UCD favourites for me, a cracking side who play good football and keep it on the deck.
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UCD favourites for me, a cracking side who play good football and keep it on the deck.
Yep! id think UCD will win it! they outplayed us at the RSC a couple weeks back! excellent team effort! best ive seen from anyone this season!
Have to admit, I just dont know. We played UCD at Morton recently and they looked ordinary enough but you cant really base an opinion on a team from watching them in one game to be far. A 5 nil result at harps is a very good result but each and every team has pulled out some great performances this season. I think this is shels wobble at the moment but still very hard to see them not be up there come the end, but all in all, I just dont know. Great isnt it:D
I think we've an advantage in that, after 2 October, we'll have played Shels and Fungus, whereas no other top four games will have taken place. So even if we're behind after that game, we've got more chance of our opponents dropping points than the other teams. Not to mention that Waterford and Fungus are still in the Cups as well.
Also interesting to see if we can take our recent form (3-0 and 5-0) into the Kildare game and have that confidence boost brought into the Shels game.
Edit - couple of other possible factors. Apparently Anto Flood was sent off either just before or just after the final whistle on Friday, supposedly for cursing the ref or pushing the ref; that'd be a straight one-match ban plus the possibility of another two to come. If Shels don't go up this year, they'll only have their own discipline to blame. They've also got Richie Baker out injured for the season and are facing the possibility of playing UCD (H), Waterford (A) and Fingal (A) in the one week.
Waterford's two red cards last night, by contrast, will incur initial suspensions to be served in the League Cup Final, which is good for their league campaign.
Killer Kilduff's goals for us last night were his first in the league in 12 games (which included a spell out injured); hopefully he can get back to form now.
Fletch and Cummins will serve their automatic suspensions for the Longford match on Tuesday week I reckon, not the Cup final. They'll both be "automatic suspension in next League of Ireland match as per FIFA directive".
Not sure whether that's better or worse to be honest.
I hope they'll both be appealled too, though it won't help that match.
You can only appeal a red card on the basis of mistaken identity.
Sorry, was unclear there, the suspensions I'm talking about. Any extra games that might be added.
Its very tough to call now. If we can beat Mervue than take 5 from 9 out of the 3 games in a week then we will be in a great position.
That red card for Bisto is no help at all. Our discipline this season has let us down so badly.
Baker and Cassidy will be out for the next few weeks with injury but we arent short on midfielders so hopefully that wont cost us too much.
After the 2 red cards last night, going on to win the game was fantastic and could be a good turning point.
Still too hard to call, someone's got to miss out though.
Not 100% sure what the first was for but the second one looked like an elbow after the tackle. I haven't had a chance to look back at the footage yet to confirm.Quote:
Originally Posted by stann
Two of us have to miss out. Three if the First Division side loses the play-off.Quote:
Originally Posted by blue til i die
Cool, cheers for that. But yeah, Longford aren't the toughest of opponents. Do you still have a 12-man squad?Quote:
Originally Posted by stann
The first was for a push on the shoulder, straight red for that these days apparently. The second seemingly was for a perceived stamping. Fletch was absolutely perplexed afterwards, couldn't remember even making contact after the tackle, let alone deliberately.Quote:
Originally Posted by Battery Rover
As a guy said to me at the time, the players' reactions tell a lot. If one player throws a swing at another, or goes in to do another player, or stamp on him, then the injured party's team mates would be all over him in seconds. I don't recall a reaction like that out of any of the home side.
No, we do have a few now. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
17 seniors and three lads that double with the U-20s.
Obviously meant one will miss out completely on the promotion,play off bit :DQuote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
I think we all knew it would go down to the last series, nobody was going to run away with it really, everyone is weirdly capable of losing to anyone.
Edit: UCD were the best footballing side i've seen play us at the rsc this season too.
myself i think fingal have by far the strongest squad and i just dont want to have to play them next year! bring back the 12 team premier theres too many good teams in the 1st devision its not fair on the smaller clubs
Sorry, having serious problems communicating today. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by stann
Tow of those, of course, were signed to replace two others who are out injured for the rest of the season, so we've 18 effectively.
From early in the season I reckoned UCD would be the ones to watch. They were the best we played, consistently, unlike other teams who blew hot and cold.
Please not another team from Dublin in the Premier.
