Flash Flood helps Harps progress with brace

Ryan Flood scored a stunning double as Finn Harps breezed into the quarter-finals of the FAI Senior Cup.

The American netted twice from distance in dreadful conditions to book Harps a spot in Tuesday's draw.

Max Hutchison, Patrick Ferry and Sean O’Donnell were all on target to see Dave Rogers’ Harps safely through with what was their first win in five outings.

After a day of weather alerts and on a night when one cup clash (Cork City v Waterford) was postponed and another (UCD v Galway United) was abandoned due to the conditions, Flood hit the headlines in Ballybofey.

In the 15th minute, Hutchison, who had opened the scoring in the third minute, drew a foul 25 yards from goal. Flood stepped up to curl brilliantly beyond Liam Woodcock for the Arizona man’s tenth goal of the season.

Harps burst from their blocks in the second half and already had goals from Ferry and O’Donnell when Flood cracked his second in the 58th minute.

The 24-year-old cut in from the left and gave Woodcock no chance with a powerful effort to the Town End net.

Harps broke the deadlock with only 128 seconds played. The first sheets of Storm Betty’s rainfall were lashing Finn Park when BJ Banda squared invitingly from the left-hand side. Flood’s initial effort was blocked, but Hutchison smashed to the roof of the net past a helpless Woodcock.

It was Hutchison who scored the only goal of the game a month earlier when Harps defeated the 2022-23 Leinster Senior League champions Kilbarrack.

Since then, Rogers’ team have lost four in a row and slipped to bottom-bar-one in the First Division. That sequence and the weather warning contributed to a much-reduced crowd.

Skerries, who yet to begin their season, were fourth in the LSL last term and defeated Portlaoise 3-0