"What goes around, comes around" was the message for UCD after this narrow victory over Sligo, which actually saw the College drop a place in the league courtesy of Bray's big win over Dundalk. After being denied a clear-cut penalty in Cobh the previous week, this game was only six minutes old when the referee spotted an apparent handball after a cross from the right and awarded College a penalty - our third of the season. With Robbie Mac and Seán Finn both on the bench (not sure why), Robbie Martin became our third penalty-taker of the season and drilled home to give College an early lead, much to Sligo manager Don O'Riordan's rather vocal disgust.
Two minutes later and it could have been 2-0 - centre-back Alan McNally picked the ball up inside his own half and went on a run which saw him get to the edge of the penalty area, where for once, his long-range finishing let him down and his shot was rather easily saved by Alvin Rouse in the Sligo goal.
There wasn't a huge amount of incident in the remainder of the first half until we reached injury time, when Sligo equalised. An inswinging free from the left curled away from UCD's defenders and, as Neil Gallagher stayed on his line, the division's top scorer Stephen O'Donnell nipped in at the back to tap home.
College upped the tempo in the second half and were rewarded shortly before the hour mark with a second goal. Pat Sullivan was dragged back just outside the penalty area while making another run down the right wing; he sent the free in himself and Robbie Martin was there to meet it with a glancing header to notch his sixth of the season.
Sligo came back and could have equalised again in bizarre fashion. There seemed no danger when a shot came through to Neil Gallagher, but the ball spun out of his hands and only inches wide of the post at the expense of a corner. Meanwhile, at the other end, Alvin Rouse in the Sligo goal wasn't having the happiest of evenings either, and in one incident, he came out of goal to clear up a through ball only to slice his clearance and nearly let Robbie Martin through for a hat-trick; fortunately, he put enough slice on it to allow his defence time to get back and cover.
Shortly after the hour mark, UCD brought on Seán Finn, and he made an immediate difference to UCD's attack. Willie Doyle could have made it 3-1 with a dipping shot from outside the area which clipped the bar, while Pat McWalter caused the Sligo defence plenty of problems on the left wing.
All in all though, a narrow if just about deserved win over a Sligo side who had been hovering close to the play-offs. There's a week break from the league now as the Dundalk game has been postponed, so our next league game sees us put our seven-match home winning streak in the league on the line against Kilkenny City, before a promotion six-pointed as Bray visit Belfield.
UCD - Gallagher; Mahon, Davey, Kenna, McNally; McDonnell, Gannon (Finn 65), Sullivan, McWalter; Doyle (Kierans 90), Martin.
Attendance - 338
