UCD v Bohs

**Poor Student** · 17/03/2010, 10:45 AM

Very disappointed after last night. We put in an average performance but a stronger one than we'd usually muster against such strong opponents. Before the sending off Bohs rarely threatened us even though they had more of the play, our game plan appeared to be succeeding well enough. I'm not quite sure why our penalty didn't even merit a booking let alone a sending off. Were we not denied a clear goal scoring opportunity? Conversely, Bolger was booked earlier for dissent while at least one Bohs player got away with unleashing a tirade on the referee later in the match. As per usual, frustrating inconsistency in refereeing. However, Bolger gave the referee the opportunity to send him off for petulant behaviour and that is something that no player should allow happen. While I felt an equaliser was inevitable as Bohs began to mount the pressure I was frustrated in the way we gave up the goals, our inexperience really showed. The first, we committed too many men forward for the set piece and whipped in a poor ball which set Bohs off on the counter with a man advatage. The second was poor concentration at a crucial moment when restarting the match. Both excellent finishes by Byrne and Cretaro I must add.

Overall I thought we performed strong in some units on the park and not so well in others. The defence performed solidly apart from the minute of madness and Andy Boyle in particular defended very robustly including an excellent full on block tackle to prevent a certain goal. Kilduff had a mixed performance, as usual he worked his socks off and his pace and strength kept the opposition defence under pressure, however it didn't seem to work out of him as it did in the Drogheda game, but he will have a good season and he will create and score goals. Mulhall and Rusk also performed well on the flanks and put in a good shift. I thought our central midfield was poor enough though. They were outmuscled and outplayed. When we did happen to have the ball it was often given away cheaply, Bolger particularly. I think Creevy and Cory would provide our best options in central midfield. Disappointed as I am, I am very much looking forward to the Pat's game on Friday.

**pineapple stu** · 17/03/2010, 6:51 PM

Yeah, disappointing, but a good kind of disappointing. Mid got pushed off it far too easily; looking forward to getting Corry and Creevy back. Refereeing was woefully inconsistent, and one of the Sherros was saying Bohs' first was a yard offside. Definitely think we'll be away from eighth anyway. There's an outside chance of a top half finish if Dundalk and Feckall are as weak as their first couple of games are indicating.

803 was the crowd apparently, if anyone's interested.

And that picture in Kiely's in freaky...

Edit - also, I thought Billy had his best game yet for us.

**Schumi** · 18/03/2010, 11:35 AM

We played very deep. Kilduff was left to try to hold the ball up on his own and he's not best suited to that. Mulhall and Rusk did quite well when they were on the ball but they didn't get forward enough to help Kilduff. That said, it seemed to work well in shutting Bohs down although that may be as much down to them as us. I think we over-did that after Bolger was sent off though, their midfield had too much space with 6 of our players on the edge of the box most of the time.

I don't like moral victories but if Bohs are the best in the league, we'll compete very well with the rest.

**pineapple stu** · 18/03/2010, 12:06 PM

it was 9-0-1 after Bolger got sent off, which I thought was a bit excessive.

I think Bohs' players took encouragement from all the fawning articles written about them in the Bohs, I mean, the UCD programme.

**Schumi** · 18/03/2010, 12:43 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

it was 9-0-1 after Bolger got sent off, which I thought was a bit excessive.

It would have been, the 8-0-1 was bad enough.

**pineapple stu** · 18/03/2010, 1:07 PM

I've never considered Billy a keeper really...

**John83** · 18/03/2010, 1:09 PM

I'll be interested to see the highlights on Monday. I'm usually slow to criticise referees - they're only human, except Paul Tuite, who's technically a kind of marmet - but a number of key refereeing decisions decided the game.

All in all though, things look fairly positive for a season free of the relegation scrap.