A most poignant minute's silence in memory of those who lost their lives at Creeslough preceded what ended up being a narrow Dundalk victory over Finn Harps.
Lewis Macari and an own goal by Rob Slevin made it 2-0 at half-time for Dundalk. Harps' substitute Robert Jones pulled one back on 86 minutes but it meant one point from six matches for Ollie Horgan's side, who cannot keep banking on other results.
Seven days on from the explosion that saw 10 people lose their lives at the north Donegal village, both sides paid their respects, with Uachtarán na hÉireann Michael D Higgins in attendance.
Dundalk captain Andy Boyle, League of Ireland director Mark Scanlon and Ireland Under-19 head coach Tom Mohan - a former Finn Harps players - brought out wreaths in remembrance as both squads stood on the halfway line with the local Ballybofey United side.
As early as the third minute, Barry McNamee’s precise ball down Dundalk’s inside right channel put Dylan Duncan into space. His shot towards the bottom corner was touched around the post by the visitors’ goalkeeper Nathan Shepperd.
That was the exception not the rule, though, with the Co Louth team firing a couple of warnings before Alfie Lewis hit the butt of the post on 17 minutes with a daisy-cutter from the edge of the area.
A minute later, Dundalk hit the front when John Mountney’s free-kick was half cleared and, with the ball dropping, Macari improvised to hook at goal. The ball lobbed in over Harps netminder James McKeown and McNamee, who was stretching on the line to get a headed clearance.
Darragh Leahy, on 22 minutes, almost doubled the lead from close in only for McKeown to make a top class save. Harps’ only real threat came from Regan Donelon corner-kicks, of which they had five, with the closest they came to scoring when Jaime Siaj headed wide on 28 minutes.
On the stroke of half-time, Dundalk’s second came when McMillan got on the end of an inviting centre by Leahy and, after McKeown had made a point-blank save, the ball rebounded into the net off the unfortunate Slevin.
Harps, with only a point from 15 going into the fixture, had to push on in the second half and McNamee blasted a ball across goal that Macari managed to divert away.
Although Dundalk had plenty of the ball, Jones was unlucky not to pull one back from the hosts with a delicate glancing header from another McNamee cross.
Filip Mihaljevic then saw a header somehow deflected over the crossbar by Sam Bone but Harps’ pressure told when, from the resultant corner, again by Donelon, Jones headed home at the far post with just four minutes to play.
Thirteen months ago, Ollie Horgan’s team scraped a 3-3 FAI Cup draw from two down late on and that would’ve been fresh in the minds of Dundalk’s supporters. John Martin, in injury time, had a chance to make it 3-1 and went low and hard but McKeown was equal to the strike.
Finn Harps: James McKeown; Gary Boylan, Conor Tourish, Rob Slevin, Regan Donelon, Elie Nzeyi (Filip Mihaljevic, half-time), Ryan Rainey (Harry Nicolson 79), Dylan Duncan (Mark Timlin 78), Barry McNamee; Jaime Siaj (Robert Jones 67).
Dundalk: Nathan Shepperd; Darragh Leahy, Andy Boyle, Lewis Macari, John Mountney; Alfie Lewis, Sam Bone, Joe Adams; Runar Hauge (Robbie Benson 64), David McMillan (John Martin 75), Ryan O’Kane.
Referee: Paul McLaughlin
