U.C.D -v- Sporting Fingal
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U.C.D will welcome Sporting Fingal to the Belfield Bowl on Thursday night (kick-off 7:45pm) hoping to widen the gap between the sides to eight points. The previous meeting of these sides in March saw the Students emerge as winners by a single goal in a closely contested match.
Despite Fingal coming off the back of a heavy defeat to the in-form Waterford United, UCD manager Martin Russell is not discounting the Northsiders challenge just yet.
“I still think there’s a long way to go. Even a win [for UCD] tomorrow night won’t write Fingal off, but it’s important to keep trying to get the points in each and every game,” said Russell.
The Students managed to gain only one point last week from a difficult away assignment in Limerick and Russell believes other teams will find it tough going against the Shannonsiders. “There were chances at both ends. Limerick is a difficult place to go and whoever goes down there this year will find it hard to come away with something so in that way I was happy,”
Russell will have to plan without the services of Ciaran Nangle who picked up a thigh injury in last week’s game away to Limerick. Greg Bolger remains out long term while Sean Harding continues his recovery and is expected to return next week.
Sporting have now lost two games in a row, with the defeat to Waterford in the league and Sligo Rovers in the EA Sports Cup quarter final, and manager Liam Buckley will be looking for his charges to bounce back this week.
“We knew these back-to-back matches against the two leading sides were going to be tough and it’s important that we apply ourselves properly when we take on UCD,” he said.
“This is a competitive Division and we’re not going to win all the games. Losing to Waterford was disappointing but we move on and the attitude from the players in training this week has been excellent.”
Buckley’s task is made all the harder with Sporting facing a lengthy injury list. “Martin Russell has assembled a strong group of players at UCD who train full-time and are deservedly up around the top of the table. Our injury problems mean we’ll have to graft that bit harder to get a result but we’ll be going there in determined mood.”
Missing through injury for Fingal will be Shaun Maher (foot), Stephen Paisley (ankle), Gary O’Neill (groin) and Daniel Corcoran (hamstring) while Robbie Doyle (knee) and Philip Byrne (calf) will undergo pre-match fitness tests.
Extratime.ie Prediction: Another close contest, which we see ending in a low scoring draw. 1-1.
Be sure and check out Sporting Fingal midfielder Conan Byrne’s column "A Sporting View".
Despite Fingal coming off the back of a heavy defeat to the in-form Waterford United, UCD manager Martin Russell is not discounting the Northsiders challenge just yet.
“I still think there’s a long way to go. Even a win [for UCD] tomorrow night won’t write Fingal off, but it’s important to keep trying to get the points in each and every game,” said Russell.
The Students managed to gain only one point last week from a difficult away assignment in Limerick and Russell believes other teams will find it tough going against the Shannonsiders. “There were chances at both ends. Limerick is a difficult place to go and whoever goes down there this year will find it hard to come away with something so in that way I was happy,”
Russell will have to plan without the services of Ciaran Nangle who picked up a thigh injury in last week’s game away to Limerick. Greg Bolger remains out long term while Sean Harding continues his recovery and is expected to return next week.
Sporting have now lost two games in a row, with the defeat to Waterford in the league and Sligo Rovers in the EA Sports Cup quarter final, and manager Liam Buckley will be looking for his charges to bounce back this week.
“We knew these back-to-back matches against the two leading sides were going to be tough and it’s important that we apply ourselves properly when we take on UCD,” he said.
“This is a competitive Division and we’re not going to win all the games. Losing to Waterford was disappointing but we move on and the attitude from the players in training this week has been excellent.”
Buckley’s task is made all the harder with Sporting facing a lengthy injury list. “Martin Russell has assembled a strong group of players at UCD who train full-time and are deservedly up around the top of the table. Our injury problems mean we’ll have to graft that bit harder to get a result but we’ll be going there in determined mood.”
Missing through injury for Fingal will be Shaun Maher (foot), Stephen Paisley (ankle), Gary O’Neill (groin) and Daniel Corcoran (hamstring) while Robbie Doyle (knee) and Philip Byrne (calf) will undergo pre-match fitness tests.
Extratime.ie Prediction: Another close contest, which we see ending in a low scoring draw. 1-1.
Be sure and check out Sporting Fingal midfielder Conan Byrne’s column "A Sporting View".
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