Goals by Ryan Rainey and Filip Da Silva in each half gave Finn Harps a deserved second win of the season and first at home.
Finn Harps …2 Treaty Utd …0
These two teams had proved to be the draw specialists in the early stages of Division One.
By Charlie Collins with pictures by Joe Boland
Harps had recorded four in their opening eight games while Treaty had three in their seven games to date.
Interestingly both teams only victory before tonight was over Longford Town as just a point separated them in the bottom four of the table.
With Daithi McCallion, Caoimhin Porter and Keith Cowan all missing , Harps gave starts to Kevin Jordan and Shane McMonagle and had Michael Harris in a more withdrawn role on right.
After a lively start with both teams getting forward at every opportunity it was the visitors who created the game’s first real chance when Enda Curran sent Success Edogun through on goal in the 14th minute but the advancing Tim Oliver-Hiemer saved with his foot and Ellis Farrar clear from near the goal frame.
Three minutes later Ryan Flood’s beat chip found Ryan Rainey in the box but he couldn’t control the ball but did won a corner and from that Flood again found Rainey who headed home for six yards out to open the scoring.
Three minutes later Flood was at it again when his piledriver from 25 yards came crashing back off the crossbar with keeper Shane Hallahan beaten.
Harps, in front of a home crowd of more than 1,200 fans, continued to be the better side after this and looked dangerous going forward while Treaty struggled to create any real danger as Farrar and Noe Baba looked solid at the heart of the home defence.
In the 39th minute Treaty finally created another goal chance when the lively Stephen Christopher’s dangerous cross was headed away from danger by Ryan Rainey.
At half-time Harps led 1-0.
The visitors showed more intent going forward at the start of the second-half but left themselves exposed at the back in doing so and Harps looked dangerous with the pace of Da Silva and Okwute causing a few anxious moments.
In the 60th minute Ryan Rainey found Okwute who held off a defender and squared the ball for Flood, he decided to pass the ball to the net rather than blast it but keeper Hallahan denied him with a blocked save.
Four minutes later it was 2-0 to Harps. Rainey found Harris with a super cross-field pass. He chipped the ball into Okwute in the box, he held off the nearest defender and somehow got a low cross into the path of Filip Da Silva who slammed it into the net from a yard out.
The visitors, with little to lose at this stage decided to throw themselves into attack mode which was again going to leave them vulnerable at the back.
They made a number of changes and almost pulled one back when Tim Hiemer failed to collect a Lee Davitt free-kick and Mark Walsh blasted goalwards but his shot was blocked and Harps survived a dangerous moment.
To their credit Treaty kept pushing hard to get back into it but Harps defended well in the dying minutes to record their second win and first at home.
Finn Harps: Tim-Oliver Hiemer, Kevin Jordan , Noe Baba, Eillis Farrar, Shane McMonagle , Filip Fjeldheim Da Silva, Seamas Keogh, Ryan Rainey, Michael Harris , Ryan Flood, Daniel Okwute ( Max Johnston 90mins).
TREATY UNITED: Shane Hallihan; Ben O’Riordan, Andy Spain ( Colin Kelly 79mins), Anthony O’Donnell ( William Armshaw 73mins) , Lee Devitt; Mark Walsh, Alec Byrne; Conor Barry, Success Edogun, Stephen Christopher; Enda Curran ( Dean George 73mins).
Subs: Fionn Doherty , Colin Kelly and , Martin Coughlan
Referee ; Mark Moynihan.