We're in the League Cup Final!!!

[Aberdonian Stu]

It's already been updated on Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UCD_FC

I'd guess CollegetillIdie is the main source.

Great to see the players run towards the travelling support when Robbie scored. Generally doesn't happen often enough mainly because we don't score often enough

[Poor Student]

The seniors beat Waterford in Belfield BTW.

The team had Gallagher, McAniff who was then a reserve, Shorthall, Harte, Derek Doyle, Sammon and Whitmarsh (don't even know what to class him as ).

[Schumi]

We beat them 1-0 in the league too: http://foot.ie/showthread.php?t=24130

[Poor Student]

We beat them 1-0 in the league too: http://foot.ie/showthread.php?t=24130

I know, I was there. I was referring to the fact our half reserve team beat them in the LC only for our full seniors to fail to beat them without Frost in their next game.

Our wikipediea site was edited by someone called Fenian Swine who's interests include fenianism, Celtic FC and UCD AFC.

[Schumi]

They have beaten Waterford... where the seniors could not this season.

Hmm...

[Poor Student]

Hmm...

Stop being so annoying Schumi. I meant there was an occasion where the seniors could not beat Waterford this season but the semi reserve LC team could. True, no?

[Schumi]

I meant there was an occasion where the seniors could not beat Waterford this season but the semi reserve LC team could.

You should have said that then!

[Poor Student]

You should have said that then!

Well I have now haven't I!?

[pineapple stu]

Wa-hey! Match report at last, in at post 40 (though some may have spotted it on the official website from mid-afternoon)

UCD qualified for only their second ever League Cup final after an extraordinary finale to a previously quiet game in Tolka Park on Monday night. Trailing to a late Colin Hawkins goal, College pulled out two injury time goals to sneak into the final on Monday week. In doing so, they guaranteed themselves minimum prize money of €7,500 and are also just one win away from a place in next season’s Setanta Cup.

The announcement regarding the Setanta Cup, which came earlier in the day, evidently effected the two team line-ups. Pete Mahon had earlier said that he was prepared to give the fringe and U-21 players who had gotten past Dublin City, Shamrock Rovers and Waterford, the chance to continue their run, but UCD’s line-up, when it was announced, showed just three changes from the team which lost to Shamrock Rovers the previous Friday.

Unsurprisingly, given the range of options available to Pete Mahon up front, two of those saw Damien Dupuy start up front in place of Robbie Martin, dropped to the bench, and Kieran Harte come into an attacking mid role. Pat McWalter moved to the left wing, Mick O’Donnell moved back to left-back and Aaron McEniff dropped to the bench. Shels, for their part, gave a first start to Steve Williams since losing control of the number one jersey to Dean Delaney in the last round of the League Cup. However, apart from that and Ollie Cahill replacing Wes Hoolihan on the wing, it was the same XI which beat Bohs on Friday.

Chances were few and far between in the opening 85 minutes. Early on, Jason Byrne rounded Darren Quigley but stumbled in getting his shot in, which was weak and easily cleared. Shels did get into plenty of decent crossing areas, but what the UCD defence couldn’t deal with, the Shels attack invariably headed over or wide.

UCD, for their part, attacked on the break, but their best chances were a couple of free-kicks – Damien Dupuy had one blocked down by a wall which looked suspiciously less than ten yards back (though Dupuy would turn the tables in the second half when Shels passed a free-kick straight to him when no more than five yards away), while Gary Dicker was a lot closer with his curler shortly before the break, which went just wide.

The first meaningful attack of the second half was UCD’s – Damien Dupuy’s weighted pass freeing Gannon on the right, but the Shels defence got back in time to block the winger’s cross. Just past the hour mark, the game started to liven up with a couple of yellow cards apiece – Kieran Harte and Dupuy for UCD, Stuart Byrne and Bobby Ryan for Shels, all in different incidents. And the first real drama of the night came on 65 minutes, when Shels were awarded an indirect free-kick on the edge of the six yard box after the referee adjudged penalised Darren Quigley for picking up a back-pass. With six UCD players on the line, plus Quigley, standing just in front of the wall, it was always going to be difficult for Shels to get through to the net, and so it proved as Quigley produced a fine save to parry away. From the resultant corner, Jason Byrne should have opened the scoring but his volley from an unmarked position ten yards out clipped the top of the bar and went over.

However, with five minutes remaining, it looked as if extra-time was inevitable – not the scenario UCD would have been looking to, given that their last two Cup defeats were away and after extra time. But then Shels took the lead – Ollie Cahill wriggled free of Alan Mahon long enough to put in a low cross; Glen Crowe’s effort came off the post, but Colin Hawkins swept home the rebound, although Quigley did get a touch.

