Students show up former master....

Couldn't resist the headline. :o Vital vital victory. At this stage we just need 3 points on the board. For all our efforts this season too few times have we won a match. According to the radio commentary a Micko gaffe let Whelan in to open the scoring for the Drogs. Dicker equalised with a deflected free kick and Tony Mac headed in a Martin corner in the 89th minute after McNally had a scoring chance from a corner a few mins earlier. Delighted with the result and always nice to get one over on Doolo. :D Also delighted to see our captain fantastic score his in his 3rd consecutive game. Now we come into the game against Bray next week level on points with better goal difference. In fact we're 7th as I type this.

Like it! Best pun-headline in a long while! In fact, I may have to rob it for the website! ;)

UCD stole a vital victory at the death to lift them up to seventh in the table and continue their trend of only taking points off teams in the top half of the table. Having gone behind to their full-time opponents, UCD showed great character to not only equalise, but steal all three points.

There were no changes to the UCD team, although Brian Gannon was injured and was replaced on the bench by Colm Kierans. Pat Sullivan and Gavin Whelan were both on the bench for United.

The opening half was very evenly balanced, if fairly tame. Drogheda's best chance came when Shane Robinson went past a couple of half-hearted challenges before rifling in a shot from outside the area which went wide. For UCD, Robbie Martin was played in by a lovely Damien Dupuy flick, but Martin's header drifted over - he was offside in any event.

There were more injuries than shots in anger in the first half - Robinson was replaced by Gavin Whelan ten minutes before the break, while Mick O'Donnell needed treatment for a couple of minutes; Aidan Lynch togged out to take his place, but Micko re-took his place on the pitch.

Drogheda took the lead shortly into the second half with a goal Mick O'Donnell will want to forget. Stooping low to head a harmless - but knee-height - cross into the box, he succeeded merely in stopping the ball dead for Gavin Whelan to sweep home from ten yards.

However, UCD were level within five minutes. A free was conceded twenty-five yards out from goal, and Gary Dicker's strike took a looping deflection off the wall and into the top corner.

That was the cue for Drogheda to up their game as the match really got going. They had a penalty claim turned down when one of their players looked to be caught on the edge of the box as UCD tried to clear a corner, while Mick O'Donnell had to be alert to block a Gavin Whelan shot after another defensive error.

However, with about fifteen minutes to go came the move which changed the course of the game. UCD passed through the Drogheda midfield courtesy of a couple of Gary Dicker and Stephen Hurley backheels, the latter of wihch freed Pat McWalter, who broke forward and drove a shot inches wide of the post. From that moment, College controlled the game. From a corner shortly before time, Dan Connor in the Waterford goal couldn't collect, and Alan McNally blazed over. The warning wasn't heeded - another corner a minute from time was met by Tony McDonnell in a similar manner to his goal against Shels - the ball looped over Connor and into the top corner for the captain's third goal in as many games.

UCD - Quigley; Kenna, O'Donnell, Shortall, McNally; McDonnell, Hurley (Kierans), Martin, Dicker; Dupuy (Sammon 75), McWalter. Subs not used - Doyle, Gallaghe, Lynch

Att - c 1000

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Like it! Best pun-headline in a long while! In fact, I may have to rob it for the website! ;)

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Thanks. Do that by all means. :D

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

UCD stole a vital victory at the death to lift them up to seventh in the table and continue their trend of only taking points off teams in the top half of the table.

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I get the nasty feeling we'll lose to Bray next week then beat Cork. :o

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Dan Connor in the Waterford goal

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Better not put that in the website. ;)

Also not to nitpick but you said Gannon came off for Kierans yet Gannon according to your lineup wasn't in the squad and the radio also said Hurley came off for Kierans. Yet Hurley is involved in the build up to a chance near the end? :confused:

Btw is Dicker playing right wing now instead of Hurley? How is Dicker out there?

Woohooo, that felt really good. What a buzz scoring that goal.

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Originally Posted by Poor Student

I get the nasty feeling we'll lose to Bray next week then beat Cork. :o

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Definitely... :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Poor Student

Better not put that in the website. ;)

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I had to look at that for about ten seconds before I realised what was wrong!

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Originally Posted by Poor Student

Also not to nitpick but you said Gannon came off for Kierans yet Gannon according to your lineup wasn't in the squad and the radio also said Hurley came off for Kierans. Yet Hurley is involved in the build up to a chance near the end? :confused:

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Probably put that poorly - Gannon was on the bench last week, but was seemingly injured in training midweek. He was replaced on the bench by Kierans.

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Originally Posted by Poor Student

Btw is Dicker playing right wing now instead of Hurley? How is Dicker out there?

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Not sure who's playing out right to be honest - think it was Hurley, with Kierans three when he came on.

Thread on the Drogheda forum about the match. There's another one where one poster says "I'm afraid Rooney was woeful. If I hear anymore of this "he has potential" crap, I'll go nuts." :p

Mad the number of omens there were on Friday though. I mentioned a couple of times how we'd never done a bus to game we'd won, and also how we'd not won away in the Premier for twelve games. There was the fact that we only get points off the top five teams. Colie was convinced we'd win and was looking for a bookie to put money on (think there was another omen there somewhere), and when I entered the ground, the first thing that hit me was how alike it was to the last time we won there in the League (5-0 in 2000) - lovely day, poor crowd, absolutely no atmosphere.