Kilkenny City 1-1 UCD

[pineapple stu]

UCD's usual trick in away games of scoring early and sitting back for the rest of the game came back to haunt them in Buckley Park as a last-minute equaliser saw two valuable points dropped. Probably the best thing that could be said about a very poor game was that Kilkenny showed good spirit to come back from losing 7-2 in the FAI Cup to Waterford just the previous week, and in the end probably deserved the draw.

UCD made one change from the team which hammered Drums the previous week, with Gary Dicker coming in for the suspended Seán Finn. And UCD seemed to miss the attacking threat of Finn and top-scorer Doyle - still out but hopeful to be back by the Cup quarters - as they struggled to create many chances of note. Indeed, probably the first incident of note in the game came after about twenty minutes when UCD captain Tony McDonnell tore his hamstring stretching for a loose ball - he was immediately subbed off and is expected to be out for four or five weeks, and Philly Hughes (or Batman, as he is now known, being the mysterious stranger) was brought on for his first-team debut after signing from Dublin City. Two minutes later, Kilkenny lost a player to a nose injury as well.

Hughes was straight into the action though, and set up the opening goal on the half hour. A long ball from Alan Mahon found Hughes in acres of space, and as the defence belatedly came across to cover him, Hughes slipped the ball through to Robbie Martin, whose shot took a slight deflection - whether it made any difference is debatable - to notch his third goal in successive games and his tenth of the season.

Martin really should have added to that tally during the first half, as his lack of confidence when closing in on goal showed. Kilkenny, though, rarely threatened during the first half, and UCD were good value for their interval lead.

The second half was a different story and, just as in Galway two months ago, culminated in UCD being hit late. Kilkenny had a few good chances before hitting their equaliser, though, most notably when two Cats got in behind the defence after a corner was headed down, and one got in a Michael-Owen-against-Portugal style shot, only for Quigley to parry away to safety. Another drive from the edge of the area took a deflection and had to be punched away by Quigley at full stretch. Meanwhile, at the other end, UCD couldn't make anything of their obvious technical superiority, with Pat Sullivan in particular having an uncharacteristic off day.

The goal which had been threatened arrived with two minutes to go. A cross from the right took a nick off Alan Mahon, and Philip Gorman rose highest to head into the bottom corner, just beyond the despairing dive of Darren Quigley.

The board went up shortly after to show four minutes of injury-time and UCD, as is traditional when they realise they're no longer in the lead and have to actually play again, spent most of that time camped in the Cats' half. However, a couple of woefully off-target long rangers from Pat Sullivan were about as near as we got to a winner, and the only consolation after was that at least Galway had beaten Kildare, meaning that the gap to fourth had actually opened up to eight points going into the final third of the season. Bray are up next in the Carlisle Grounds, and the College will have to up their game significantly - which, in fairness, they usually have against the better teams - to keep up their run of three wins from three against the Seasiders. A win there would see a five point gap to Bray, defeat would almost certainly relegate us to third place.

Technically, there was one other consolation, which was that none of us on the supporters' bus were injured after the bus driver took out both sun rooves going under a too-low barrier in Kilkenny City!

UCD - Quigley; Mahon, McAuley, Kenna, McNally; McDonnell (Hughes), Sullivan, Dicker, O'Donnell; Martin, McWalter.

Att - 90

[Schumi]

Absolutely brutal rubbish!

Why can we not continue to play after we go ahead?! The fact that we didn't get away with this time will hopefully wake the players up to the fact that bad as the teams in this division are, they're not so bad that we can afford to stop playing after we go ahead. Kilkenny are a team that we should be easily getting 9 points off this season. They were useless!

Not only have we thrown away two points to cráp team, we've also lost our captain for a month now.

At least that Hughes guy did OK when he came on. Doyle will still be in ahead of him when he gets back but I think Robbie Martin will have to continue this scoring run to keep his place.

[John83]

I think the loss of Tony Mac was the turning point. We had to put Sulli in the middle, and that just costs us too much on the wing. Anyone else wishing Brian Gannon was fit? Or Tony Mac, or Wille Doyle for that matter.

[pineapple stu]

Anyone else wishing Brian Gannon was fit?

He must be back soon, actually?

If Robbie Mac gets injured, who goes left-back?

[John83]

If Robbie Mac gets injured, who goes left-back?

Micko.

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