he played a competitive game was in 2021, when he came on in Finn Harps’ opening day win over Bohemians.

“I can’t thank Harps enough,” he said at the time, and he is grateful to Horgan for giving him the chance.

Boyd lives in Swords in north Dublin so from a travel point of view Shelbourne is so much handier. It was always on the cards that he was going to leave Harps at the end of the season. 

His future is now with Shelbourne, and he will be one to watch for Harps tonight.

Kick-off at Tolka Park is 7.45 pm.