Finn Harps honour Ollie Horgan in best possible fashion with three huge points

Finn Harps captain Tony McNamee lays down a wreath in remembrance of the late former Finn Harps manager Ollie Horgan. Pic: Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile

SSE Airtricity First Division: Finn Harps 1 Treaty United 0 

Finn Harps are right back in the play-off mix as they honoured Ollie Horgan in the best possible fashion by reeling play-off rivals Treaty United in to just a single point.

Hans Mpongo’s 26th-minute strike was enough to push Kevin McHugh’s side over the line on what was an emotional evening in Ballybofey.

Former Finn Harps boss Horgan sadly passed away on Thursday, aged 57, following a brief illness.

And while he’d have hated all the fuss prior to kick-off, there is no doubt he’d have loved the grit and heart shown on his old stomping ground as the hosts continue to narrow the gap on the First Division top five.

Both sides had laid wreaths in the middle of the park beforehand as those in attendance rose to their feet and a minute’s applause honoured the man who guided Harps’ fortunes for nine successive seasons between 2013 and 2022.

Indeed, Horgan’s late mother, Bernadette, was from Thomond Gate, Limerick, so it was, perhaps, fitting that on this night at least, that Treaty were the guests in the north west.

Harps were in front at the break thanks to Mpongo’s breakthrough and while Treaty threatened in both halves and in nine nervy minutes of added time, the home side hung on and made sure the script, on this most poignant of nights, went to plan.

Kevin McHugh’s outfit had set the tempo right away and a Kieran Cooney cross on the left-hand side, that flashed across the visitors’ goalmouth, was an early signal of intent.

Treaty had the first effort on target on 11 minutes but Robbie Lynch’s header from a Lee Devitt corner was straight at Lorenzo Piaia.

The breakthrough for Harps arrived when Mpongo was put in over the top by Idir Zerrouk and, doing well to initially take control of that delivery over the shoulder, he managed to steer past Matthew Boylan and into the net.

On 36 minutes, the hosts almost bagged a second but Max Hutchison just couldn’t get an outstretched boot onto Mpongo’s inviting cross.

Heading into added time at the end of the first period and Treaty were desperately unlucky not to square it.

Ex-Harps man Patrick Ferry got in behind the home rearguard and after Piaia brilliantly denied him, Devitt blazed the rebound high and over the crossbar.

Treaty were liveliest immediately after the restart with Evan O’Connor thwarted by Piaia from point blank range after Harps had failed to deal with the initial corner.

Colin Conroy then tried his luck with a low drive from outside the area but Piaia again did so well to get down to his right and smother.

Entering the last half hour, a bizarre incident where Thomas Barrett seemed to get in the way of McNamee taking a throw-in, resulted in a straight red card for the Treaty boss.

Headed into the final ten minutes and Piaia, who’d already been impressive up until that stage, produced his best save of the evening when he somehow got a hand to substitute Joseph Hanson’s close-range, angled drive.

Harps, though, managed to see it through as Treaty’s league woes show little sign of easing.

FINN HARPS: L Piaia; M Place, C Tourish, J Bradley Walsh, K Cooney; I Zerrouk (Josh Cullen, 77), M Hutchison, O Brogan, T McNamee; G Lomboto (G McAteer, 70); H Mpongo (Aaron McLaughlin, 85).

TREATY UNITED: M Boylan; E O’Connor, R Lynch, R Boevi, B Lynch; C Conroy, C Wilson (M Murphy, 74), B Lee (J Hanson, 74), F Doherty (M Byrne, 60); L Devitt (Darren Nwankwo, 90) P Ferry.

Referee: Ryan Maher.