FAI Cup Preview: UCD -v- Bohemians

Action from Bohemians' 2-1 home win against Shamrock Rovers in their last league game

Action from Bohemians' 2-1 home win against Shamrock Rovers in their last league game Credit: Eddie Lennon (ETPhotos)

UCD

The Students are seeking to become possibly one of three First Division teams in the semi-finals of the FAI Cup if they overcome Bohemians in their quarter final clash at the UCD Bowl on Friday night (kick-off 7.45pm).

UCD are currently riding high in the First Division in second place and on track for a promotion play-off place at the end of the season.

They have only lost six games from 30 played all season and will have no fear of their Premier Division opponents when they arrive at Belfield on Friday night.

The Students also have the second-best defensive record in the First Division with only 29 goals conceded in those 30 games.

They have already progressed further than in the 2023 Cup competition where they were decisively beaten 5-1 by Galway United at the last 16 stage, having overcome Cobh Ramblers 3-2 at home in the previous round.

Enroute to this quarter-final tie, they had a comfortable 4-0 away win against non-league Gorey Rangers in the first round before causing one of the shocks of the last 16 round when they won 2-0 away at Sligo Rovers who sit third in the Premier Division table.

BOHEMIANS

The five points picked up by Bohemians in their last three league games should be enough to remove them from any conversations around relegation and allow them to now fully focus on the FAI Cup, beginning with the short trip southside to UCD on Friday night.

The performance, as much as the result, in the 1-1 draw at home to Shelbourne last weekend will fill them with confidence as they now aim to reach the semi-final stage of the cup.



They did make very hard work of getting to the quarter final however, having been pushed all the way by a team occupying ninth place in the First Division one month ago.

They were held to a 2-2 draw by Kerry FC at Mounthawk Park in Tralee before scraping through 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out.

Their performances since then have been at a much higher level, none more so than the draw against Shelbourne. They were 1-0 down to a 59th minute Matty Smith goal but got their well-deserved draw from a Ross Tierney goal in the 83rdminute.

Manager Alan Reynolds spoke to the Bohemians media team in advance of tonight’s game and he said: “This will be another difficult game. We are coming up against a very good team in UCD, and we will have to improve our performances even further because they are a confident side, in good form and flying high in the First Division.

“They have excellent young players and they have experience there too. You only have to look at their result away to Sligo Rovers in the last round to see how good they are, so we have analysed them extensively, and we know we will have to respect them.

“They are at home, they will have looked back at our game against Kerry and will be looking at this game as another big opportunity for them, so it is up to us to be at the very top of our game.”



Referee: Damian McGrath

MATCH STATS

UCD’s sole win in the FAI Cup was all of 40 years ago in the 1983/84 season. They drew 0-0 with Shamrock Rovers in the final at Dalymount Park in front of 8.000 spectators and won the replay at Tolka Park 2-1. Joe Hanrahan and Ken Doherty scoring their goals in front of 6,500 fans.

They also incidentally beat Sligo Rovers by 5-0 enroute to that final, perhaps a good omen for the current crop of student footballers at the college.

The Gypsies have been in two of the last three FAI Cup finals losing both to St Patrick’s Athletic in 2021 and 2023.

The last time they climbed the winner’s podium was in 2008 when they beat Derry City at the RDS in front of 10,281 spectators.

The game ended 2-2 and Bohs won by 4-2 in the subsequent penalty shoot-out.

BETTING

UCD 5/1; Draw 14/5; Bohemians 1/2

PREDICTION

UCD 0 - 3 Bohemians 

UCD   

Injured: None

Doubtful: None

Suspended: None

Bohemians          

Injured: Keith Buckley, Rob Cornwall, Filip Piszczek, Adam McDonnell

Doubtful: None

Suspended: Dawson Devoy

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