Galway 0-0 UCD

[DmanDmythDledge]

Crap game apparantly, with Galway slightly better.

[Poor Student]

Well, we maintain our unbreaten run and have only conceded 4 goals in our last 8 games, including 6 clean sheets. Missing the wins in matches like this will ensure that we won't be pushing for European/Setanta league place territory but we're comfortable enough.

[DonO'Bate]

Crap game apparantly, with Galway slightly better.

The crap weather was the problem, I haven't seen conditions as bad as tonight even in winter, the weather ruined the game as a spectacle. Ye almost got of to a glorious start when ye had a goal disallowed for offside. Yer Van der Sar lookalike goalkeeper kept you in the game in the second half with two outstanding saves. I also managed to speak to one UCD fan who made the long journey.

[Mr A]

Was at the game- the conditions ruined it pretty much. Galway had the better of the chances without looking all that impressive, and the result was pretty fair.

The ref was pretty strange, with all sorts of mad calls.

[Schumi]

Thank **** for the ref, he was the best entertainment on the night. Loads of bizarre calls; the bast was him awarding us a free kick outside the Galway box for a perfectly good tackle in the box.

[Conor H]

The ref was shocking and in the end ensured UCD got a point.

Stonewall penalty for us in the 2nd half not given and a series of crazy decisions all night.

That's 2 games this year now where the ref has cost us.

[DmanDmythDledge]

The ref was shocking and in the end ensured UCD got a point.

Stonewall penalty for us in the 2nd half not given and a series of crazy decisions all night.

That's 2 games this year now where the ref has cost us.

And the ref didn't cost us by not giving us a penalty for an obvious handball or a goal that was over the line?

[MyTown]

I was one of the two people behind Gary Rogers goal for the second half. The ball didn't cross the line. I don't know how it didn't, but it didn't.

[pineapple stu]

Disagree about the ball crossing the line. As I noted on the Galway thread, I was in line with it, and could have sworn the whole of the line peeped out from behind the ball before it was cleared. Behind the goal, the ball could well have obscured the line behind it if it was as close as I think it was.

Referee and linesman were appalling. Absolutely appalling. Never seen anything like it.




Matt Gregg turned in an inspired performance as UCD came away from a wet and blustery Terryland Park with a point in a game which was, in truth, ruined by the weather and poor officiating. A strong wind blowing the length of the pitch meant UCD spent most of the first 45 battling to get out of their own half, although they failed to make sufficient use of the breeze in the second period when it was behind them.
With Tony McDonnell injured, Pete Mahon went back to 4-4-2, with Paul Byrne coming in for Greg Bolger and Paul Crowley replacing McDonnell as he had against St Pat’s; Shane McFaul was, however, fit to take his place in the starting line-up despite injury worries.
UCD made the early running, and had the ball in the net inside the opening ten minutes – Paul Byrne bustled his way through the Galway defence and when his shot was blocked, Shane McFaul pounced to sweep the loose ball into the net only to be called back for an offside call. The general consensus afterwards was that the call was, at best, very tight but the bottom line was that the goal did not stand.
Galway’s first attack came minutes later, when a superb Alan McNally tackle denied Stephen O’Flynn on the edge of the box as the striker burst forward. It marked the start of a period of dominance for the home side which was to last until the break, as UCD battled against both a determined home side and the strong wind. O’Flynn had another shot blocked by Kenna after a ball right across the six yard box, while Ciarán Foley went close on the half hour when his shot from distance took a huge deflection and bounced just the right side of Matt Gregg’s post.
UCD did cause the home defence trouble on the occasions they could get up that end of the pitch, and Paul Byrne sent Conor Sammon in the clear shortly after, but his first touch took him away from goal and Galway were able to get back and clear.
The wind was always likely to cause trouble for the keepers, and Ciarán Foley tried his luck from 30 yards on 37 minutes after another in a string of dubious free kick awards from the referee; however, Matt Gregg was equal to the challenge and, back-pedalling, tipped over the bar.
Gregg was again to the rescue on the stroke of half time when the best move of the half saw Galway break with two players over, but from the edge of the box and in acres of space, Alan Murphy shot straight at Gregg, who saved well with his feet to clear to safety.
The second half was far more even as Galway had their turn to battle into the wind. Conan Byrne found more space on the right, on one occasion being allowed to run on despite being two yards offside, but Gary Rogers was out very smartly to clear at the edge of the box to avert the danger. A couple more dubious free kick awards saw Alan Mahon try his luck from distance with the wind, but the efforts came to nothing, although Rogers did need two attempts to grab hold of the second free.
At this stage, it appeared as if UCD were certainties to create something with the wind and sneak the points, but Galway began to fight back again, and Matt Gregg twice had to go full stretch to push away headers bound for the top corner on 67 and 73 minutes.
The wind and rain were still playing havoc with both teams, and in one passage of play, Conor Kenna slipped while trying to retrieve a poor clearance, Alan McNally did clear, but only straight at a Galway player; the ball bounced off him and straight on to Matt Gregg, who, under pressure, nearly let the ball squirm from his grasp.
With a quarter of an hour to go, there was further controversy when Paul Byrne beat Gary Rogers to a deep Alan Mahon cross; the loose ball trickled towards goal and indeed appeared to have just crossed the line before being cleared, but the linesman gave nothing. In the desperate scramble, two Galway players both went down injured, having seemingly collided with either post.
0-0 it was to end, and for UCD, it’s now nine games unbeaten, although it’s also four successive draws in the league. However, there are four more points on the board after the first series of games than there were in the past two seasons, which gives Pete Mahon solid foundations to build on for the rest of the season.

UCD – Gregg; Mahon, Bermingham, Kenna, McNally; Crowley, Doyle (Purcell 82), McFaul, C Byrne; P Byrne, Sammon. Subs not used – Quigley, McMillan, Forsyth, Bolger.

Att - 1788