UCD 1-0 Harps

[DmanDmythDledge]

Finally a league win at the Bowl!!:)

First half wasn't great, long balls were never going to work against Harps monster defence.:eek: They only had one real chance in the first half. Lucky for us Gethins didn't connect with it properly.

We picked it up end of first half and it took a wonder save from Harps keeper to keep the scores level at the break. We continued in the second half, started to play some nice football and deservedly took the lead. Harps never really threatened afterwards- only chance was when they hit the bar shortly after we went ahead. Although we never dominated we always looked comfortable.

Table looks like this now:

8 Shams 14 3 6 5 12 13 -1 15
9 UCD 14 2 6 6 11 17 -6 12
10 Harps 14 3 2 9 10 22 -12 11
11 Cobh 13 2 3 8 7 16 -9 9
12 G'way 14 1 4 9 10 22 -12 7

Shamrock definitely dragged into it now.

Nice to get out of the relegation zone before the break, although disappointing that it comes now as we could have got a bit of momentum going after the win. Big games will be against Cobh and Rovers, both at home. Wins in those games would be massive.

[pineapple stu]

Needed four points from those two games at a minimum, and got them. Nice to see we could easily have gotten all six. Hopefully we'll start getting a bit of confidence; there's no way are Bray, for example, 10 points (or whatever) better than us, so there's no reason we can't be further up the table.

Harps were a poor enough side technically; they look in trouble. Still think Rovers will have enough to pull clear.

[colmanthesaint]

poor enough game, but the pts were the most important thing.

Fitzgerald makes a big difference to the team so he's one of a few players that are vital to the team.

Harding struggled at times last night, he won't be picked ahead of Mahon when both are available.

Thought Gregg, McNally, Kenna, Fitzgerald and Finn were the best performers last night.

[pineapple stu]

A goal from Ronan Finn downed Finn Harps to secure UCD's first league win in the UCD Bowl and lift the Students out of the bottom three at the same time. After a quite first half hour, the game picked up in tempo and at the end, the Students were just about deserving of the three points.

Alan Mahon was the only player missing from the side that drew with Bray on Tuesday; he was out with the innjury he picked up two minutes after scoring the equaliser, and so Seán Harding came in for his first league start at right-back.

The significance of the match, even at this relatively early stage of the season, made for a nervy start for both sides, and it was half an hour before the first real chance of the match came alone. Conor Gethins was given space to turn on the edge of the area, and his shot was held at full stretch by Matt Gregg.

That chance seemed to spark the game to life, and UCD had their first attack a couple of minutes later when Timmy Purcell was denied by an awful offside call when put clean through. And then, after forcing a couple of corners, the Students had the best chance of the half when first Derek Doyle and then Alan McNally had efforts cleared off the line from the same corner.

Matt Gregg has been in fine form all season, and shortly after the re-start, he was called on again to save his team; a free from the left was swung in by the visitors, Gethins met it with a glancing header and Gregg had to be alert to track backwards and tip the ball wide. However, the Students were starting to get the upper hand now, with Pat McWalter (twice) and Shane Fitzgerald going close, while in between, a slip from Ian Bermingham almost let Harps in, but both he and Conor Kenna were back quickly to snuff out the threat.

The goal which broke the deadlock came on 56 minutes. Brian King, now the longest serving UCD player without a goal, tried his luck from the edge of the box, but his shot was blocked, and the reound fell kindly for Ronan Finn to take a touch and slot home unchallenged from ten yards.

Straight away Harps nearly equalised in spectacular fashion when Stephen Parkhouse's 25-yarder took a slight deflection and bounced off the top of the bar. But the Students were in control at this stage, and saw the match out comfortably enough bar one scare in the fourth minute of stoppage time - a good cross from the right was punched upwards by Gregg, and in the general panic, the ball was cleared onto the roof of the net for a corner. This time, the defence was much more assured, and the referee called on UCD's second league win of the season.

UCD - Gregg; Harding, Bermingham, Kenna, McNally; Finn, King, Fitzgerald, Doyle; McWalter (McMillan 88), Purcell (Reilly 77).

[HarpoJoyce]

Brian King got on the Setanta Ireland team of the week

http://www.setantasports.com/en/Sport/News/Football/2008/06/02/eLOI-Team-of-the-Week-Round-Fourteen/?facets/sport-space/football/great-britain-locale/eircom-League-Premier-Division/