UCD picked up their first point since their return to the Premier Division with a comeback, 1-1 with St Patrick’s Athletic at Belfield on Friday night. The Richmond Road club took the lead, before having a real purple patch in the final fifteen min
UCD picked up their first point since their return to the Premier Division with a comeback, 1-1 with St Patrick’s Athletic at Belfield on Friday night. The Richmond Road club took the lead, before having a real purple patch in the final fifteen minutes of the opening half. But, on a dismally wet night on the southside of Dublin, their failure to capitalise was punished by the improved Students after the break. Pats had started with a very attacking formation, of Drennan, Miele, and Forrester up front. But the opening thirty minutes were even enough. Conor Davis elected to try to find his man, after intercepting a loose Pats pass. From the edge of the box, he might have tried to test Clarke. The former Reading man did force the Pats keeper into a save just after the 20 minute mark, as he met Tobin’s cross from the right. The Pats keeper was equal to it. McCabe had gone close for the visitors in the 4th minute, shooting over from the edge of the box. He was the provider when the deadlock was broken just before the half hour mark. His low cross from the left was met by Drennan. From seven yards, and with pace on the ball, the former Sligo had to make the perfect contact. And that’s exactly what he did, getting enough to push the ball into the bottom left corner. The Saints dominated the remainder of the half, but they couldn’t double their advantage before the break. With Collie O’Neill’s team talk still ringing in their ears, UCD upped it in the second-half. And they were level just over ten minutes after the restart, 1,589 days after a UCD team last scored a home goal in the Premier Division. A large chunk of the credit has to go to Liam Scales. The centre back ran at the Pats defence, beat his man out left, and crossed from the end line. Davis had to apply the finish from five yards. Neither side could force a winner in a hectic finale.
