 Hello there and welcome along to our weekly look at all things League of Ireland. Jeremy Daherty here and I'm joined this week by former Fanharps captain and current Don Gannon, Swiss defender Keith Cowan. Keith, that's great to have you along again this week. Another busy week in terms of football action. We've had the European games and games in the League of Ireland too. And I suppose for Harps fans, there is reason to be concerned as their team continues to struggle for form. It's been a couple of difficult weeks for Harps fans and Harps players and I'm sure of management as well. The last two weeks especially we were playing Lampford Town and we were playing Waterford United. Two games were both at home where Harps would have been looking maybe to pick up points after a difficult month maybe. I think maybe they've only picked up maybe one point or the last seven games. So it has been a difficult time. It's a try and time for the squad, for the players. They definitely were looking for a pick up with those two games. As I said, you're looking at those to maybe try and pick up wins especially at home with the two teams below you. And that just didn't materialise, Jeremy. If you like the Lampford game, I want to all draw where a free goal that we all looked at and couldn't see how it was left to stand and then getting back into the game really quickly and then missing the penalty. Rewind then just till last week as well to get into the game and you're looking to pick up and a bit of a reshuffle in terms of the players that were available. You have suspensions, you have a couple of injuries in there. So again, going down, conceding a penalty and then with the new guy getting the start, Jordan Mosto in there and maybe not getting off to the start that he would have wanted and then getting back into the game with a penalty and then missing again. So those are all things that can I suppose culminate into a bit of loss of confidence within a squad but an opportunity to bounce back this week awaited on dark. A difficult place to go, a place where they might be buoyed because they have picked up a result there early in the season and they'll be looking to do the same now come Saturday. I think the game against Waterford, Keith, the big talk and point was the fact that Harps just never really tested Waterford did they when they were going for that equaliser? Okay, you had the most penalty which you referred to but after that aside from maybe one chance for Adam Foley they never looked like finding that equaliser. Yes, as I said, we looked at the players that were available and as you say, lost the captain early on through seemed like a head injury for Webster and bringing on players and again a bit of a reshuffle. There was nobody really that seemed to be playing in there or the start of the game or finished the game in their preferred position. Yes, there was a lack of urgency. It did seem to be the game. I know you were at the game. I was at the game myself. There didn't seem to be much lift from the players again and that could be a confidence thing. It was just a tough night for them and a game that maybe they were expected to do well in and I know that Waterford have picked up recently and they've got the new manager in there. Bert Schumann has come in and he's brought a lot of young players in with them and they seemed lively and they seemed the ones that were going to do the damage. They're going to need something. Apparently, news around the squad is that the spirits are high and the lads are in good form and there's nobody really pushing the panic button but from what we saw the last night, they definitely do need a lift and hopefully the new lads coming in will definitely give them that. What do you make of these new signings then, Keith and Oat? Like Waterford were clearly boosted by their new arrivals. In fairness to Oli, he hasn't waited too long to make a couple of new additions. Jordan Musto, as you mentioned, made his debut at left back. Daniel Hawkins then, a new signing, a striker and it's goals that Harps need, isn't it? Definitely. You look at, I suppose, what they have already. Oalabi through all his endeavours and hard work has struggled to find the back of the net. Yes, you have Adam Foley and I suppose you need to be pretty thankful for him because if it wasn't, Harps would be really struggling without his goals. I think he is eight at the moment. Young Hawkins, 20 years of age, Swansea Hall Academy. He's been at Salford. Still a young man at 20 years of age, like we say there. Attack in midfielder apparently is his preferred position, is what he would call himself. You have to look at it as like he's come in now and he'll be wanting to really kick start his career. I know he knows one of the Dairy Lads, Mark Walsh, maybe he spoke to him and he's advising that it's a good standard and it's a good place to try and make your name as a player or as a professional player to maybe essentially get a move back across the water again. But hopefully he will hit the ground running. A difficult place to go, don't knock at the weekend. There are a bit of a jack-all-hide this year with some good results and then some poor results. I think as soon as we have to wait and see how it plays out in terms of if this lad is going to hit the ground run, like we said, we spoke about Jordan Muster there he had 30 years of age, a good academy with Liverpool, Wigan, but he's been a bit of a journey man since that. He's been to Sweden, he's been to Belgium, Oman I think was on the cards there as well. He'll be looking to, it looked a steady performance without setting the word of light last weekend. He'll be looking to get his fitness up to scratch and again, then we shared already it was the third one you'll experience, goalkeeper we know him from Dairy. We set a great career, 39 years of age. We maybe look at this one more as a coaching role as well. Maybe he's there for and maybe just as an experience backup for Mark Antony McGinley. So yeah, the jury's still out on this day on the side and so hopefully we'll see in the next coming weeks what those lads can offer this go on. Yeah, okay. Well this weekend's fixtures, Keith, last weekend I suppose there was only a handful of games on, wasn't there, because of the European matches, but