Galway away

Must win now. Galway haven't won at home all season, so it's set up for them. They played the League Cup semi last night (lost at home as per usual) so hopefully they'll be feeling the extra game.

Team? Assuming Bermo, Mahon and King are still out, I'd go with -

GK Gregg
DL Kenna
DC McMillan
DC McNally
DR Shortall (is Harding injured?)
MC Finn
MC McFaul
AMC Duggan
ML Meenan
MR McWalter
FW Fitz

Fitz up front should be a bit more effective than Fitz on the wing (because he's got four defenders to worry instead of one). I think he hasn't played there since the Rovers game, when he caused them headaches all game and gave Paul Byrne two open goals to miss. Jeff Kenna's supposed to be slow, if presumably wily, so if we're playing 4-4-1-1, I'd put someone faster than Podge up front. Meenan did OK up front on Sunday, but with our proliferation of decent centre-mids, I'd rather him on the left than four centre mids with Finn out left.

Galway are different class to Pat's (and I mean that in a bad way), so I'd keep more or less the same team given they were at least a bit more lively on Sunday. If people are back, then Bermo goes in for McMillan, Mahon for Shortall and probably King for McWalter.

Historically, we've always done well in Galway and they've always done well in Belfield. Just need that to go on for one more game...

Going to go for a squeaky bum, completely blindly optimistic 1-0 win. A cross from Fitz to go in off my head as I've run onto the pitch to stop dmanetc strangling Podge. I think that'd still count as a goal. :)

King and Mahon both had fitness test so presumably they will be fit enough to start on Friday, baring a recurrance of their injuries in training.

I don't think Fitz would be effective on his own upfront as our midfield is usually slow to support the attack and he wouldn't be able to hold up the ball. Him and O'Neill upfront, even if it mean leaving out Duggan/McFaul.

I'd leave the defence as it is for this game but bring in Mahon for Shortall. Mahon is slow but at least his positioning is generally OK. I haven't seen enough of Harding to judge would I put him before Mahon.
Kenna and Mahon at FB would lead to a lot of hoofs which would just give the ball back to Galway. McMillan has looked shaky recently as well as Stevens so I think you'd just be weaking the central of defence as well as putting Kenna at LB. I don't think he have the pace to deal with O'Shea, who gave Bermo problems the last time we met.

Anyway my team would be:

GK Matt Gregg

RB Alan Mahon
CB Conor Kenna
CB Alan McNally
LB Enda Stevens

RM Brian King
CM McFaul
CM Finn
LM Meenan

ST Shane Fitzgerald
ST John O'Neill

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Going to go for a squeaky bum, completely blindly optimistic 1-0 win. :)

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I'm going for the same Stu 1-0 win. Thought you'd have gone for a 0-1?

UCD come first. Always. ;)

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Originally Posted by dmanetc

I don't think Fitz would be effective on his own upfront as our midfield is usually slow to support the attack and he wouldn't be able to hold up the ball. Him and O'Neill upfront, even if it mean leaving out Duggan/McFaul.

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Possibly. I wouldn't leave out Duggan though; I think this is the kind of match he could excel in. O'Neill hasn't made the impact I thought he would after the first couple of games. Again though, this is a very different game to Bohs/Pat's.

For those heading down, the train leaves at 2:35 from Heuston (the later one's pushing it) and the bus leaves on the hour every hour (3pm is the latest you could leave it; probably safer on the 2pm).

I'm sorry I'm going to miss this - I still haven't visited Terryland, and this would be an interesting game to end that run.

Fitz up front on his own is a daft idea! His strength is pace so I'd have someone laying the ball off for him. I'd play him up front with O'Neill but let him roam around a bit. I like the idea of him man-marking Jeff Kenna is he's as slow as people have said. :)

I don't know what to do about left-back if Bermo is still out. Stevens was in big trouble against Guy's pace on Sunday but I'd still want Kenna in the middle. Have Galway pace on their right? If so Kenna at left back and McMillan in the centre, otherwise Stevens on the left and Kenna in the middle.

