League Preview: Dundalk -v- UCD

• Gareth O'Reilly
• Mon, Jun 02 2014




DUNDALK

Dundalk continue to go from strength to strength this season and now sit comfortably atop the 2014 SSE Airtricity League Premier Division table. The Lilywhites welcome The Students to Oriel Park on Monday night for this 7.45pm kick-off.

 

With Monday night providing many sides with a much needed night off Dundalk will be hoping to use it to their advantage to go further clear at the top of Premier Division table.

 

Dundalk head into this game with just the two injured bodies. Stephen O'Donnell sits this one out with his long term knee injury and he is joined by Keith Ward who is back on the treatment table with a back injury having only recently returned from his own long term knee injury.

 

Dundalk First Team Coach Vinny Perth was keen to stress when speaking to dundalkfc.com that UCD were going to be no push over and that his side were in for a tough game.

 

“The players have been excellent. The squad are in good shape and they are winning matches but that is down to the mentality of the group. They focus on one game at a time and you can see that with the way they have been winning games.

 

“UCD are a very good side. They have taken points off a lot of the teams around us this season and they gave us a really tough game in April and we are expecting the same again on Monday."

 

UCD

Aaron Callaghan was left a frustrated figure last Friday night when his UCD side failed to overcome Bray Wanderers. It will be even more of a concern to the former Bohs boss that his side rarely looked threatening in the final third of the pitch. He now brings his side northwards in the hoping of securing some points in the battle to avoid the drop.

 

Friday night’s game will not only have disappointed Callaghan but will also have left him with somewhat of a centre back crisis. Hugh Douglas was dismissed for a second bookable offence in the final minute of last Friday's game so he will miss the trip to Dundalk whilst James Kavanagh limped off with an ankle injury early on and is also out of this one.

 

The College also have Robbie Creevy and Thomas Boyle facing a race against time to prove their fitness with the latter failing his fitness test before the clash with Bray. Colm Crowe is also unavailable as his Republic of Ireland U19 side take on Serbia on Monday afternoon.

 

This list of absentees will join long term injury sufferers Dean Clarke and Aymen Ben Mohammed on the sideline.

 

Few could blame Aaron Callaghan or his side for going into this game in a pessimistic frame of mind but he has stated that it is vital that they remain positive.

 

“Obviously Monday night is going to be an extremely tough game against a very good Dundalk side who have won their last 5 games. However, going into the game we will have to remain positive.

 

"The last two games we have played up there we have come away with the vital three points on both occasions, and we picked up another good result on Friday against Bray, and were delighted with the clean sheet”.

 

Referee: Jim McKell

 

 

MATCH FACTS

There has not been a scoreless draw in the league between these sides this millennium. The last one came in January 1999.

 

Dundalk have lost their last two games at home to The Students and will want to prevent a record been broken as the Lilywhites have yet to ever suffer three straight defeats to the men from Belfield.

 

Dundalk have four former College men in their ranks with David McMillan, Keith Ward, Thomas Boyle and Darren Meenan all having previous experience with UCD. Ian Ryan is UCD's only former Dundalk player.

 

 

BETTING

Dundalk 1/4; Draw 4/1; UCD 9/1

 

PREDICTION

Dundalk 3-1 UCD - I reckon the bookies have this one spot on.

 

 

Dundalk

Injured: Stephen O'Donnell (Knee), Keith Ward (Back)
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None

 

UCD

Injured: Aymen Ben Mohammed (Knee), Dean Clarke (Back), James Kavanagh (Ankle)
Doubtful: Robbie Creevy, Tomas Boyle
Suspended: Hugh Douglas
International Duty: Colm Crowe (Republic of Ireland U19)