Willie O’Connor: I haven’t spoken to anyone at Finn Harps

Willie O’Connor says he hasn’t had dialogue with anyone at Finn Harps in relation to their vacant manager’s position.

The Buncrana native - who served as assistant to Ollie Horgan on Navenny Street for five seasons - is now Andy Myler’s number two at UCD.

The Students retained their topflight status in the most dramatic of fashions last Friday night with a nervy 1-0 over Waterford.

Thomas Lonergan’s fine first half header in that SSE Airtricity League Premier Division Promotion/Relegation play-off clash was enough to keep UCD up.

But there was real late, late drama at Richmond Park when UCD skipper Jack Keaney, a Donegal Town native, was controversially penalised for handball inside the area and a penalty awarded.

However, justice was served with the very last kick of the game when Quitirna Junior blasted his 93rd minute effort high and over the crossbar.

With Horgan’s nine-year tenure in charge of Harps ending in relegation from the Premier Division, the search has now started to find a suitable successor.

O’Connor, who is a school teacher at Balbriggin Community College, certainly ticks many of the boxes that the Finn Park board will be looking for. But, speaking to InishLive, he says his sole attention right now remains with UCD.

“At the moment I’m with UCD, I’m employed by them. From my point of view we are already reviewing and looking towards next season. I haven’t spoken to anyone about the Harps position at all.”

Meanwhile, on the manner in which UCD retained their Premier Division status at the weekend, O’Connor said: “It was dramatic but when you come out the right side of it, it was probably that little bit more satisfying. Even for the UCD people in the crowd, the excitement was fever pitch.

“But watching the game there and then, from the bench, you’d rather not have that kind of drama! It would have been much easier on the heart had we just seen it out 1-0.

“But it definitely wasn’t a handball. It hit Jack on the back. But, ultimately, all was well that ended well because we got the result.”

As well as O’Connor and Keaney, the other north west interest in the UCD line-up was Michael Gallagher, from Letterkenny and Carndonagh’s Sam Todd.

“It’s great to have that home company,” O’Connor said. “I’d have known Sam really well from my time at Harps, Michael as well. The only one I wouldn’t have been familiar with was Jack.

“But anyone that knows Jack will know that you get to know him pretty quickly! He’s that type of character. But those three lads were incredible all season for us. For young lads, they really took on that sort of senior role in the set-up.”