Treaty United's bid for first league win goes on as Finn Harps battle back to earn dramatic draw

A STUNNING equaliser from Conor Tourish right at the death denied a first win of the SSE Airtricity League season for Treaty United in a 2-2 draw with Finn Harps at Ballybofey on Friday night.

Visitors Treaty United had been the better side in the opening half and led their Donegal hosts 2-0 at half-time, thanks to a brace of goals from Jason Folarin-Oyenuga.

Indeed, Treaty would not have been flattered had they enjoyed a more significant lead given their level of superiority.

But Finn Harps manager Kevin McHugh rang the changes at half-time and the hosts looked a completely different outfit on the resumption.

After Gavin McAteer had pulled them level on 78 minutes, Temiloluwa Ajibola seemed destined to square it from the spot.

However, that effort was saved. But deep into the four minutes of added time, Tourish stepped up to steer a brilliant equaliser into the roof of the net much to the dismay of Treaty United players.

The result leaves Treaty propping up the First Division table after picking up two points from their opening five games.

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Early on, visitors Treaty United threatened almost straight away as Cian Curtis threaded Folarin Oyenuga through on the inside left.

The Treaty attacker opted to go near post instead of across goal, but thankfully, from the hosts’ point of view at least, Corey Sheridan guessed right.

Harps’ first threat came on six minutes as Tony McNamee’s delivery from the right broke around the edge of the box.

As Perault Tokam waited for the cleared ball to fall his way he was unceremoniously chopped down just outside the area.

From the resulting free kick, McNamee cutely looked to go under the wall but it took a nick off a Treaty boot and the danger was eventually scrambled clear.

With Harps pressing up, Treaty managed to hit them on the break with Jevontae Layne racing clear from deep inside his own half.

Alex Fanle looked to keep pace, but in the end, it was Sheridan who once again came to Harps’ aid.

However, a lacklustre home defence immediately squandered possession back to their Limerick opposition and Folarin Oyenuga made no mistake this time out, coolly rolling to that far corner of the net.

Things got even better for Treaty nearing the 20-minute mark when the same player cut in from the wide left and unleashed a brilliant effort from outside the box that nestled beautifully in Sheridan’s left-hand stanchion.

Seven minutes out from the midpoint and Harps almost halved the deficit but three bites at the same cherry yielded absolutely nothing.

First, Tokam fizzed one in low, which deflected off the butt of the post before a McNamee header was then saved and, finally, a Tourish volley flew high and into the chilly night sky.

The second-half was a little slow to simmer initially but when it did, Harps thought they’d pulled one back only for half-time substitute Max Johnston’s roll home to be pulled back for offside.

On the hour mark, another home replacement, Ajibola, looked to lob Treaty stopper Jack Brady from just inside his own half. The connection was decent and the direction good but it dropped harmlessly over the backpedalling Brady’s crossbar.

In what was the home side’s best spell of the evening so far, the same player then got in behind the away defence and was taken down by Richard Guevara.

But an offside flag spared the Treaty defender what would otherwise have been a clear penalty.

Harps continued to set the pace going into the last quarter of an hour as Joel Bradley Walsh’s dangerous delivery was headed on target by Tourish.

The breakthrough all that endeavour deserved finally came on 78 minutes when Alex Fanle’s super delivery was cleared to the lurking McAteer.

The Milford teenager still had plenty to do, but he unleashed an absolute peach of a strike that flew into the top corner of the net.

It was all one-way traffic at this stage but Harps were almost caught on the counter as a last-gasp Bradley Walsh intervention on the skampering Brian Cunningham averted that danger at the vital moment.

The moment the home crowd was baying for arrived four minutes out from normal time when Alex Fanle’s trickery inside the area seen Benjamin Lee clip his heels.

Robert Dowling immediately pointed to the spot as Harps were presented with a gilt-edged opportunity to share the spoils.

However, Ajibola’s connection wasn’t great, allowing Brady to get across, and from the rebound, Ajibola’s second swing was turned behind for a corner.

But right at the death, at the end of four minutes of injury time, Tourish showed all his experience and guile to arch in the equaliser.

Next up for Treaty United is a home fixture for Athlone Town at the Markets Field on Friday night next, 7.45pm.

Finn Harps: Corey Sheridan; Josh Cullen, Daniel De Lacerda (Joel Bradley Walsh, ht), Conor Tourish, Alex Fanle; Perault Tokam (Arron McLaughlin, 68) Tony McNamee; Shaunie Bradley (Temiloluwa Ajibola, ht), Gavin McAteer, Idir Zerrouk (Max Johnston, ht); Nathan Lumingo (Odhran McHugh, 83).

Treaty United: Jack Brady; Kyle Foley, Robbie Lynch, Eric Yoro, Richard Guevara; Ben Feeney, Steven Healy, Raphael Ohin (Benjamin Lee, 73), Jason Folarin Oyenuga (Mark Murphy, 90+1); Jevontar Layne (Brian Cunningham, 62), Cian Curtis.

Referee: Robert Dowling.