General
- Thursday March 31st, 2016 @ 16:50
Team News: Finn Harps Vs ST PAT'S (Friday, 8pm Finn Park)
St Patrick's Athletic face the trip northwards to Ballybofey as the Saints face Finn Harps in Finn Park in the SSE Airtricity League (kick-off 8pm).
Following last week's defeat to champions Dundalk, the Saints will be looking to bounce back with a result against a resurgent Harps side who have seven points to date in their first season back in the top flight.
The Saints will be looking for a repeat of recent results against the Donegal side, the Inchicore side running out 6-1 winners in the Semi-Finals of the FAI Cup two years ago in Richmond Park.
Speaking to stpatsfc.com ahead of the game, Saints' manager Liam Buckley outlined that his side were fully focused on bouncing back from last week's defeat against a Harps side who he has said he expects to be competitive in the 2016 season.
"Last week was disappointing for everyone at the club. I felt the scoreline didn't reflect the scoreline on the night. However we've been back working hard in training this week and are now focused on Finn Harps and that game," Buckley admitted.
"Harps have been going well so far and have two home wins to date so we know that it is going to be a very tough game in Ballybofey. The home support is often really strong there and Ollie Horgan has put together a good squad of players with a mixture of young and experienced players and a strong local base too. We need to make sure we do the basics well, and if so, we can hopefully come away with a result."
In team news, Buckley remains without Jack Bayly through injury, while goalkeeper Conor O'Malley is back on the injury list having suffered an ankle injury.
Otherwise the Saints have a full squad to choose from with Sean Hoare back from Republic of Ireland U21 duty, Christy Fagan back from illness and Lee Desmond back in training after a spell on the sidelines.
