- Cahal McAuley
- Sat, Oct 30 2021
Shelbourne lifted the First Division trophy and bid farewell to Ian Morris after a 1-1 draw with UCD in the final round of league games at Tolka Park on Friday evening.
A late equaliser from substitute Yoyo Mahdy was enough to salvage a point after Evan Caffrey had given the Students an unlikely lead.
Shels dominated almost the entire game but left it late to get on scoresheet, and have managed to go the entire season unbeaten at home
Shels got off to a blistering start with Dayle Rooney testing Lorcan Healy early on, unleashing a rasping half volley which the UCD keeper did well to turn behind.
Evan Caffrey made an important interception from the resulting corner but would have been relieved to see the ball fly just over his own goal.
Sam Todd was instrumental in keeping the score level as he wore the armband in the absence of Jack Keaney. The former Finn Harps defender put his body on the line throughout the half, making three potentially goal saving blocks in the early stages.
The Reds began to turn up the heat around the quarter hour mark, playing some fantastic free flowing football down both flanks.
Kevin O’Connor struck the crossbar with a freekick from close range, doing brilliantly to get the ball up and down as Healy stood rooted to the spot.
Shortly after, Ryan Brennan started another swift counterattack with a clever flick to Jonathan Lunney. After some fine interplay between the two, the ball was eventually squared to Rooney who’s effort flew just wide.
O’Connor was left cursing his luck once again on 25 minutes as he struck the crossbar for the second time in less than ten minutes, seeing his flick on header graze the top of the upright.
The tempo of the game slowed dramatically after this as the Students finally began to get a foot on the ball after a mixture of committed defending and sheer luck saw them survive the Shels onslaught.
Evan Caffrey cut an isolated figure up front for much of the half as UCD struggled to cause problems for the Shels defence, but Meyler would have been happy to get his players in level at the break.
Shels started the second half with the same intensity as they done in the first as Georgie Poynton drew a save from Healy with an effort from an acute angle.
Moments later, Ryan Brennan was holding his head in his hands as he squandered a guilt edged opportunity, heading wide at an open goal from no more than two yards out.
The Reds kept the pressure on as Shane Farrell was the next to try his luck, dragging a low shot agonisingly wide of the far post.
It seemed only a matter of time before Shels broke the deadlock but astonishingly UCD took the lead through Caffrey on 54 minutes.
Dara Keane won back possession in midfield and the ball was eventually played through to Caffrey who slid a shot past Brendan Clarke who could possibly have done a bit better with the effort.
Tolka Park was left stunned by the goal after witnessing almost an hour of utter domination from their team.
The home side immediately attempted to retake the initiative as Keane was forced to direct a header dangerously close to his own crossbar.
The Reds struck the upright for the third time as John Ross Wilson saw his free kick graze the top of the bar as the charmed life of the UCD goal continued to the hour mark.
Substitute Ryan Brennan almost made an instant impact as he looked to guide a header past Healy, but his effort bounced wide as Shels’ frustration increased.
The tempo of the game slowed considerably once again as the introduction of Mark Dignam gave the Students a stronger foothold in midfield and it seemed as though Morris’ final game would end in disappointment until Shels finally got on the scoresheet in the dying minutes.
Former UCD talisman Yoyo Mahdy levelled the game seconds after coming off the bench, knocking the ball into the net after sub keeper Carl Williams had gone to ground to make a save.
Relief coursed through Tolka Park as Shels’ unbeaten home record remained intact. UCD were so close to an unlikely smash and grab win but were denied at the death.
The full-time whistle blew and Shels could look forward to the trophy lift, capping off an impressive season and giving Ian Morris a perfect send off.
UCD will be pleased to nick a point without risking several of their key players as Colm Whelan, Liam Kerrigan and Jack Keaney were not involved but an injury to keeper Lorcan Healy will be a cause of concern for Andy Meyler. The Students will now play Treaty United in the playoffs.
Shels received their trophy to wild celebrations and can now look forward to life back in the Premier Division.
Shelbourne: Brendan Clarke(Colm Cox 87); JJ Lunney (Michael O'Connor 60), Ally Gilchrist, Luke Byrne, John Ross Wilson (Kameron Ledwidge 79); Dayle Rooney, George Poynton (Michael Barker 79), Brian McManus (Yoyo Mahdy 87), Shane Farrell, Ryan Brennan (Yassine En-Neyah 60); Kevin O'Connor.
Subs not used: Maxim Kouogun, Eric Molloy, Gavin Molloy.
Booked: Luke Byrne (23).
UCD: Lorcan Healy (Carl Williams 76); Luke Boore (Daniel Norris 83), Evan Osam (Ciaran Behan 67), Sam Todd (Harry McEvoy 67); Sean Brennan (Mark Dignam 67), Evan Caffrey, Paul Doyle (Lennon Gill 60), Eoin Farrell, Dara Keane, Adam Lennon, Adam Verdon;
Subs not used: Matthew Scott, Donal Higgins, Colm Whelan.
Referee: Kevin O'Sullivan.
extratime.com Player of the Match:.Sam Todd (UCD)>
