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UCD -v- Derry City
- Jamie Mahon
- Thu, Jun 23 2011
Derry City travel to the Belfield Bowl in Dublin to face U.C.D on Friday night and will be confident of getting a result having beaten the students twice already this season. (Kick off, 7.45pm)
UCD’s previous meetings with Derry have both ended in defeat, including a 7-0 drubbing at the Brandywell at the beginning of May. This will be the first of two meetings the sides will have with each other in four days, with Derry returning to the Bowl again on Monday to contest the quarter final of the League Cup.
U.C.D have had a very poor run of form in the league losing eight of their last nine, the only win being against basement club Galway United. However they have been unlucky on occasion and have maybe deserved a bit more considering some of the neat football they have been playing. They will certainly be looking to halt the slide with Drogheda now snapping at their heels.
Robbie Creevy is their only injury worry as he still hasn’t shaken off a persistent leg injury. But Martin Russell was upbeat and said, “Derry City are a good footballing side and we are looking to play well and demonstrate the type of character that the game requires when you need to bounce back”.
Derry City, on the other hand, will go into the game full of confidence following a conclusive win over Bohemians and a very entertaining scoreless draw against Sligo Rovers. They are sitting just five points off the leaders, in third place, and with their next two fixtures against U.C.D and Drogheda, will feel they can cut the gap at the top of the table.
James McClean has been suffering with tonsillitis this week, Kevin Deery sustained a slight knock on the leg against Sligo and Eamon Zayed has been ill so all three will receive fitness tests before the game.
Derry City coach Declan Devine said “U.C.D on Friday night is a game we’ll have to lift ourselves for now and the same three points that were available against Bohemians and Sligo, are available for this game. Belfield has never been an easy place for us to visit in recent seasons and we know they are capable of causing us problems”.
Having already got the better of the students twice this term, it’s difficult to envision anything other than an away win here.
U.C.D
Injured: Robbie Creevy (leg).
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.
Derry City
Injured: None.
Doubtful: James McClean (tonsillitis), Kevin Deery (leg), Eamon Zayed (ill).
Suspended: None.
Referee: Paul Tuite.
Paddy Power Odds: U.C.D 6/1; Draw 3/1; Derry City 4/9.
Extratime prediction: Derry City to win 3-0.
About Jamie Mahon
Jamie Mahon joined the Extratime team at the beginning of 2011. Hailing from the North West, Jamie reports on all things Derry City. He can be contacted at theearcher@hotmail.com or on Twitter @JamieMahon23.