KMW's goal drought a curse from misdeeds of a previous life

Having seen his UCD side come out on top in a thrilling end-to-end clash against Shelbourne at Tolka Park, Students boss Collie O'Neill could afford to make a light quip about the gilt-edged chances missed by Kieran Marty Waters.

“I was slagging Marty upstairs,” O'Neill told Extratime.ie's Dave Donnelly after Shels’ 2-1 away win over UCD. “Not only do I think he probably ran over ten black cats in a previous life, I think he probably also robbed a church!”

Waters netted six times in 21 Premier Division appearances for Shamrock Rovers last season, but has yet to find the net in the six matches he has played for the Students since dropping down to the First Division.

The 26 year old was a constant threat against the Reds, but with the goal at his mercy just after the hour mark he somehow scooped over from inside the six-yard box. Then in stoppage time, when one-on-one with 'keeper Greg Murray, he slid the ball wide of the target as UCD countered against Shels' intense search for an equaliser.

However, his manager isn't too concerned about his winger's inability to break his current duck.

“He's working hard, he won't feel sorry for himself,” said O'Neill of KMW. “He'll get back onto the training ground and work hard at his finishing again. He's a confident player, once he gets that first one he'll kick on from there.”

For the time being, the Students’ boss can rely on the newfound goalscoring prowess of 19-year-old defender Maxi Kouogun. The centre-back scored once in sixteen league appearances last season.

However his tally for the current campaign is now four goals in six games with a brace of headers against the Reds letting him overtake frontman Georgie Kelly as UCD's top league goalscorer in 2016.

Though UCD are generally renowned for their ability to create chances with the ball on the deck, O'Neill is pleased to see his side have added a deadball threat to their armoury.

“He [Kouogun] has a great leap on him, he's a great athlete and he's always a threat from set-pieces,” O'Neill said of Kouogun post-match. “If you look at all the possession that we had tonight and all the chances that we created, those two goals came from two set-pieces.

“They're a vital part of First Division football, both defending them and attacking them, and if you work hard at them and you get them right, they can add up to so many points for you towards the end of the season.”

With Mick Leahy departing Belfield for Sligo Rovers in the off-season and Tomás Boyle still two weeks or so away from a comeback from injury, Kouogun has firmly established himself as an ever-present at the heart of the UCD defence.

The youngster admitted that Tolka Park “is always a hard place to come” and was delighted with the three points and, in particular, seeing set-piece work on the training ground reap dividends.

“We've been working on it in training and it's paying off as it seems anyway,” Kouogun told Extratime.ie. “I'll just keep going, try and get clean sheets now. That's the next bit of my game that I have to work on and the rest of it will fall into place.

“The target? I don't know, I'm just going to go out every game and try get as many [goals] as I can,” Kouogun added. “As I said, goals as a defender, they're not my priority. I'm just trying to keep cleansheets and the goals are an extra bonus.”