back to a full programme and a staggered over Friday, Saturday and Sunday so it's going to be interesting. Dairy City then they're going to have a big game on Friday night against Shamrock Rovers. City's form has been so so good since the arrival of the new manager and the question is can they keep that against a Rovers team who you know Dairy have a good record against Shamrock Rovers? Yeah they do and you know they won't fear Shamrock Rovers coming up to the round McBride on Friday night. I think that one's on. The Shamrock Rovers obviously failed at the hurdle there during the wait trying to get out into the next one of the Europeans. So they'll obviously want to get up and get back to winning ways as well as that there. Obviously Rovers joined top on 38 points along with Pats along with Slago so their aspirations are very much still going to want to win every game. City have been on a great round there, they've done so well since Rovers has come in. Unfortunately last week to fall 1-0 to Pats, especially with Pats coming down to 10 men as well. I thought they maybe got something, but no doubt they'll be looking to get back to winning ways and you know it's just I think it's a lot of credit to Higgins as well for what he's done since he's come in working similarly with the same squad. You know there's obviously talk last week of him reacquiring Paddock McElhaney back from Dundalk and Michael Duffy as well both getting them on pre-contract. So that's really going to lift the squad as well in terms of whether they'll be guys looking over their shoulder and what they're putting in performances week in week out and obviously with the fans as well known that they have two top quality, arguably Dundalk's best two players coming back to there it would be a fantastic boost for them. Yeah and Sidi's form has been so good, they lost patching haven't they and Dundalk have made a couple of new additions and that seems to have shown with a little upturn and form for them as well. They were impressive in Europe during the week and you know probably hadn't formed at the right time. Shamrock Rovers unfortunately for them losing out in Europe during the week but a controversy over that game the other night as well. Their manager Stephen Bradley not too happy with a couple of big decisions in that game. Yes Stephen Bradley is just a strange one for me because when it goes for him you know he's all about it and then when it goes against him he can spit the dummy there the odd time so I thought that they don't really well to get back into the game. You know a crack and go from the ex Dundalk man and Richie Tyler there as well was unfortunate. I think we just we kind of ran out of time unfortunately and then maybe conceding that one later on as well so no I think they'll be looking to they'll be fully focused now obviously on the league and you know as say three points in the area hopefully very much the top of their agenda. Before we leave Europe Keith what we're chatting here ahead of Slaggo Rovers and Bowls both in action on Thursday night it'd be great to see if they could you know make home advantage count in both of their respective fixtures. Oh yeah both ties very much still alive you know Slaggo off to the home this week obviously FH Afnazure I think there is their team that they're up against I'm not sure they've got that right but yes a Scotsman Stephen Lennon getting the winner last week over there so look obviously we have an interest obviously Shane Blaney played in that game as well and did particularly well and has done really well since he's over the last month or so when he's been getting ready for a game they've lost to Captain Greg Baldur they'll red card out there as well so he'd be a massive loss for them for the game but hopefully home advantage you know I know that Icelandic side aren't setting their legal rights I think they're maybe ninth or tenth and a 12 a 12 team league so I think that they've been a massive opportunity Slaggo really good at home a bit of a crowd in there as well hopefully for it so yeah I think I think they'll be looking to push on in that one obviously they're interested with Bows as well you know John Lucelli the league's league marksman you know they'll have their homework done on him 12 goals in the league this season so far so another Icelandic side coming over to Dalymount Ross Tierney getting equalizer for Bows in the 63rd minute last week so they'll both those clubs will very much have their eye on the on the next round and they'll be thinking if they you know prepare right and they're doing all the right things this week that they should be able to get there and then of course we've had the the draw for the the first round of the FEI Cup as well Keith Bonaghey and Cockhill Celtic were both in action last weekend unfortunately despite good performances from both teams they lost out to Leicester Senior League opposition so Harps and Dairy City and Slaggo Rovers the only teams from the northwest involved in the competition's first round draw which took place last weekend or took place on Tuesday night Harps then drawn away to Fairview of Limerick tricky enough Ty Ollie Horgan suggesting during the week that had it been at home it would have been much much better yeah I think when you're traveling down you know obviously you have a journey to town but the boys be well used to that you know it's an opportunity as well but these games are all you know real potential banana skins aren't they and you know it's kind of one of those ones you know if you win the game you're supposed to win the game and you know you're supposed to win it comfortably because it's lower opposition and you know but then you know if they if they happen to put on a performance and you know make it difficult like like these intermediate sides have done for Harps in the past I remember Cromwell I'm coming up a couple years ago to Balvin Faye and winning so you know Harps have I think they played that the last time they were down there was 2002 and goals from Paddy Nagran and Johnny speak up them through that tie in a 2-0 win what Harps wouldn't do for about a bit of that quality at the moment you know on that goal score in Pro S so now look it'll be it'll be a tough game for them you know no doubt um Ollie'll have his homework