Dundalk 3-0 Finn Harps
Dundalk made it maximum points from their opening two games as they put newly promoted Finn Harps to the sword at Oriel Park.
The champions started brightly and Daryl Horgan forced Richard Brush into his first save of the night on the quarter hour mark.
Dundalk hit the front from the subsequent corner when Paddy Barrett rose highest in the six-yard box to head home Darren Meenan’s delivery.
The Waterford native should have made it 2-0 just three minutes later. Again, Meenan provided the ammunition but this time Barrett could only head wide with the goal at his mercy.
Ollie Horgan’s Harps side showed no signs of folding but they failed to threaten Gary Rogers in the home side’s goal and they were relieved not to fall further behind on the stroke of half-time when Patrick McEleney saw a glancing header kiss the post.
Ryan Curran almost silenced the home support seven minutes into the second half but his snapshot went just wide of Rogers’ right hand post with the goalkeeper rooted to the spot.
Dundalk opened up after that and Ronan Finn almost brought the house down with a 35-yard screamer that whistled just over the bar.
The second goal felt inevitable and it arrived in the 59th minute. Dane Massey’s cut back from the left was precise and the finish from McEleney was even better, the Derry man superbly finding the corner of Brush’s net.
The game was put to bed with 15 minutes to go when Daryl Horgan’s corner from the left landed amongst a crowd of bodies and ended up in the net. Andy Boyle half heartedly claimed the goal but it looked like the final touch came off a blue shirt.
Dundalk: Rogers; Gannon, Barrett, Boyle, Massey; Shields, Finn; Meenan (Mountney 69), McEleney (Benson 70), Horgan; Kilduff (McMillan 72).
Finn Harps: Brush; Boyle, McNulty, Cowan, Coll; Hanlon (Flatley 67), Funston, Foy, Harkin (McHugh 78), Scully; Curran (Crossan 78).
Referee: Ray Matthews.
Attendance: 3,216.
