Aaron McLaughlin strikes late for Finn Harps to cut Dundalk's lead at the top of First Division

Having dropped just their second points of the season away to Treaty Utd on Good Friday, Ciarán Kilduff’s side's title charge suffered another blow on Easter Monday.

TITLE RACE ON: Aaron McLaughlin pounced to grab a 90th minute equaliser for Finn Harps at Oriel Park as league leaders Dundalk coughed up a lead for the second time in less than 72 hours.

Dundalk 1 Finn Harps 1

Aaron McLaughlin pounced to grab a 90th minute equaliser for Finn Harps at Oriel Park as league leaders Dundalk coughed up a lead for the second time in less than 72 hours to see their advantage at the top of the First Division table cut to just three points.

Having dropped just their second points of the season away to Treaty Utd on Good Friday, Ciarán Kilduff’s side looked like they would get back to winning ways when Vinnie Leonard broke the deadlock with a towering header from Sean Keogh’s corner in the 81st minute.

However, a mistake by Keogh was punished by the visitors as McLaughlin stole in to equalise at the death with a goal that throws the First Division title race wide open.

Dundalk dominated for most of the game although arguably the best chance of the first half fell the way of Kevin McHugh’s visitors, with Gavin McAteer firing over from just six yards out inside the opening two minutes.

The Donegal side then drew a number of saves from Peter Cherrie at the start of the second half with David Aziaya also called into action to turn Conor O’Keeffe’s left foot shot around the post before their resistance was finally broken by 17-year-old Leonard.

That looked as though it would secure the points for the Lilywhites but a short pass back to Cherrie from Keogh was seized upon by McLaughlin in the 90th minute as Harps made it six games unbeaten.

Dundalk: Cherrie; Dervin, Animasahun, Leonard, Keogh; Groome, Paraschiv (O’Keeffe 57); Gaxha, Ward (Kenny 57), Horgan (Tracey 89); Ebbe (Arubi 70).

Finn Harps: Aziaya; Place, Hutchison, Tourish, Cullen; Jordan (Hodgins HT), McNamee; Gilmore (McLaughlin 76), McAteer, Lomboto (Ferry 64); McGuinness.

Referee: Gavin Colfer.