In midfield I'd have Meenan out left and Finn, Duggan and King. I don't know whether to put Finn or King on the right though as I think both are better in the middle. Maybe they could switch around to save me the decision. :)

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Originally Posted by Schumi

Fitz up front on his own is a daft idea!

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Probably, though it's hard to find someone (a) to play alongside him and (b) to drop from midfield. Maybe push Meenan up front alongside him, though that unbalances the rest of the mid.

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Probably, though it's hard to find someone (a) to play alongside him and (b) to drop from midfield. Maybe push Meenan up front alongside him, though that unbalances the rest of the mid.

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Finn surely? He's at least played up front before.

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Must win now. Galway haven't won at home all season, so it's set up for them. They played the League Cup semi last night (lost at home as per usual) so hopefully they'll be feeling the extra game.

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We may have lost but the performance on Monday was the best football from a UTD side in a good while.
If we play like we did Monday,we'll win,no doubt in my mind about that.

Bermo and McFaul are out; everyone else is good to go. So King and Mahon in for McFaul and Shorty, and continue to work on the front two dilemma?

Alan Keane's suspended for Galway. Declan Hanney's reffing.

Guess so. King for McFaul is obvious. Mahon for Shorty too. Who knows who we'll field up front though.

think russell may be injured for us as well. if he is its a massive blow for us. should be a fairly tight game with both teams strruggling up front. is there many coming down tomorrow?

Usual few I suppose. Off the top of my head, myself, schumi, dmanetc, Juanace, HarpoJoyce, probably Poor Student and Gooner Student, maybe Aberdonian Stu (he always says he'll go to an away game but then never does :) ). John83 sends his apologies in advance from 38000 feet. Presumably a few other heads, the likes of Angus, Mr Finn and the Prendergasts.

not too bad, are ye planning on going for a few drinks before hand or just heading to the ground. if ye are coming in early we've changed from foxs to fibber magees now. its just up the square from foxs. should be finger food supplied before game

If all of the above turn up, it will UCD's biggest away support since the 1984 FAI Cup Final !

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

For those heading down, the train leaves at 2:35 from Heuston (the later one's pushing it) and the bus leaves on the hour every hour (3pm is the latest you could leave it; probably safer on the 2pm).

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You'll be safe on the later train, and it doesn't take as long. There's a nightbus back as well from the station.

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

probably Poor Student and Gooner Student

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Yeah, we're heading.

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Originally Posted by mypost

You'll be safe on the later train, and it doesn't take as long. There's a nightbus back as well from the station.

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ya the later train gets in to galway around 7:15

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Originally Posted by GUISAUltra

not too bad, are ye planning on going for a few drinks before hand or just heading to the ground. if ye are coming in early we've changed from foxs to fibber magees now. its just up the square from foxs. should be finger food supplied before game

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Sounds good. :)

Excellent; prefer that place. :)

See yez soon!

sound we'll see ye sometime after 5

Vital win. Fitz started at left wing especially to annoy Kenna, and within ten minutes he'd set up the goal and gotten Lester sent off. We went to sleep then - maybe assuming the rest was a formality - and Galway could well have been level by half time. Second half we started off well, but Galway got a deflected equaliser and had a penalty call turned down, though YouTube seems to show it was a dive. But after that, Galway started getting tired and we had a few chances before Timmy pounced at the end.

Timmy had a great game, Gregg was excellent, very calming; Meenan did well up front and Finn was superb when he came on. Overall, it was the same old story for large bits really - not creating much in the way of decent chances at crucial stages, but a win's a win. :)

I would say the best team won on the night as we could not handle the pace which you had going forward . But when it came down to it you moved up a gear when it was 1-1 and got the winner I can't say much else really but well done .

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Originally Posted by Claret Murph

I would say the best team won on the night as we could not handle the pace which you had going forward . But when it came down to it you moved up a gear when it was 1-1 and got the winner I can't say much else really but well done .

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Funny, I thought Galway edged it in terms of quality and possession. Very disturbing considering you had ten men. Your defending was poor but you gave it great effort and brought the game to us. I felt Mahon got his tactics right in terms of blitzing Galway for pace, particularly putting Fitzgerald on Kenna but our midfield play was very loose and we failed to impose ourselves there. I'm absolutely delighted to have taken the three points and hope it can spur us onto better form but I'd have expected us to do better against 10 men.

