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from the University Observer...
Waterford Suffer Third Degree Byrnes
UCD revved up their flagging season with their first eircom League win against a dire Waterford United team at Belfield Park thanks to a goal from Conan Byrne and two from Paul Byrne.
Despite somewhat patched-up starting eleven, and not a single goal in their first two home games this year, College showed the sort of ruthless finishing that they have sorely missed during the last eighteen months. And although their general play was actually below par, the visitors offered so little in reply that they could not complain about their drubbing.
Missing for the Students was their injured captain Tony McDonnell, as well as unsettled goalie Darren Quigley and dropped striker Conor Sammon; three very important players. The latter was ably replaced by debutant Timmy Purcell, who took on the role of tirelessly harrying the opposition back four and linking up play with the other forwards, while winter signing Matt Gregg guarded the nets. Bogdan Oprea started for the Students for the first time.
To restate the point: this was a game of poor quality. Both defences seemed uncertain, the midfield tussle was listless and there were few chances. It was apt that the first chance followed a defensive error, when UCD's Evan McMillan, under pressure from Paul McCarthy, fluffed his backpass dreadfully. Gregg relied on his outfield skills to execute a well-timed tackle on McCarthy and save the day. McCarthy had the next good chance for the Blues when Gregg's attempted punch failed to connect cleanly, and the ball broke to the Waterford midfielder on the penalty spot. He placed his shot past the keeper but Alan McNally was able to stop it on the line and clear.
The opening goal on 25 minutes owed a lot to the Romanian winger Oprea, whose tenacity and trickery earned enough space to chip a back-post cross. Conan Byrne hooked a volley at goal which was pushed over the bar by Delaney. From the corner, the same pair combined, Oprea supplying a viciously curling delivery which was crashed into the net by Byrne's header at the near post.
It was 2-0 just a few minutes later, when the visiting side paid the price for porous defending. Ronan Finn and Paul Byrne could have brought a fleet of double-decker buses with them as they ran onto Crowley's scooped pass, and in the event Byrne was able to bring the ball down and pick his spot in the far corner of the net with a precise right-footed finish.
More conscientious defending by McNally protected the Students' lead a minute later, as the classy centre-back again retreated to the goalline to keep out a shot that had beaten Cregg.
But the rest of the half was dull. The Blues' irascible midfielder Alan Reynolds seemed to be doing his best to get sent off, earning a booking for scything down Finn as a high ball dropped and then needling referee Whorigan with backchat. Waterford generally looked toothless against a sturdy College backline, for whom the youngster McMillan recovered well from his early blunder with another strong display.
Shortly after half time, there was almost a spectacular goal when a deft nudge by Paul Byrne laid on his namesake Conan, who stormed past Flynn and two other defenders before cutting in onto his left foot and dribbling a tame shot straight at Delaney. The most encouraging aspect of the UCD performance was the impact of the two wingers, who terrorised their markers with the sort of pacey and direct dribbling that lit up the end of the Students' season in 2006.
Waterford were abject for most of the game, and with UCD having no real imperative to keep the pressure on, the match became a turgid affair as it went on, characterised by the keepers and fullbacks belting clearances downfield to one another. The substitute Daryl Kavanagh livened things up for the visitors, spinning away from his marker on 81 minutes and cracking in a low shot that Cregg blocked with his legs. And the same man again threatened a few minutes later when he collected Reynolds's long pass only for the keeper to deny him again, speeding off his line and diving brilliantly at the striker's feet.
As Waterford finally began to try and salvage something from the game, gaps appeared in their rearguard. Conan Byrne collected Purcell's pass cutting in from the flank but curled his shot just too high; it clipped the crossbar on its way over.
But if there was any danger that the match would fizzle out, it was dispelled by an extraordinary third goal for College. Paul Byrne made a sliding tackle not far inside the Waterford half, took a further touch to set himself and then unleashed a breathtaking shot from his right boot that rocketed into the top corner of the goal. He was at least thirty yards away but no goalkeeper in the world could have stopped it, such was the ferocity of the strike. Before this match, Byrne's drought without a goal had stretched for almost a year, but this astonishing effort must have somewhat made up for the long wait. Surely there has never before been a UCD player booked for removing his shirt in over-exuberant celebration.
So UCD are off the mark for the season, and the emphasis of the win if not the quality of the performance will give them heart going into a run of winnable matches, especially as important players return to the team. Manager Pete Mahon will surely be aware however that far sterner tests await his side, and presuming that this sudden bounty of lethal finishing is fleeting, further improvements will be required upon this display to lift College up the table.
Originally Posted by Burnsie
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