League Preview: UCD -v- Cabinteely

• Fran Reilly
• Fri, Mar 11 2016




UCD

Collie O'Neill's UCD will return to Belfield eager to put last week's opening night shocker behind them. The Students suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat at the hands of promotion rivals Limerick at Market's Field, with former St. Patrick's Athletic man Aaron Greene in fine form, bagging a brace.

 

O'Neill's side were under pressure from the off at Shannonside, but took a 19^th minute lead thanks to a header from centre-back Maxi Kouogun. Had Cathal Brady managed to capitalise moments later on a fumble by Blues 'keeper Freddy Hall from a Kieran Marty Waters shot, the rest of the match may well have panned out differently.

 

As it happened, the next goal in the game went to Greene to level the score. Students centre-back Brian Shortall was then shown a straight red card for an off-the-ball incident involving ex-UCD man Chris Mulhall just before the half-time interval.

 

“It's never easy going to the league favourites on the opening night in front of a big crowd, however we didn't make it easy for ourselves,” O'Neill told the club's website. “Maxi scored a great header to put us in the lead, however once we went down to ten men it was always going to be difficult.

 

“We will have to improve on Friday and not make any silly mistakes if we are going to come out on top. It is important that we stick to our game plan and be patient and make sure we take our chances when we get them.”

 

With arguably their toughest away trip from the first series of fixtures out of the way – and their next two games coming at home against the teams who finished bottom two in the First Division last season, Cabinteely and Waterford United – O'Neill will be eager for his team to kickstart their season with six points before travelling to Cobh on March 26^th.

 

Shortall misses out through suspension for the Students and there will be no home debut for new signing Jason Byrne (calf), while Daire O'Connor is ruled out with an ankle injury.

 

CABINTEELY

Cabinteely will be looking to repeat last season's trick of beating UCD in their second game of the campaign this coming Friday night. Around this time last year, Eddie Gormley's newly minted side – just three days after defeating Wexford Youths 1-0 on their League of Ireland debut – faced the Students for the first time ever in an EA Sports Cup first round clash.

 

The boys from the Borough of Dun Laoghaire drew first blood in the battle of the Southsiders, Shane O'Neill netting a winner deep in stoppage time at the UCD Bowl. Like last season, Cabo will meet UCD on the back of a single-goal margin victory from their league opener: this time a 2-1 win over Athlone Town in Blackrock last week.

 

However, Gormley's charges failed to earn even a single point from four league meetings with Collie O'Neill's side in 2015, scoring just once and conceding 12 times in the endeavor. Cabo will be eager to kick on this season following their debut campaign which saw them finish bottom of the table, one point behind Waterford United.

 

Gormley will once again have to plan without long-term injury victim, Victor Ekanem. Last season's Player of the Year ruptured his Achilles tendon in a pre-season friendly with Bohemians in January, with Ekanem telling the clubs's website back in February that he was hopeful of returning “for the last three to four months of the season.”

 

Referee: David McKeon.

 

MATCH STATS

Cabinteely won the first ever LOI game between these sides 1-0 in an EA Sports Cup game in March 2015, but UCD won the next four First Division meetings with an aggregate score of 12-1.

 

Students striker Ryan Swan bagged four goals in UCD's 6-1 win over Cabo in June.

 

Cabinteely's victory over Athlone Town in their curtain raiser last week made it two opening day wins from two for the Dun Laoghaire outfit.

 

By approximately two minutes, UCD's Brian Shortall was the first of five players to be sent off during the opening weekend of the 2016 LOI campaign. Sligo Rovers' Kieran Sadlier was a close second. Of the five to be shown red, only Shortall plays in the First Division.

 

BETTING

UCD 4/11; Draw 3/1; Cabinteely 15/2.

 

PREDICTION

UCD 2-1 Cabinteely.

 

 

UCD

Injured: Jason Byrne (calf), Daire O'Connor (ankle).

Doubtful: None.

Suspended: Brian Shortall.

 

Cabinteely

Injured: Victor Ekanem (Achilles tendon).

Doubtful: Unknown.

Suspended: None.