On a night when the top two were beaten, Dundalk made sure they didn't fluff their lines with a narrow win over Finn Harps in Ballybofey.
With SSE Airtricity League leaders Shamrock Rovers going down in Drogheda and Derry City, who are second, losing out against interim-manager John Russell’s Sligo Rovers, it was another commendable win for the Louth team under the stewardship of Stephen O’Donnell.
Whisper it, but maybe the title race has enough to run to have three horses, with Dundalk now eight off the top and just one behind Derry, with a game in hand.
Daniel Kelly netted for the Louth side to continue their good run of form, which consists of five wins and a draw from their last six. Ollie Horgan’s Harps were beaten for the fourth time in succession and have only beaten Shelbourne - both home and away - this term in 17 outings.
Kelly’s goal made an important three points for O’Donnell’s Dundalk and the only goal came on 54 minutes when Lewis Macari’s centre from the angle of the penalty area was kept in play by a Keith Ward stretch and Kelly came onto the ball to shoot past Mark Anthony McGinley, via a deflection off Regan Donelon.
Harps went close just before the break, but Yoyo Mahdy’s effort flew just wide after he was picked out by Jesse Devers. Earlier, Mahdy was unable to connect after Ryan Connolly and Eric McWoods combined.
On 67 minutes, Connolly’s fizzing drive from the edge of the area, when the visitors had headed clear a Donelon free-kick, drew a full-stretch save from Nathan Shepard in the Dundalk goal.
Filip Mihaljević went down in the area under a challenge from Andy Boyle which brought optimistic penalty appeals from the scattered home crowd.
Ten minutes from time, a Dundalk break involving Ward, substitute Robbie Benson and Joe Adams ended up with the latter taking a shot, only for Conor Tourish to bravely block. Benson then saw a scuffed shot clip Donelan and go wide of the post
Harps’ Eric McWoods passed up on a great chance to level in injury time when he scooped over from inside the area when found in space by Luke Rudden. Ninety seconds from the end of five minutes of additional time, Ward tried to chip Mark Anthony McGinley in the Harps goal but it went just over.
Finn Harps: Mark Anthony McGinley; Regan Donelon, Ethan Boyle, Rob Slevin, Conor Tourish; Jesse Devers (Luke Rudden 65), Ryan Connolly, Ryan Rainey, Mark Timlin (Filip Mihaljević 60); Yoyo Mahdy, Eric McWoods
Dundalk: Nathan Shepperd, Lewis Macari, Sam Bone, Andy Boyle, Darragh Leahy; Keith Ward, Greg Sloggett, Paul Doyle (Robbie Benson 64); John Martin (Steven Bradley 73), Daniel Kelly (David McMillan 77), Pat Hoban (Joe Adams 78)
Referee: Rob Hennessy
