SSE Airtricity League First Division
Finn Harps 1 – 0 Dundalk
Finn Harps secured their first victory in ten outings, handing league leaders Dundalk their first loss of the season at Finn Park on Monday evening.
The home side displayed excellent defending throughout the match, while outstanding saves from Corey Sheridan consistently denied Ciaran Kilduff’s team.
Gradi Lomboto converted a penalty just after the hour mark, marking his second goal in three games. This vital win ends their recent poor form.
Following a goalless draw against Athlone Town on Friday, changes were anticipated, but only two adjustments were made as Conor Tourish returned to the starting lineup after a period on the sidelines.
Michael Place, after a brief appearance in Athlone, also began the game.
From the outset, Harps showed resilience in defense, limiting Dundalk’s opportunities in the final third. Leo Gaxha’s shot within the first ten minutes was their only real attempt, but it went wide.
Max Hutchison’s powerful header before the 15-minute mark required an equally impressive save from Enda Minogue to tip it over the bar. An offside flag would have negated the goal, had it gone in.
Clear scoring chances remained scarce throughout the match. Dundalk maintained possession, and several passes over the top aimed to release Gaxha or Horgan on either wing. However, any crosses into the penalty area were promptly cleared by the resolute Harps defense.
Approaching halftime, Dundalk created two more half-chances. Eoin Kenny’s shot narrowly missed the target, while Joel Thompson deflected Gaxha’s goal-bound shot just wide of the post.
Harps had the first opportunity of the second half when Enda Minogue stretched to deny Tony McNamee’s low shot just two minutes after the restart.
Dundalk responded with two significant chances. Gaxha received an accurate pass from Horgan, but the former Athlone Town player lofted his shot over the crossbar.
Then, Eoin Kenny broke past the defense, but Joel Bradley-Walsh made an exceptional clearance, inadvertently ending up in the net himself, to prevent a certain goal.
On the hour mark, Harps were awarded a penalty after Gaxha was deemed to have pushed Thompson in the back.
Tony McNamee passed the ball to Gradi Lomboto, who confidently slotted his left-footed penalty into the bottom right corner, beyond Minogue’s dive.
With fifteen minutes remaining, Harps’ defensive performance reached its peak. Following a cleared ball, Kenny fired a shot towards goal, but Corey Sheridan made a stunning one-handed save, tipping the ball onto the crossbar.
As the board signalled for stoppage time, Harps defended with their backs against the wall, as Dundalk relentlessly attacked, aiming to preserve their unbeaten record.
Five minutes into the eight minutes of added time, Sheridan made another crucial save, denying Dean Ebbe’s close-range header, securing back-to-back clean sheets for the goalkeeper.
Finn Harps: Corey Sheridan; Michael Place, Conor Tourish, Max Hutchison, Joel Bradley-Walsh, Joel Thompson; Kevin Jordan(Gavin McAteer 74), Josh Cullen, Gavin Gilmore, Tony McNamee; Gradi Lomboto.
Dundalk: Enda Minogue; Luke Mulligan(Keith Ward 65), Vinny Leonard, Mayoma Animasahun, Sean Keogh; Aodh Dervin(Shane Tracey ht), Harry Groome, Andy Paraschiv(Dean Ebbe 65), Leo Gaxha(Sean Martin McHale 87), Daryl Horgan; Eoin Kenny.
Referee: Daniel Murphy
Finn Harps inflict Dundalk’s first defeat of the season with Lomboto goal was last modified: June 23rd, 2025 by