Rather than letting the heads dropped, UCD were positive right from the tip, when they pressed straight up the pitch, but still the Achilles’ heel of creating and converting scoring chances was a problem as a sixth consecutive game without scoring from play loomed. But, as the game entered injury time, substitute Anto Murphy split the Shels defence to set Brian Gannon through on goal, and his flick past Williams in goal trickled into the unguarded net. About the only person in the ground not to see the goal was Gannon himself, who was unceremoniously flattened by the outrushing Williams; indeed, had the ball not gone in, Williams could well have found himself off the pitch and his team facing a penalty.

Extra-time loomed, but only for two minutes. Alan McNally had already sent a header inches wide when Owen Heary, under no pressure, turned and played a woefully short back-pass to his keeper; Williams again rushed from his goal and indeed from his area and again was beaten, this time by Robbie Martin, who took the ball around Williams and calmly – or because of high nerves, whichever way you want to look at it! – walked the ball up to the goalline and slotted home from a matter of inches. In the wild celebrations which ensued, the referee produced a yellow card – presumably for goalscorer Martin, though it was impossible to tell which of the pile of white shirts the card was for.

As Shels tipped off, the ref looked at his watch, and the final whistle appeared imminent. But on we played as Shels sought to rescue the game and their season. They did force a corner or two, but UCD were breaking when the whistle finally went to seal a memorable victory.

UCD – Quigley; Mahon, O’Donnell, McNally, Shortall (Murphy 88); McDonnell, Gannon, Dicker, McWalter; Dupuy (McEniff 66); Harte (Martin 66). Subs not used – Sammon, Gallagher.

Att - c 1000

[pineapple stu]

Incidentally, some random stats on the game because I have them -

> This is our fourth time past the First Round of the League Cup. It's also our fourth time past the First Round in the last six seasons. In one of those seasons, the League Cup wasn't played.
> Shels are our bogey team. They've won seven of the last eight games in Belfield Park, drawing the other (this season). The last time we won at home to Shels was in the Super Cup; before that, it was in 1997. We actually did well to get them in Tolka, where they've only won one of the last seven! We've won two of those games...and they're the only two times we've ever beaten Shels away!!
> CTID may fill in the gaps here, but I've only got one League Cup game on record between UCD and Shels before last night - a 0-0 draw in 1998. We've never met in the FAI Cup.
> The winner was Robbie Martin's 40th goal for UCD in all competitions, in his 160th game. Brian Gannon, on the other hand, has now scored three times in four League Cup games!

[pineapple stu]

Derry 2-1 up on Longford with a quarter of an hour to go. Longford just pulled one back; Mark Farren had scored twice for Derry. Longford down to ten men after Ferguson was sent off. McCourt is gone off injured for Derry. Looks like it could be Derry in the final...

[pineapple stu]

Result.

UCD v. Derry in the 2005 League Cup Final. The most successful team in its history versus the least successful team (certainly till five years ago) in its history. Venue to be decided on the day, knowing the FAI/eL.

[Bald Student]

Can anyone point to a piece of evidence (ideally a newspaper report or FAI website) which says for definate who gets the Setanta cup place in the event that Derry qualify twice?

I would presume the league gets it but I'd like to see something written down officially.

[pineapple stu]

None at all.

Someone on the Bohs forum said that Bohs asked for - and got - in writing that the League Cup wouldn't get a Setanta spot before putting out a reserve team against Pat's. I'd say the FAI/eL haven't a clue what'd happen in the event. The precedent is for Cup runners-up to take whatever was on offer to the Cup winners in the scenario, but for League Cup runners-up to be passed over for next team in the league (e.g. if the League Cup winner in England has qualified for Europe already)

But yeah, if it is the runners-up, then we've qualified for the Setanta now barring a Derry collapse even bigger than Shels' and Drogheda's current ones!

[CollegeTillIDie]

I hope the Final is in Tolka Park.

1/ We Won the 1980/81 Leinster Senior Cup Final in Tolka Park
2/ We beat Home Farm in 1983/84 F.A.I Senior Cup in Tolka Park
3/ We beat Waterford United in the 1983/84 F.A.I. Senior Cup Semi-final
in Tolka Park.
4/We won the 1983/84 F.A.I. Senior Cup Final replay in Tolka Park
5/ We knocked Shamrock Rovers 3-in-a-row F.A.I. Cup holders out of the Cup in 1987/88 in Tolka Park
6/ We won the 2000/01 F.A.I. Super Cup Final in Tolka Park.
7/ We won the 2005 Eircom League Cup Semi-final in Tolka Park.
8/ Poor old Shels need the rent money

Ok we lost a couple of Leinster Senior Cups there too but we were beaten by Bohs and Rovers at a time when they were #2 and #1 in the League respectively.