I'm also delighted to see Purcell get back into the team and score. Meenan looked lively up front also but I feel he'd be better used on the left wing with Fitz on the right. McWalter played poorly in spite of putting in his usual excellent workrate. His inability to lose the man and his general wastage of the ball in threatning situations is helping to blunt the team and leave us ineffectual in attack.

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Originally Posted by Poor Student

our midfield play was very loose and we failed to impose ourselves there.

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I thought both sides had that problem. When we had the ball, we went through Galway quite effectively but the reverse was also true.

when we were 1 nil down and down to 10 men we were by mile the better team prob should have been 1 all at half time.

when we got to 1 it looked like Gufc would score 2 or 3 and win the but UCD made 1 -2 subs which worked for UCD as they got on top in last 20 mins, got a chance, scored and won the game.

That's a fair summary, I was impressed by Galway after they went to 10 men and for a period after they equalised they looked more likely to win it. It seemed to be tiredness as much as anything else that did for them near the end which surprised me given that they're full time.

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Originally Posted by Schumi

That's a fair summary, I was impressed by Galway after they went to 10 men and for a period after they equalised they looked more likely to win it. It seemed to be tiredness as much as anything else that did for them near the end which surprised me given that they're full time.

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The Match against Derry took a lot out of our team not making an excuse though.

Obviously I'm disappointed we lost but I don't think we ever looked like winning. I couldn't see where a goal was going to come from. Players trying to tee the ball up instead of having a shot, with the exception of Murphs and Jay (both midfield). We needed Glynn on earlier to inject pace and run at the defence. Ye deserved your win (imo) but if I was unfortunate enough (:)) to be a ucd supporter I would be very worried at the inability to finish off ten men with no real midfield, a very slow rb and deadwood fitz at cb. Having said that Mahon got the tactics spot on.
Good luck for the rest of the season.

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Originally Posted by Terry-Lander

Obviously I'm disappointed we lost but I don't think we ever looked like winning. I couldn't see where a goal was going to come from. Players trying to tee the ball up instead of having a shot, with the exception of Murphs and Jay (both midfield). We needed Glynn on earlier to inject pace and run at the defence. Ye deserved your win (imo) but if I was unfortunate enough (:)) to be a ucd supporter I would be very worried at the inability to finish off ten men with no real midfield, a very slow rb and deadwood fitz at cb. Having said that Mahon got the tactics spot on.
Good luck for the rest of the season.

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That highlighted part is sufficient to describe us this season. We have tried to walk the ball into the net numerous times or don't trust our shooting and lay and re-lay the ball off to another player. Not to be too painful, but our first goal had up to four UCD players in the box getting a touch.

Regarding the future, I'm thorn wheather the four-way tussle is an indoor cycle race (with each competitor waiting for the other to make a move) or a slow bicycle race, where last is first.

I do think Finn Harps have shown they can win themselves out of trouble (5 excellent wins) and Galway have the best shape to force another/continue a succeeding run. UCD need to keep with the others. We play some of that knot of mid-table teams at the same time, that has been our route out in the past.

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Originally Posted by HarpoJoyce

Not to be too painful, but our first goal had up to four UCD players in the box getting a touch.

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Just the two, as the highlights show (though it was intended for Timmy, not Kinger)

Agree we struggled much more than we really should have done, but on the other hand, we've now gone through the second series of games without a defeat against a bottom half team (taking Sligo as a bottom half team; it's not technically true, but I'd expect Rovers to finish ahead of them at this stage - Sligo's squad is so stretched they only had ten players for their last A League game, of whom two came off injured!), while we lost to all the top half teams!

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Just the two, as the highlights show (though it was intended for Timmy, not Kinger)

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Yeah, I thought Timmy had touched it back to King at the time. It wasn't quite as messy as I'd thought. The Evan tackle doesn't look like a peno from that angle either but I'd like to see it from the side we were on again before being sure.

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taking Sligo as a bottom half team; it's not technically true, but I'd expect Rovers to finish ahead of them at this stage

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Hmm. :)

Match report.