Shelbourne 1-1 UCD
Darryl Geraghty reports from Tolka Park
IAN MORRIS ROUNDED off his three-year tenure in charge of Shelbourne with a 1-1 home draw with promotion hopefuls UCD.
A late, late Yoyo Mahdy equaliser was enough to earn Shels a share of the spoils in a game they had enough chances to win, but found themselves behind to a quality Evan Caffrey finish.
The massive downpour of rain at kick-off couldn’t dampen the Tolka Park party as the Reds finally got their hands on the First Division trophy, their second in three years, but will be hoping it’s their last one for a long time as they will look to establish themselves as Premier Division regulars from next season.
The hosts showed their intention by dominitang the early proceedings, Dayle Rooney going close with a rasping volley, brilliantly saved by Lorcan Healy. And from the resulting corner, Shels top scorer Ryan Brennan saw his front-post header stopped on the line.
Wave after wave of attack nearly paid dividends when, with a quarter of an hour played, Kevin O’Connor’s beautifully struck free-kick clipped the top of the bar, just before Rooney missed the target by inches with a left-footed strike on the counter.
Ex-Cork City man O’Connor then clipped the bar for the second time with a clever flicked header as the one-way traffic continued.
But credit to the Students who, resting the league’s top-scorer Colm Whelan ahead of the playoffs, weathered the storm for the first half and looked a threat on the break through their wide men Paul Doyle and Adam Lennon, with Doyle having the ball in the back of the net though he was comfortably offside.
The second half started with the same pattern as the first as the home side dominated, and just four minutes into the half, the raucous home crowd witnessed one of the misses of the season. Winger Rooney’s powerful left-footed drive across goal was parried away by Healy but straight to the head of Brennan who somehow missed the target from roughly two yards out with the goal at his mercy.
But, the threat from the visitors remained, and just nine minutes into the restart it was Caffrey who gave his side the lead with an excellent finish.
Shels responded straight away as they hit the bar yet again through Rooney’s whipped free-kick, as the ball just seemed destined to stay out of Healy’s net.
And just when it seemed as if the impenetrable force might have been breached through substitute Michael O’Connor whose header snuck under the UCD stopper, the celebrations were then cut short through an offside flag.
With just two minutes remaining, and after a whole host of momentum-disrupting substitutions, Shels finally got a well deserved equaliser. Ex-UCD man Yoyo Mahdy finally broke the visitors’ resistance, levelling from Shane Farrell’s low cross from the right.
With bigger fish to fry in the upcoming promotion playoffs, Andy Myler’s men will take this decent defensive performance and use it as a platform as the attention turns to Treaty United on Wednesday.
For the champions, it was a good attacking performance that maybe deserved more, but nonetheless a good way to round off a hugely impressive season, losing just twice in the whole league campaign.
And not to forget a brilliant send off for Reds boss Ian Morris, surrounded by fans on the pitch, as he held aloft the First Division trophy aloft with a beaming smile after a job well done, restoring Shels back to where they feel they belong.
SSE Aitricity League First Division results:
- Wexford FC 4-2 Bray Wanderers
- Cork City 3-0 Galway United FC
- Cabinteely 0-2 Treaty United
- Athlone Town 1-2 Cobh Ramblers
SHELBOURNE: Brendan Clarke (Colm Cox, 86’), John Ross Wilson (Kameron Ledwidge, 80’), Kevin O’Connor, Luke Byrne, Ally Gilchrist, Brian McManus (Yoyo Mahdy, 86’), Georgie Poynton (Michael Barker, 80’), Dale Rooney, Ryan Brennan (Yassine En-Neyah, 59’), JJ Lunney (Michael O’Connor, 59’), Shane Farrell.
UCD: Lorcan Healy (Carl Williams, 76’), Evan Osam (Ciaran Behan, 67’), Sam Todd (Harry McEvoy, 67’), Luke Boore (Danny Norris, 84’), Eoin Farrell, Adam Verdon, Sean Brennan (Mark Dignam, 67’), Dara Keane, Evan Caffrey, Paul Doyle (Lennon Gill, 59’), Adam Lennon.
Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan
