Niall Daly was back with a bang to help UCD to another 3 points.
UCD AFC made up for the disappointment of losing to Edenderry in their previous home game by beating Drogheda Town in the latest round of fixtures in the Leinster Senior League Senior 1 Division. Niall Daly returned to put in a man of the match performance up front, grabbing the only goal of the game, that even a Kryptonite infused Drogheda Town defence would have found difficult to contain.
UCD's trip to Drogheda was fraught with difficulty even before the first car left the confines of Belfield. Three of the usual starting back four were either injured or unavailable for the game through events of the heart. Stiofain Sexton was forced to pull out on arrival as he struggled to acclimatise to being outside Dublin and fell ill. UCD's strength in depth was about to be tested.
The game began as mist covered the pitch, UCD settled into their flowing style and put the home side under pressure from the first whistle. Ronan Lynagh was in flying form as he looked to nick possession at every opportunity. One such occasion left him free on goal but he keeper pulled off a decent stop.
As the half wore on both sides became sloppy in possession and the game became more of a battle. Both sides had penalty claims waved away, as firstly Niall Daly looked to have been tripped in the area and later Conor McGroarty challenged on incoming striker. UCD looked solid on the ball but could not create the killer opportunities.
UCD began the second half on the front foot and went ahead in the first few minutes. Lynagh again was at the heart of the action scampering after the opposition before winning the ball back. He moved further into the danger area and looked to get the ball into the box but the ball was cleared for a corner. Drogheda were at sixes and sevens and UCD took full advantage. Quick thinking from Tyrone McNelis and his off field partner in crime, Michael Whelan, lead to a short corner. Whelan's ball into the box was inch perfect and Niall Daly was on hand to bullet a header into the back of the net from ten yards out.
The goal capped a fine all round performance from Daly as his hold up play, movement and intelligent posititional sense lead him to be compared to Demba Ba, no doubt the Facebook pages will soon eulogise this striking wonder.
Drogheda's response was predictably strong. They increased their physical pressure on the UCD team and looked to gain a stronger foothold in the game. Conor McGroarty was called upon to make a wonderful save and he did not disappoint, keeping the UCD lead intact.
Drogheda piled on the pressure introducing a more physical presence up front. Tristan Dent and Cormac O'Brolchain stood strong at the back and in the middle of the park Kieran Harte, Lynagh and Sean Buckley offered the protection required to ensure a solid defensive unit while looking to get forward at every opportunity.
The game finished with McGroarty pulling off another outstanding save and UCD taking all three points.
UCD AFC: McGroarty, O'Reilly, Dent, O'Brolchain, Wright, Buckley (McErlane), Harte, Lynagh, Michael Whelan, McNelis (Marc Whelan), Daly (Campion)
