UCD -v- St. Patrick's Athletic

• Kevin Fagan
• Mon, May 03 2010


Table toppers St Pats travel to the UCD Bowl on Monday night looking to consolidate their place on top of the Airtricity League Premier Division. (Kick-off 7.45)

With second placed Dundalk and third placed Shamrock Rovers battling it out in Oriel Park, Pete Mahon will see this as a great opportunity to extend the Saint’s lead at the top. Standing in their way is a resolute UCD side, who ground out an excellent scoreless draw at champions Bohemians on Friday.

In surely a first for the league this season, both teams have no injuries or suspensions to worry about and full squads available to both Mahon and Martin Russell.

Incredibly, tonight’s clash will be Pats tenth game in just 31 days and manager Pete Mahon has been critical of this format, which saw his charges show some signs of fatigue in Fridays defeat to Rovers. “It’s like a juggling act here, taking notes of minutes on the pitch and trying to give players a bit of a rest. But at the same time were trying to win matches so it’s very difficult to get it exactly right”, Mahon told The Star.

UCD’s organisation has impressed many in the league this season, and despite their bottom-half placing, they boast the second best defence in the league behind Pats. They haven’t conceded in their last five fixtures and the form of centre half Andy Boyle has been crucial in this run. With Pats only conceding four goals all season, this doesn’t point to a goal-fest at the UCD Bowl. However, after a fantastic yet energy-sapping clean sheet at Dalymount Park on Friday, the Students may find it difficult to shut out the league leaders tonight. Pats will be looking to bounce back from Friday’s disappointment and claim another valuable three points in their quest for a first league title since 1999.

Venue: UCD Bowl
Paddypower.com Odds: UCD 12/5, Draw, 11/5, St. Pats 11/10.
Referee: P. Sutton
Extratime.ie Prediction: UCD 0 – 1 St Patricks Athletic