UCD weathered an early Bray storm to ultimately cruise to another comfortable victory over one of their main title rivals in Belfield Park on Friday. The biggest crowd of the season saw Tony McDonnell, with his second in two games, and the prolific Willie Doyle (nine in ten games now) notch the goals, but Bray fell away alarmingly in what was a one-sided second half.
The first half was scrappy, with neither side creating any real chances of note. The major talking point was a collision midway through the half which saw Pat McWalter leave injured and a Bray player stretchered off. Rob McAuley came on for UCD, with Hugh Davey pushed up to left wing. Early on, Bray had posed more questions, with Kevin Grogan instrumental, and they opened the UCD defence up on one or two occasions, notably when Neil Gallagher had to be quick off his line to half-block from a Bray player through on goal; Pat Sullivan was covering to clear off the line. Bray also hit the side netting with another decent chance. If I have missed anything else exciting in the first half, it was probably due to posing for the cameras, as TV3 came over to film the UCD supporters for a couple of minutes - cue many Hugh Brady bashing songs!
By contrast, the second half was only a minute old before College took the lead. Tony McDonnell's header from ten yards out should have been comfortably dealed with by Chris O'Connor in the Bray goal, but he only palmed the ball onto the underside of the bar, and though it was cleared without hitting the net, the referee correctly ruled that it had crossed the line.
Two minutes later, it could have been two as Willie Doyle picked up a loose ball outside the area and tried to place a shot into the bottom corner when he could have gone for power. O'Connor saved but couldn't hold, Seán Finn nipped in for the rebound only for the ball to be cleared off the line, although in any case, the linesman had his flag up for offside against Finn.
College kept the pressure on for long spells, with Bray's only real chances coming from crosses, but Neil Gallagher was in good form, cleanly catching most of what Bray put in. On one occasion, a Bray player did get a header in, but Gallagher was in the right place to tip over the bar.
The clinching goal came with twenty minutes to go when Doyle picked the ball up on the edge of the area and stroked home his ninth goal in ten league games - only five off the record for most goals in a season for UCD at senior level. Shortly after, his not-quite-so-prolific strike partner, Robbie Martin (with a mere six goals this season!) found himself through in a one-on-one situation, but O'Connor pulled off a good save.
In the end though, UCD coasted to victory, and the Bray fans were silenced long before the final whistle. The victory means that UCD are still the only team to have beaten Bray this season - having done so three times now - an in fact, only four times in their thirteen games this season have Bray failed to score - three of those occasions against UCD!
UCD - Gallagher; Mahon, Davey, Kenna, McNally; McDonnell (Gannon), Sullivan, Finn, McWalter (McAuley); Doyle, Martin. Colm Kierans also came on late on - can't remember who for.
Attendance - 640
