- Andrew Dempsey
- Fri, Oct 18 2024
Andrew Dempsey reports from the Belfield Bowl
Mikey McCullagh’s thundering 86th-minute equaliser for UCD salvaged a point for the Students to secure second-place in the First Division on Friday night.
The Sky Blues trailed 2-0 heading into the last 15 minutes of normal time after Oisin Hand and Emmanuel James both scored to give the Red and Black a shock advantage.
Though Hugh Parker halved the deficit in the 79th minute before McCullagh arrowed a low effort into the bottom corner to avoid defeat for the hosts.
UCD will now place Bray Wanderers in a two-legged playoff, starting on Thursday next week at the Carlisle Grounds before the return leg at the Belfield Bowl on Monday week.
Winless in four prior to Friday’s regular season finale against Longford Town, Students boss Willie O’Connor sought to stop the rot by making four changes ahead of next week’s playoffs.
Kian Moore, Mikey Raggett, Harry Curtis and Jake Doyle all came in for Dara Kavanagh, Adam Verdon, Adam Brennan and Hugh Parker - while Longford were unchanged from last weekend’s 2-0 triumph at home against Cobh Ramblers.
But it was Longford who started the better of the two and almost found an opening when the lively Danny Norris crossed into the box after some good play from Ross Fay in midfield, only for nobody to be there to convert.
Striker Jordan Adeyemo also looked threatening for the visitors early on and held the line well for Wayne Groves’ troops.
UCD soon showed signs of life and went close with a Mikey Raggett free-kick that was just deflected over the bar of Harry Halwax’s net.
But Halwax was called into action in the 14th minute when he had to get down smartly to deny Sam Norval scoring from the edge of the penalty area after some good play in midfield from Adam Wells.
Kyle O’Connor then cracked an effort on goal that just went wide with the aid of a deflection.
The Students however were gaining a foothold in midfield and easily overran the visitors for an extended period of the opening half.
Though the best opening they could create was a header from Raggett that Halwx saved with ease following an Alex Dunne cross.
And UCD were made to pay for their inability to turn their dominance into chances when Longford took the lead on the stroke of half-time.
A Norris corner-kick was only half cleared by the Sky Blues, which allowed Dean O’Shea’s long-range shot fall kindly to Hand in the six-yard box.
And while he had work to do before scoring, the former Shamrock Rovers defender took the ball down well and rounded keeper Kian Moore before scoring - despite the best efforts of the hosts to keep the ball out.
UCD responded in the early stages of the second half by exerting a stranglehold on the game once again - and they created a number of chances through Stephen Mohan, Norval and Wells.
But the best they had before the hour was a long-range hit from Wells that Halwax had to do well to stop going into the top corner.
And the hosts were punished again for not taking their chances when James was sprung off the bench to score in the 76th minute.
The striker took the ball down well from a Shane Elworthy cross to fire past UCD stopper Moore as he looked to have secured all three points for the visitors.
But a strike from Parker halved the deficit for the Sky Blues after Halwax could only parry Ciaran Behan’s rasping shot from distance into the path of talented Wexford hitman Parker.
And in the 86th minute, McCullagh also brought on off the bench by Students boss O’Connor levelled it with a superb hit from the edge of the box after dispossessing Longford’s Karl Chambers.
But that was how it finished as Longford once again dropped points from a winning position, while UCD secured a second-place finish to face Bray Wanderers in a two-legged playoff next week.
UCD:Kian Moore; Éanna Clancy, Harry Curtis, Alex Dunne (Ciaran Behan 76), Niall Holohan; Jake Doyle (Adam Brennan 61), Donal Higgins (Danú Kinsella-Bishop 83), Stephen Mohan (Mikey McCullagh 61), Sam Norval, Adam Wells; Michael Raggett.
Subs not used:Dara Kavanagh, Cathal McCarthy, Colin Bolton, Hugh Parker, Matthew Alonge.
Booked:Adam Wells (61), Éanna Clancy (63), Sam Norval (90).
Longford Town:Harry Halwax; Oisin Hand, Kyle O'Connor, Dean O'Shea, Eric Yoro (Jordan Tallon 72); Shane Elworthy (Dean George 82), Ross Fay (Adam Wixted 72), Bastien Héry (Karl Chambers 72), Daniel Norris, Emre Topcu; Jordan Adeyemo (Emmanuel James 72).
Subs not used:Jack McCarthy, Viktor Serdeniuk, Chris Lotefa, Guilherme Rego Priosti.
Booked:Daniel Norris (57).
Referee:Oliver Moran.
Attendance:400 (estimate).
extratime.com Player of the Match: Adam Wells (UCD).
