UCD 0
Shelbourne 4
Paul Buttner reports from The UCD Bowl
JJ LUNNEY scored the pick of the goals as Shelbourne eased to victory at the UCD Bowl to record their biggest win of the season.
Utterly dominant from the off, Damien Duff’s side should have been in front after just three minutes.
Skipper Sean Boyd robbed Adam Wells to set up Jack Moylan, but a poor first touch allowed UCD to get back in numbers with captain Jack Keaney blocking the shot.
Mark Coyle shot wide before Boyd just didn’t connect well enough with his flick which flew into the side netting.
Moylan was then twice off target in the following minutes while Shane Farrell drilled wide before the woodwork saved College, Moylan shooting off Kian Moore’s left-hand post.
The UCD goalkeeper wasn’t tested until just past the half-hour mark, diving to his right to clasp Lunney’s shot.
Moylan then looked set to finally break the deadlock on 41 minutes but contrived to side-foot his effort wide, Moore having parried a shot from Hakiki.
But Shelbourne’s patient pressure finally paid off right on 45 minutes.
The impressive Lunney threaded a superb ball through for the run of Paddy Barrett.
And though the defender’s shot was again parried by Moore, Moylan deftly chipped to the net for his seventh goal of the season.
Shelbourne remained very much on the front foot into the season half with Boyd, twice, and Lunney coming close to extending their lead.
That finally arrived on 66 minutes out of nothing. Mark Coyle’s ball wasn’t properly cleared. It dropped for Lunney 30 yards out with the midfielder finding the top corner with a sublimely placed first-time left-footer.
Boyd’s hard running was rewarded on 80 minutes when he sent Moore the wrong way from the penalty spot after the keeper had tripped Moylan.
Right-back John Ross Wilson added the gloss in stoppage time, running onto Jad Hakiki’s pass to find the bottom corner for his first goal of the season.
UCD: Moore; Babb (Gallagher, 63), Keaney, Wells, Osam; Barr (Clarke, 63), Verdon; Raggett, Brennan (O’Connor, 77), Norris (Dempsey, 77); Doyle (Kinsella-Bishop, 57).
Shelbourne: Kearns; JR Wilson, Barrett, Molloy, Ledwidge (Kane, 82); Lunney, Coyle (Wood, 75); Farrell (Caffrey, 57), Moylan (Arubi, 82), Hakiki; Boyd (Toure, 82).
Referee: Damien MacGraith (Mayo).