Dundalk 1
UCD 1
Niall Newberry reports from Oriel Park
FOR THE THIRD year running, Dundalk have failed to win on the opening night of the SSE Airtricity League season after being held to a 1-1 draw at home to UCD tonight.
Stephen O’Donnell’s side were looking good in terms of breaking their opening-day hoodoo, with John Martin putting them ahead in the first half — a lead they held until the 77th minute, when Ciaran Behan silenced the Oriel Park crowd with his free-kick.
It took 14 minutes for the game’s first chance, and it came via Martin, who got himself in between two UCD defenders before forcing Lorcan Healy to push around his near post.
UCD didn’t come to Oriel just to sit back, however, and produced a shot on target of their own two minutes later through Behan, but his effort from outside the box never really looked like troubling Nathan Shepperd, with the Dundalk goalkeeper gathering easily.
The Lilywhites had a chance to lead from the spot on 24 minutes after a driven free-kick, taken by Patrick Hoban, resulted in Martin being pulled down inside the area by Donal Higgins, but it was Jack Keaney that was mistakenly booked by referee Arnold Hunter.
Up stepped Dundalk skipper Hoban, but his penalty was brilliantly kept out by Healy, who got down low to his left to save and keep the score at 0-0, for the time being at least.
Buoyed by Healy’s save, UCD almost took the lead moments later at the other end, when a rasping shot from distance from Higgins produced a brilliant save out of Shepperd.
However, it was Dundalk who broke the deadlock on 34 minutes, with a Louie Annesley cross being helped on by Greg Sloggett and then Hoban, before Martin finished it off.
It could have been 2-0 before the half-time break, when a beautiful touch from Ryan O’Kane had wrongfooted Michael Gallagher, with the electric Dundalk winger then leaving Jack Keaney for dead as well, but his cross was turned inches wide by Hoban.
O’Kane continued to cause serious problems for UCD in the second half, and after latching on to Connor Malley’s ball over the top, his shot bobbled wide of the far post.
Dundalk had further opportunities to double their advantage, with Malley’s free-kick going wide of the mark, while Sloggett had a rasping long-range effort sail over the top.
Against all odds, however, UCD equalised on 77 minutes, when Behan’s free-kick floated into the top corner, despite the best efforts of Shepperd who had got a hand to the effort.
Dundalk: Nathan Shepperd; Archie Davies, Hayden Muller, Andy Boyle, Louie Annesley; Greg Sloggett, Alfie Lewis (Paul Doyle 80); John Martin (Keith Ward 84), Connor Malley (Cameron Elliott 80), Ryan O’Kane (Daniel Kelly 84); Patrick Hoban.
UCD: Lorcan Healy; Michael Gallagher, Jack Keaney, Adam Wells (Ryan Bowden 60), Jesse Dempsey; Ciaran Behan, Brendan Barr, Dara Keane, Donal Higgins, Daniel Norris (Mark Dignam 69); Alex Nolan.
Referee: Arnold Hunter
Attendance: 3,142