Pats 3 UCD 2, Pride saved but not points
Entertaining enough game but disappointing for UCD. We started off more threatening but nothing serious. But a mistake from Hurley let Pats gain possession around the half way line and take it down the right wing. Mick was beaten and pushed his man and Ger Rowe scored a header from a cross from the right from the free kick. The second goal could have been prevented by Quigley I think. He saved a shot Dunne but parried it back towards him and he stuck it in the net. Robbie Doyle should have put them three ahead but he hit the post in a one on one. Can't really remember the third.
I think in the first half the score flattered Pats as they weren't really that dominant. There were two chances to equalise after the first goal we should have taken both nearly identical chances. A cross from the wide and free man around the 6 yard box, first Dupuy then McWalter, both over the bar. Passing was quite sloppy in the first half particularly from Micko and Hurley.
Mahon changed Kierans from Sammons at half time, at least I think. Tony Mac was pushed up into midfield and we came out a far better team in the 2nd half. Dupuy had a decent chance to score when the ball was played into him from the left and he turned his man at the edge of the box only to shoot straight at the keeper. It wasn't until the 75th min that we scored though. A free kick on the wide right whipped in by Mahon was headed away by a poorly marked McNally. Byrne then came on for Dupuy and I think scored from another tossed in free kick finishing away at the far post. We came close to an equaliser at the end but Pats managed to get the cross out for a corner from which we did nothing.
Disappointing result. We should never have found ourselves three down. Dicker and Hurley is not a strong enough midfield partnership. I think we need to move Tony Mac back to the middle for next week. I also thought that Micko looked fairly suspect on the left back role done by his man a few times and passing slackly.