A first win of the season, and a move off the bottom of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division, meant a good Friday night for UCD manager Collie O’Neill at Belfield. A 3-0 victory, which opposition manager Ollie Horgan said afterwards could have
A first win of the season, and a move off the bottom of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division, meant a good Friday night for UCD manager Collie O’Neill at Belfield. A 3-0 victory, which opposition manager Ollie Horgan said afterwards could have been more. It took the Students an hour to break the deadlock through Timmy Molloy, before a brace from Richie O’Farrell put a fairer reflection on the scoreline. ‘I thought it was going to be deja-vu,’ said O’Neill to our reporter Peter Branigan afterwards, ‘after what happened last week (against Sligo)! ‘But again, the performance was good. And it’s been consistent though all of our games this year. ‘So it was nice to get a clean sheet, and goals to go in at the other end. I said that eventually it will come, if we just stick to our principles, and do what we’re good at, and tonight it came.’ It’s been a tough start to life in the Premier Division for College, but the performances have undoubtedly been getting better. From the heavy defeat in the Brandywell the first night, the team has put in good performances on the road against Dundalk and Sligo, despite coming away with narrow defeats on both occasions. Their home form has now seen them collect four points, and O’Neill says the team is starting to grow in confidence in the top flight. ‘We don’t look too much at the result, it’s the performance. All I ever ask of them is to have the courage to go and play. ‘We’ve been creating chances, but it was nice tonight that we finally took some of them. ‘We’re not looking just to be second from the bottom. We want to aim an awful lot higher than that. ‘I think with the ability and skill that’s there, it’s attainable. Whether we get the bit of luck along the way, I don’t know.’ And O’Neill was particularly happy that his players stood up to the physical challenge which the visitors brought. It was a night when referee Robert Harvey had to show no fewer than nine yellow cards, six of which were shown to Harps players. But O’Neill says he expected a team managed by Ollie Horgan to put it up them. ‘That’s Finn Harps, that’s just normal,’ according to Collie. ‘They play with their heart on their sleeve, full commitment, we know what’s coming. ‘It’s about us not buckling under that extra pressure and commitment from them, and about trying to get on the ball and pass it.’ UCD’s second goal on the night was O’Farrell’s first since his arrival in the off season from St Patrick’s Athletic. He’s been included in Tom Mohan’s under-19 panel for their UEFA Elite Round qualifiers against Azerbaijan, Romania, and hosts Russia next week, and his performance will have done his chances of game time there no harm, whatsoever. ‘Most teams probably aren’t aware of him,’ says his club manager. ‘He picks up great little pockets, he’s very hard to mark, because he’s very good at drifting off people’s shoulders. ‘So if you’re not fully aware of him, he’ll hurt you. Because he likes to get the other side of you, and drive forward with the ball. ‘He’s a good talent, and it’s nice to see him in the Ireland squad going to Russia.’