done on these lads he left no stone on turn in terms of this opposition he'll not want to come down there and potentially get an egg on his face so yeah he'll prepare for this game like he does Shamrock Rovers like Don Dock so he'll definitely have us one more time on that as we both all know that there's not too many players in the league that he's not familiar with or in the country for that matter so yeah it'll be a tough game but you would like to think that Harps would have enough going down there to win that game yeah and do you know what I remember that game in 2002 Keith I was I was at that match and I took a late late goal from Jonathan speak to finally kill them off because Harps were a good team then remember that they played in the FBI Cup final just a couple of seasons before that so you know it would have been it would have been a major upset had they not come away with the one definitely and this will potentially end here with the tie of the round we'll be draw her against Derry you know obviously two league of our two Premier League sides draw her you know doing pretty well up there I think they're in fourth position you know on 30 points so I think they're you know they've been a bit of a surprise this season but then I think you know Tom Clancy there is you know a manager that I would rate very highly and you know he seems to have a great mix in there um you have the experience we've spoken about him a couple of times on the show so I think that that for me has to be the tie of the round yeah and and who Derry would have been hoping for a good draw because they have such a good record in the cup they love playing in the FBI Cup so that's not the kind of draw that have been hoping for but um there aren't too many big games are there Keith a lot of the Premier Division teams have been paired against lower league opposition yeah it seems to have come out that way no slaggo they um they have cork uh you know a home game against cork uh balls are a way to college grunt things so you know there's not too many massive ties and terms out there but look good I think you see a shellburn um you know there'll be a couple of tasty affairs you know obviously with with all the teams and that involved so um look it's a good it's a it's a good distraction you know it'll be a way that's you know some a team like haps as well but hopefully kick on the next round and give themselves a lift and you know like a cup run like that there can can like lift the entire squad can lift the fans and you know give them some of the shit about again just before let you go then Keith what about the situation in the Irish League in old Larn and Colrain and Linfield all in European action this week as well but for for you guys at Duncanon how are preparations going ahead of the new season you have to mention Glent Horne as well Jervis they're also in that yeah league conference this is uh you you have a league conference uh action tonight as well they're away they're away to Welsh State TNS but again we mentioned of course my apologies yeah so in terms of Duncanon yeah look which we he said things he's that has had us in you know kind of once every 10 days just over the last month or so just to kind of keep us ticking over uh with with the league with the league starting on the 28th I think it's the 28th of August 28th 29th of August uh so it's a it's a later start this year usually because of all the games played last season so the so to have that time off you know from the end of May to now would have been you know to just be trying to fit in a preseason the last eight weeks would have been would have been quite difficult so he's just had us in ticking over over a new squad as well a lot a lot of young lads in there and I must bring the average age up to about 30 or something like that there but uh yeah a lot of young lads a lot of good players have been impressed the set up I've been impressed with the way Dean's gone about things uh funny enough the first league game is is against Glent Horne home to Glent Horne the first league game of the season so uh that'll be it'll be good to see them all all those lads again and just I'm just very much looking forward to getting started and you know you know getting a few the the pre-season's never nice an ever nice situation as you get that bit older you know it can be quite difficult in terms of the preparation and that but look I'm looking forward to getting started I hadn't played much football last season um not as much as I would have wanted to play down there for sure so I'm just uh looking forward to these uh a couple of friendlies now coming up and anyone getting stuck in didn't and hopefully hopefully getting done again and back up the table again and finally did you enjoy the euros that final on Sunday night was one to remember that was a cracker well in terms of you know you kind of got the full value for it because you had the next time you got the penalties you know the it was it wasn't too nice it's it's never nice to lose in penalties I think the whole county the whole country turned Italian there for for a couple of days um definitely up for the for the young lads obviously that's missed their penalties and you know and what's come out that what's come out after is has been disgraceful but uh look they'll learn from that they'll they'll pick themselves up dust themselves down and you would actually think worry that England have such a strong young side there that they're definitely going to do something in the coming years but all correctly they've been the team of the tournament and you know they've a really good way of playing and you know they've got a top manager in Mancini so uh yeah like it was it was a great tournament and I think it'll be remembered for like a lot of positives after the last 16 months or so okay Keith great to chat to you as always thanks a million for joining us today um busy weekend of action ahead harpsin action then on on saturday against undock dairy city hosting shamrock rovers on friday night and stagger rovers okay they've got a big urethane match on on thursday evening but back in action in the league on sunday and it's one that harps fans will be keeping an eye on as well because they're at waterford keith thanks for now damer thanks so much in chairs