The visit of Roy Keane’s Ipswich Town to Ballybofey may not have been the money-spinning friendly that Finn Harps had hoped for but surely their 2-1 win over the Championship side will do wonders for their confidence. While there was plenty of cost-cutting going on in advance of this season, few clubs slashed their budgets as dramatically as Harps. This year Paul Hegarty was asked to work with a budget just one sixth of the one he had last season. Even allowing for relegation, it was quite the drop.

Hegarty did not hang around for long and, somewhat inevitably, the club’s results were pretty dire. This time last week, the only teams they had beaten so far this season were the First Division’s bottom three of Mervue United, Longford Town and Kildare County as well as two non-league sides – Castlebar Celtic and Kildrum Tigers – in the EA Sports Cup.

But since James Gallagher was installed as manager until the end of the season, Harps’ fans had noticed an improvement in their performances and, in particular, their organisation before they caused an upset by defeating Sporting Fingal last Saturday night. Yet it was hardly as big a surprise as their victory over Ipswich. Sure, it was the Suffolk club’s first outing of pre-season and you cannot read too much in to friendly games but most would have assumed there was still too wide a gulf in class for the Donegal side to be able to bridge it.

They did just that with a combination of stout defending, tireless running and ability to threaten on the break. 17-year-old keeper Ciaran Gallagher did well enought to be invited to train with Ipswich the following day and he was not the only player who impressed. All in all, they were deserved winners which makes their odds of 6/1 to defeat Waterford United this weekend seem a little too generous. Harps are now unbeaten in five games in the league and the confidence they have gained from that run will have increased exponentially by defeating Ipswich. I’m putting a tenner on the win and also a tenner on the double chance of a win or draw which has odds of 2.54.

In the top flight, it’s a case of deja vu with the ten team league meaning that the sides will meet each other for the third time scarcely four months into the season. Galway United have won both of their meetings with St Pat’s to date and, even though they are on a poor run, are worth a tenner at 3/1 to put one over former boss Jeff Kenna once more. Another tenner goes on a double chance of a Drogheda United win and a draw in their game against Derry City at odds of 2.21. And then a fiver each way on centre-half Conor Kenna – who has got three goals to his credit already this year – to be the first scorer at 50/1.