Sligo Rovers pushed UCD ever closer to relegation from the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division with a 2-0 win at Belfield on Friday night. The result, coupled with Finn Harps' draw away at Cork, leaves the Students six points from safety with ju
Sligo Rovers made it two from two against UCD this season, winning a closely contested game 2-0 at Belfield on Monday night.
It’s a result that leaves Rovers six clear of the relegation play-off place, and looking towards the top half of the table, with leaders Shamrock Rovers visiting The Showgrounds on Saturday.
The goals both came in the second-half, through Dante Levorock and Regan Donelon. Again, as has been the case far too often of late, it was a failure to deal with corners that did the damage for College.
The first half lacked a bit for intensity, possibly reflecting a busy recent schedule for both clubs. Jason Coughlan tried a spectacular overhead kick, before David Cawley forced Conor Kearns into a comfortable early save.
The heavens then opened, and chances were a rare commodity after that. The closest UCD went in the opening forty-five was a Conor Davis shot on the stroke of half-time. It looked comfortable for Mitchell Beeney, but the ball slid off the surface, and nearly squirmed under the Rovers keeper’s body.
Beeney had earlier turned a Davis free-kick from thirty yards around the post. Rovers got their first goal inside ten minutes of the restart. The Students failed to clear a corner, before Kris Twarderk whipped in a nice ball across goal from a scissor-kick.
Leverock got there first at the front post, to finish past Kearns. Sligo killed off the game with ten minutes to go, as Donelon scored straight from a corner. Hesitation from UCD defenders, and Kearns in goals, saw the ball in from the left end up in the right corner of the net.
It was a very poor goal to concede, and it makes the trip to Ballybofey on Friday night particularly crucial for UCD.