Im sick of constantly travelling to the Pale for away games.
Shels please. Always loved Shels away. And I think John Gill should have a shot at managing in the premier..;)
It was before the final whistle but after we equalised. I didn't see him push the referee so I assume it was for verbal abuse. It was a straight red. They also picked up 6 or 7 yellow cards but deserved a couple more.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Having come from behind to lead 3-2 and us looking beaten I was shocked to see Shels running the ball into the corner with probably 10 minutes left. Our equaliser came out of the blue but we deserved it based on our first half performance. Shels did not look like title winners on Friday night but certainly did when they beat us with ten minute in Jackman Park with a last gasp goal.
As to who I think will win the league - no idea really. We've looked better than all the top teams at times but way worse than Mervue and Kildare at times.
Fingal have the best players but don't appear to have the best team.
It should be a cracking finish.
who ever said Wexford would have an input in who would win the first was right. Tonight's results means that we have won away from home against all the top four teams if only we could play at home
Very hard to predict how the First Division will pan out. It's more of a shock when someone gets a home win. To date, there have been 68 away wins in total, but only 56 home wins. I've never seen that in any other league. 8 teams have better away records than at home (Wexford being the most pronounced) and only Limerick and Mervue have lost more times away than at home which is very unusual.
if we could score a goal at home I would be happy the goal against Longford at home was our first in 5 league games but if we could improve our home form we would be right up the table and maybe get more people out to gamesQuote:
Originally Posted by bluemovie
So with the Mervue game out of the way, we now have UCD, Waterford and Fingal in the space of 8 days. We could nearly win or lose this division in those 3 games. If we take 5 points we come out of the games top of the league which would be great. We have taken 4 wins from these 3 teams this season so hopefully we can raise our performance again. I think if we take 7 points out of these 3 games we will go up but I would settle for 5.
Which matches are yoy plaing Home/away?Quote:
Originally Posted by GalwayRed
UCD (H), Waterford (A), Fingal (A)Quote:
Originally Posted by PartySaint
Fingal away is essentially a home game as we'll vastly outnumber any home support they can muster. Massive week!!
The support has nothing to do with it , you are still away for that match :D. Is the size of the support the only thing that some shels fans can come up with? Come up with something new for next season please :DQuote:
Originally Posted by LeixlipRed
5 minute drive from our own ground playing in front of as many fans, if not more, than we would at home equals a home game.
Playing in a different ground than your home one equals an away game.Quote:
Originally Posted by LeixlipRed
Well in the strict sense of the word obviously. As for the characteristics of a home game, large home following, no traveling to a game, familiar surroundings, small away crowd, this game will have all those.
Still to hard to call.... anybody could still win it!
Still an away game. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by LeixlipRed
Waterford have a great chance to catch up now with their two games in hand. You'd swear no-one wanted to get promoted the way things have been going recently but if the Blaahs get their act together they are in with a real shout.
I still fancy Shels though.
Great game tonight, I can assure you that both teams wanted to win! Fingal dropping points in Monaghan leaves them needing to win all the rest of their games I'd say. Waterford have a decent chance but need to win tomorrow and get something out of their game against Shels on Tuesday.
A win tonight and a win on Tuesday see us joint top with UCD a Shels.
I think the ball would be in our court then because realistically we play all teams which we should be beating until UCD in the final game of the season.
Personally I think that game on November 7th will between UCD and ourselves decides who wins the league.
Getting exciting now though.
This is still anyone's title race. The four teams involved can all quite conceivably win it. It's always special when more than two teams can win a league coming into the final stretch, let alone four. I think it will take five successive wins to give us the title, anything less and I think it'll be someone else.
Im just hoping waterford dont take advantage of the slip ups today.
Anything other than a win against shels next week and its curtains for us I feel:(
Im guessing shels will bring about 1000 over, so it might be the biggest crowd of the first division this year. (Hopefully)
UCD V Waterford last match?
Both teams might need the win for the title come that day but i say it might be a draw so that might leave the door open for shels or Fingal to win it on the last day if all goes to plan before that. Exciting times :D
Waterford could be out of it by then and may even have a cup final to look forward. It's a great game for UCD.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Lep
A must must must win game for us on Tuesday v Shels or else it's curtains on out automatic promotion hoped I feel.