Irvinestown Wanderers 3 Strathroy Harps 5

A high-scoring affair at the Bawnacre saw Strathroy Harps eventually run out 5-3 winners after five second-half goals. It’s a fifth win in ten for Harps as last year’s Mulhern Cup winners sit mid-table in Division One.

Wanderers manager Darren Higginbotham said after the game: “Ultimately, I’m disappointed with the loss. We played some good football at times and in particular the first goal, it was really built up and well finished by Stephen Sheridan.

“To score again from a set piece was a positive but the ultimate feeling on the day is disappointment. It’s a scenario that we really need to learn from. We know Division One is a difficult league and we need to be more defensively resolute at times. Not just our defenders but our entire team.

“We knew there would be stages where we don’t win two or three games, we are very realistic about our approach to the season and we know where we want to be at the end of the season.

“The only way out of these scenarios is to keep working hard. I do feel, on and off the pitch, we haven’t had that stroke of luck that, maybe, you need at certain periods of the season.”

Sheridan opened the scoring after a good team move on Saturday to make it 1-0 but the lead only lasted 15 minutes as Jordan Palmer put through his own net.

Irvinestown responded well as they took a 2-1 lead into half time. Gary Maguire’s corner kick was flicked on and the ball fell kindly for Barry O’Sullivan to fire home.

Wanderers debutant Paul Murphy made a great save before the interval to keep it at 2-1 but it didn’t take long for Strathroy to level things again in the second half as Paul Lowe found the bottom corner and Eoin McAnulla put the away side in front moments later from the penalty spot.

Harps fourth came with 20 minutes to go, Lowe again on target, when he headed home from a corner.

Gary Maguire made it 4-3 with a free-kick but Strathroy rounded off the win as Corey Wood poked home from a goalmouth scramble with six minutes to go.

Harps face Enniskillen Town this weekend as the sides meet for the first time since the Mulhern Cup Final while Irvinestown travel to Castlederg to take on Dergview Reserves with Higginbotham adding: “It’s a very difficult and tough game against Dergview Reserves so we just have to keep plugging at it and eventually things will change for us.”