Season Preview 2008: UCD

Last season in the league UCD promised much however come November they found themselves third from bottom just one point ahead of Waterford. The presumption for the final third of the season had been that they were safe from any threat of relegation - but that wasn't the case. They had been as high as fifth at one point and spent close to two months in the top half of the table but the way they ended the season meant that come the last game their Premier status was up for decision. Away to Galway, a point would be enough to seal their safety however should they come away from Terryland on the loosing side they would have to rely on Bray being defeated at home to Sligo or Waterford not winning away to Rovers at Tolka. UCD went on to loose by two goals to one and Bray comfortably defeated a very much weakened Sligo side. That left things in Waterford's hands but they were unable to score against a Rovers side who looked like they were merely going through the motions. UCD had survived, but only just. They had went the last ten league games of the season without a win. In fact its worth noting that had Longford not been deducted six points for off field irregularities UCD would have finished second from bottom and had to go through the playoff process.

Finishing as low as tenth will be a huge disappointment to Manager Pete Mahon and his management team. Some solace will be taken from the fact that his young side reached the semi finals of both cup competitions. There is an argument that those cup runs proved a distraction to the bread and butter of the league - and their league form certainly did seem to suffer when both the cup competitions had gotten underway. At various times over the course of the season the students showed that on their day they can beat any team in the league. Away wins in Derry (twice) and Drogheda are testament to this, plus they defeated Bohs at home in Belfield in July. UCD are a young side and that coupled with their inexperience as a team cost them wins and points over the course of the season. It should also be remembered that manager Mahon lost two key players just prior to the start of the season - Dicker and Kavanagh - and had little time to sign replacements.

This preseason, like many in the past, saw UCD lose many of their better players to bigger clubs. Conor Sammon and Darren Quigley left for Derry. Midfielder Shane McFaul left for English League One side Brighton, while Conan Byrne made a surprise move to new side Sporting Fingal. On top of that long time favourite Tony McDonnell said goodbye to the game and retired. Midfielder Paul Crowley has also moved on and joins former manager John Gill at Dundalk. At the moment the only confirmed signing is John Reilly from Longford. Reilly is a young right sided midfielder. He impressed when given the chance last season in the Midlands but at times looked a bit lightweight and would be easily knocked off the ball. Reilly started preseason friendlies against Wexford and Kildare and also came on a sub against his former side.

In goals Matt Gregg has the chance to prove himself this season without Quigley challenging for the jersey. Under 21 keeper Billy Brennan will be the back up. Judging on preseason games so far the first choice back four will be Alan Mahon, Brian Shorthall, Conor Kenna and Ian Bermingham. Bermingham hasn't featured in preseason but its hard to see him not being first choice left back. Shorthall looked shaky last season after he returned but has looked pretty solid in the preseason games. Kenna would seem to be the obvious choice to replace McDonnell as captain. He is an excellent defender, one of the best in the league and does a lot of talking and organising.

Alan McNally, a regular centre back last season, looks like he will be used in midfield this season. He has started all the friendlies in that position, sitting in front of the back four. He seems suited to the role and his distribution has improved with every game. Mahon has a couple of good options for his central midfield pairing. Brian King was excellent last season when given the chance, as was Greg Bolger. King is a good tackler and doesn't give the opposition any time on the ball, while Bolger has a great eye for a pass when he has time on the ball. Both have featured in friendlies so far. Ronan Finn is potentially the star of this current UCD side. He was injured for a lot of last season, and it took him a while to get back into his rhythm but he has looked very sharp in preseason. He is equally comfortable playing upfront and particularly good at dropping off and finding space between the lines. Winger Shane Fitzgerald picked up an injury in the one nil win over Drogheda that effectively ended his season. Up until then he was having a fine season after breaking into the first eleven. He is extremely quick and has good close control. More often than not he features on the right wing, however Mahon has also tried using him on the left. He has looked a bit sluggish so far in recent friendlies but hopefully once the season proper starts he will regain his form. He got on the score sheet twice last term and if he can add a few more goals to his game it wont be long before he is attracting the attention of bigger clubs. After impressing so much two seasons ago Pat McWalter really struggled last season when he returned to the side after injury. He was out for quite a long time and being played out of position probably didn't help matters either. He has looked lively in preseason and hopes are high that he will once again be a big player for College - he too can do a job upfront but the left hand side of midfield is where he does his best work. Derek Doyle is currently injured but will hopefully make a return sooner rather than later. His goals, strength in the air, and crossing ability will be needed.

UCD struggled upfront last season and will need to score more this time round. They wont be helped by the loss of Sammon, but if Paul Byrne stays fit he should be capable of at least ten goals. Byrne is particularly good in the air and looks a good finisher inside the box. He hit seven league goals last season and considering he was out for so long with the injury he picked up at Tolka against Rovers, that was a pretty good return. Timmy Purcell started last season with a bang and impressed everyone, as well as finding the back of the net with some neat finishes. He has been very good in the preseason games and it looks as if he and Byrne will start the season as the preferred front two. Purcell should be capable of seven plus goals for the season. Considering how often UCD go with five in midfield, one can probably expect Byrne to be the lone striker on a good few occasions with Finn getting forward from midfield as often and as quick as possible in support. Darren Forsyth and Francis Moran will also feature, but will start the season behind in the pecking order.

Six players got one goal last season for UCD and this season a similar if not better spread is again needed. Alan McNally and Conor Kenna should both be dangerous from corners and free kicks, especially when you consider how well the likes of Finn can deliver from dead ball situations. Finn himself should really be targeting at least five goals, and as mentioned above Fitzgerald is capable of weighing in with a handful. McWalter scored seven league goals two seasons ago and he needs to get himself back to that level week in week out.

UCD are many peoples favourites to be one of the relegated three this season and considering the quality of the players that have left the club you can see why they are being tipped for a return to the first division. They still have a decent sized squad but its certainly lacking experience. The clubs under 21s have been very successful over the last four years so those who will be coming through are among the leagues best for their age. Their home form was pretty poor last season, just four wins, and a total of just eighteen points. That was the second worst home record in the division - only Galway fared worse (by a single point) and nobody needs reminding of the problems they had winning games at Terryland. UCD have had a reputation over the years of being a difficult side to beat at home but a mere eighteen points from seventeen games is simply not good enough and unless that improves then they probably will be relegated. The season before last they garnered twenty four points from just sixteen home games and they need to be aiming on equalling or bettering that return this season. A total of thirty four or thirty five points will probably be needed to avoid the drop this season - well at least that's what the various relegation candidates will be planning for. Its looking like its going to be a tight battle at the bottom this season and being able to surprise a few of the top teams over the course of the season may be the key to survival.

In:
John Reilly (Longford Town)

Out:
Peter Hynes (End of Loan)
Paul Murphy (End of Loan)
Shane McFaul (Brighton)
Conor Sammon (Derry City)
Tony McDonnell (Retired)
Paul Crowley (Dundalk)
Conan Byrne (Sporting Fingal)
Darren Quigley (Derry City)