News & Fixtures

 

UCD slip further down the league table with a disappointing home loss to Fingal at the weekend.

With “Friday Sportsnight” gone, the only way to get the results from Radio One is to wait till after the eleven o’clock news.   En route you’ll catch the end of “Seascapes”, a nautical rag bag of a programme that is frustratingly becalmed for those of us in peril in the deep waters of domestic soccer.   “Tight lines and fair sailing” is the urbane presenter’s prayer as your knuckles whiten on the steering wheel waiting to hear how went the night in the rest of the Airtricity League.   Yeah.   Right. 

Fair winds certainly attended UCD’s re-launch in the Premier Division in March with all eyes on the horizon.   Now the crew is below decks attending to a few leaks as, with no promised land in sight, their ship seeks to ride out bad weather.   It’s less than two months since UCD’s victory at the Morton Stadium deprived Sporting of top spot and even hinted that the Students might be contenders.   But that was a depleted Fingal team fielding the smallest pair of central defenders I’ve ever seen.   They were installed on the bench last night, replaced by Maher and Browne who took no prisoners.   In the end it was a first goal from Browne, a scrappy contested affair, that gave Sporting the points they deserved but left the Students understandably frustrated.

Another of their former colleagues, keeper Darren Quigley, had more to do with the visitors’ success than immediately caught the eye.   A good reader of play and extremely fast off his line, Quigley was soon on duty as sweeper/keeper, racing from his area to kick clear from the marauding Kilduff.   The UCD striker gave value for money throughout, unsettling Shaun Maher who had to draw on all the tricks of the trade learned in the lower reaches of the English game.   This prompted a heated exchange as the teams left the pitch at half time.   Fortunately his defensive partner Kenny Browne was in excellent form.

The home side were able to welcome back full back Brian Shortall and he made a difference until second half injury sapped his contribution.   But early on UCD enjoyed much of the possession only for Sporting to take a surprise lead in a 27th minute counter attack when an astute long ball from skipper Shaun Williams gave Conan Byrne possession and he fired past Ger Barron.   For all their possession the home side had no-one to compare with the speed and power of Conan Byrne on the Fingal right and the astute crosses of Ollie Cahill on the left.   Byrne gave Ciaran Nangle a difficult evening. 

But Paul O’Conor, faced with the expertise of Finn and Williams, underpinned the UCD midfield with surprising maturity, Mulhall hustled and Kilduff bustled, and the game was far from over.   Evan McMillan played a real captain’s role, on hand to clear a dangerous cross from Byrne one minute then storming forward to provide a probing ball from which Keith Ward headed wide. Then a mistake by Nangle gave Gary O’Neill a great opportunity to lob the stranded Barron but the Sporting striker merely chipped the ball into the keeper’s outstretched hands. 

So with seven minutes of the first half remaining Ciaran Kilduff had the chance to bring the scores level and he took it with aplomb.   With Mulhall doing a fair impression of action man in the Sporting box, the ball fell to Kilduff who coolly evaded a series of defenders, taking the ball away from them and goal only to slot home from an angle on the left.   Game on, but a fine block from McMillan helped UCD preserve equilibrium at the interval. 

Sporting lost their injured holding midfielder McFaul during the break but it didn’t prevent them taking the lead just seven minutes into the second period.   College failed to clear Ollie Cahill’s canny ball into the area and Alan Kirby, who had replaced McFaul, put Finn in possession.   With a Sporting Fingal player coming back from an offside position, McMillan stopped and Barron hesitated, and Kenny Browne’s far post header from Finn’s lob looped gently into the net.   Not interfering with the play was referee Tuite’s judgement on the potential offender, play to the whistle might be the observer’s recommendation but whether this unsatisfactory goal could have been prevented anyway is debatable.   It summed up UCD’s evening. 

But Kilduff wasn’t finished.   Quigley had to dive at his feet before it was disclosed that the home striker was offside anyway.   Then Kilduff hit a hot snap shot from distance that the Sporting keeper had to be alert to parry.   Next it was Keith Ward’s turn with a long range free kick that went inches over and Kilduff shot over after an exuberant run from substitute Rusk. 

But Sporting had their moments too, Byrne firing just wide after an assist by Kirby.   Then Kirby forced Barron to a full length save with a cross shot and the ball ran loose to O’Neill whose goal-bound prod was kicked off the line by Nangle. 

Just before the end UCD’s other sub, Karl Moore, showed exceptional pace and close control to skin O’Brien down the left but his cross came to naught.   Moore, who had twenty minutes to strut his stuff, patrolled a strict beat on the left flank and was therefore a peripheral figure, but looks a useful acquisition once he can be assimilated into the Students’ game plan.   On the right Wilson looked threatening against Frost but the veteran stuck to his task. In the first half, supported by Shortall and with another veteran Cahill’s expertise not at its best in the mean art of marking back, Wilson’s runs promised much but ultimately failed to ignite in the final third.   What the young flank man needs is a slice of luck, a lucky bounce to stiffen his resolve.   But, as they slip into the relegation playoff places after a seventh defeat in nine games you could say that about the UCD team in general.   Holed beneath the waterline?   I think not but the eye of the storm approaches.   The ability to retain sea legs whilst you’re being sea sick could be important. 

UCD now lie dangerously in the bottom three heading into the seasons last quarter. Tonight they travel to Tallaght Stadium to face Shamrock Rovers who have boosted their confidence after their 4-1 win over Bray on Friday night. Both UCD and Rovers have injury worries. UCD may have playmaker Greg Bolger back from suspension but defender Brain Shortall’s return for the home defeat to Fingal was marred by his suffering a hamstring strain while midfielder Robbie Creevy is out with a foot injury. Defender Seán Harding and striker David McMillan remain out long-term while Paul Corry is doubtful.

UCD (1) 1 Kilduff (38) SPORTING FINGAL (1) 2 Byrne 27, Browne 52.

UCD : Ger Barron; Brian Shortall, Evan McMillan, Andy Boyle, Ciaran Nangle; Robbie Creevy (Karl Moore 67), Paul O’Conor, Chris Mulhall (Graham Rusk 79); Dwayne Wilson, Ciaran Kilduff, Keith Ward. 

SPORTING FINGAL : Darren Quigley; Ger O’Brien, Shaun Maher, Kenny Browne, John Frost; Shaun Williams, Shane McFaul (Kirby h/t), Ronan Finn; Conan Byrne, Gary O’Neill, Ollie Cahill.

Referee: Paul Tuite

By Brian de Salvo