General
- Sunday August 9th, 2020 @ 13:10
FAI Cup Team News: Harps V SAINTS (Mon, 7.45)
St Patrick's Athletic head to the north west on Monday when they face their second game against Finn Harps in four days, this time however in the Extra.ie FAI Cup (kick-off 7.45pm).
The Saints will be looking to advance to the last 16 of the cup, and continue the form that saw them win 2-0 on Friday against Harps thanks to a Georgie Kelly double in the SSE Airtricity League.
With no admittance of away supporters to the game, fans of the Saints can watch the game via the WATCHLOI streaming service, watchloi.ie with a stream of the game available for just €5 by CLICKING HERE
In team news, Pat's have no new injuries or suspensions to contend with when travelling to Finn Park. O'Donnell outlined to stpatsfc.com his happiness at this side's win over Harps last Friday, outlining the positives while also admitting there was also still room for improvement.
"We were happy to bounce back on Friday and we were much better. We still have lots and lots to improve on and levels to go up that we want to get to. Full credit to the boys as it was a good response from the Derry defeat and in what was such a short turnaround. It was a solid 2-0 win and it was good to see Georgie Kelly get off the mark as well, but ultimately so long as the team are scoring goals that's my main concern. I am not necessarily over eager or too bothered where the goals come from so long as the team are creating chances and putting them away."
Cool finish by @Georgiekelly161 to make it 2-0 in the first half tonight pic.twitter.com/v2Kf1FQwc0
ÃÆ'¢€ÃƒÂ¢€Ã‚ St Patrick's Athletic FC (@stpatsfc) August 7, 2020
A three time winner of the FAI Cup as a player, O'Donnell knows what is required to succeed in the competition and he admits he is keen for his side to take advantage of the shortened format of the competition this year.
"Monday is our fourth game in 10 days so it's a very tough schedule so we'll need the full squad and everyone is travelling up to Donegal. The cup gives us a break from the league. It's only four games and you could get into a cup final, so that'll be our aim as much as it will be for Finn Harps too.
"It doesn't seem that many games to potentially get to a final so it's something exciting, but look it'll be tough starting from Monday against Harps who will be looking for a bit of retribution following Friday's game. It is always tough up there and we know that you have to compete with Finn Harps in the physical stakes if you want to have any chance of winning."
Stephen O'Donnell's first game in the dugout as Head Coach came last September in a 2-1 St Pat's away win in Finn Park and he will be hoping for a repeat in this Extra.ie FAI Cup clash.
