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Very annoying result, especially with Longord getting a couple of wins lately and us throwing away a chance to put some space between us...
UCD threw away the chance of moving up to seventh in the table when blowing a 2-0 lead against Longford Town in Belfield on Tuesday. Despite scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes, two defensive lapses allowed the Town back for a share of the spoils.
UCD made one enforced change from the team which had lost to Cork on Friday - Alan Cawley came in for the injured Tony McDonnell, who expects to be out for a couple of weeks yet. However, UCD started where they left off against Cork with some good attacking football, and were rewarded with a brace from Pat McWalter, which seemed to set them on their way to three points. First, a deep cross was knocked across the face of goal, and McWalter was on hand to blast home to an empty net from five yards on te quarter hour. Then, two minutes later, Longford keeper Michael Dempsey was beaten to a high ball by McWalter, whose header bounced over the line to give the College a dream start.
Longford hardly threatened at all until the half hour, when a defensive howler gifted them a goal back. Darren Quigley appeared to have a through ball under control, but inexplicably allowed the Longford attacker to get a tow to the ball to send it across it six yard box, where Fitzgerald tapped home from no more than a yard out.
The Town could have been level five minutes later, but Quigley redeemed himself with an acrobatic save from an overhead kick just inside the area.
UCD lost Brian Shortall at half time through injury, and Darragh Ryan was brought on in his stead. However, within two minutes of the restart, Ryan had contributed to Longford's equaliser, when his back-pass was left woefully short of Quigley in the College goal. Quigley, to his credit, was out quick and made a superb save at the feet of former teammate Robbie Martin, but the repreise was shortlived as Paisley was allowed a free header to equalise from the resulting corner.
UCD took a couple of minutes to regroup, but within five minutes, Darragh Ryan had sent over a superb cross from the left, and McWalter headed just over in searching for his first senior hat-trick. Shortly afterwards, a marauding run from Gary Dicker was only cut short inside the Longford penalty area.
As time ticked down, Pete Mahon sent on Pat Kavanagh, who had scored on his debut the previous Tuesday. Within seconds, Kavanagh picked the ball up inside his own half, ran 40 yards before shooting just over the bar.
As the game continued, UCD had the better of the chances, although Longford were always threatening on the break. However, it was the Students who should have taken all three points when only a last-ditch tackle denied Conor Sammon when clean through on goal; a minute later, Kavanagh was on the end of an Alan Cawley cross - he had time to take the ball down, but his shot was superbly deflected over by the advancing Dempsey.
Overall, a disappointing result given the way the evening had started, but certainly a game with its positive points too. UCD now travel to a Bray Wanderers side without Wes Charles or Éamon Zayed as they aim to continue their recent record of one defeat in their last six games.
UCD - Quigley; Mahon, Kenna, Shortall (Ryan 45), McNally; Cawley, Hurley (Kavanagh 80), Dicker, Doyle; Sammon, McWalter. Subs not used - Hussey, Brophy, Finn
Att - 220
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
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