End of Season Report Card 2018 - UCD

Team: UCD AFC

Manager: Collie O’Neill

Top Scorer: Georgie Kelly (14)

Prior to his departure to Premier Division champions Dundalk, Georgie Kelly once again set the First Division alight with his lethal striker’s instincts from inside the box for Collie O’Neill’s young guns. Kelly’s 14 league strikes set the Students on their way to a third First Division crown in a blistering start to the year for College who swept all before them. 

Stadium: UCD Bowl

Highest Attendance: 958 vs Finn Harps

The UCD Bowl is never really a hotbed for crowds and a partisan atmosphere as such but the final home game of the year against Finn Harps dismissed that notion entirely. Enticing students into the ground with a free ticket scheme, 958 people descended on the Bowl to witness a First Division title party. 

Many former players and lapsed supporters made their return to the Belfield Campus as Conor Davis’ equaliser sealed a richly deserved First Division title after Keith Cowan’s opener looked set to spoil the party in Dublin 4 in front of a season high attendance of 958.                                                                                                        

Lowest Attendance: 131 vs Cobh Ramblers

Only 131 loyal supporters made the trip to Belfield to witness UCD’s 3-1 home success against Stephen Henderson’s Cobh Ramblers. The hundred or so in attendance were treated with a sublime personal performance from the Students netminder Conor Kearns. 



Star Player: Gary O’Neill

Having returned from England with his footballing dreams in tatters, Gary O’Neill was almost set to pack in his dreams of becoming a professional footballer. However, O’Neill gave his dream one more push when he decided to join the Belfield outfit. 

Ever impressive, O’Neill has played a talismanic role for the Students since his arrival in 2015 and his performances in 2018 helped secure the holy grail of promotion for Collie O’Neill and co. 

With nine goals from midfield to his name in the league alongside 27 appearances, O’Neill played a pivotal role in the Students’ success this term as he received a prestigious PFAI Player of the Year nomination from his First Division peers. 

Undoubtedly there will be some talk regarding his future as plenty of top Premier Division clubs will surely be circling around the Tralee natives’ signature during this off-season while Collie O’Neill will surely be doing everything in his power to keep his prized possession for one more year at least. 

Best Young Player: Liam Scales



Earning headlines for his superb defensive display against Dundalk in the FAI Cup Semi-Final at Oriel Park, Liam Scales has established himself as household name to many League of Ireland onlookers.

However, it was Scales performances throughout 2018 that proved to be a vital cog in the Students success this term. Striking up a solid partnership with fellow defensive mainstay Josh Collins, the 20-year-old Scales, proved to be a rock at the heart of the Belfield defence. 

With Premier Division football on the horizon for the youngster, the Arklow native will buoyed by his defensive masterclass against Patrick Hoban as he looks to test himself against the best strikers in the land during 2019. 

Best New Signing: Conor Davis.

After being handed the daunting task of replacing Georgie Kelly, Conor Davis returned home with a point to prove. Davis had a spell in England with Championship side Reading before his contract was cut short.

In the briefest of brief stints at Belfield so far, Davis scored five goals in just four games with his hat trick away to Drogheda United standing out. Davis also proved to be the man who grabbed that famous title winning goal for the Students in their final home game of the year against Finn Harps at the UCD Bowl.

Having impressed with the Students thus far, it will be interesting to see for how long Davis sticks around on the Belfield campus given his electric start to life in the League of Ireland. However, should he stay, UCD and Collie O’Neill have a gem on their hands for 2019. 

What we expected they would do: 7th

Collectively, we predicted a 7thplaced finish for UCD. This was certainly not one of our finest hours to say the least…. At least we had our very own Dave Donnelly who tipped the Students for a title tilt. You can read his season preview here.

What they actually did: Champions

It was a year to remember and cherish for all at UCD AFC this term. Led by the talented Collie O’Neill the Students eventually strolled their way to a third First Division title. 

Gary O’Neill, Liam Scales and Daire O’Connor all stood out for the Sky Blues as UCD asserted themselves as the most consistent side in the division by a long distance. With only four defeats all year, coupled with a run to the FAI Cup Semi-Final, Collie O’Neill proved that you most certainly can win with kids. 

What they need to improve on for next year: 

It is difficult to pinpoint where needs improvement for this young UCD side. Throughout 2018, the Students have shown a superb level of maturity and consistency with the likes of Gary O’Neill, Greg Sloggett and Josh Collins standing up and being counted once more for College. 

Given their strong footballing ethos, and the scholarship model in place at the club, it is unlikely that they will deviate from these proud philosophies. Perhaps player burnout will become an issue in the Premier Division next term but not much can be done to prevent that aspect for the Students give their college football commitments. 

It is pivotal that the likes of Gary O’Neill remain at the club for a stab at the top flight of Irish football to help UCD realise their undoubted potential while the players such as Neil Farrugia and Liam Scales can expect to earn plenty of more plaudits at the top table of Irish football in 2019. 

Given the outrageous potential of this side, sky is the limit for this talented group of UCD stars. While a year of consolidation looks set to be in store, do not be surprised to see the Students recording major scalps come 2019 in the shark tank that is the Premier Division. 

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