U.C.D: First Day of School

[OhhhRickieLambert]

Some of those signings look brilliant! The older guys coming in will breeze this level, i only managed to pick up Stephen Hunt out of the older generation and hes looked good so far, Dundalk look a tough ask to beat in the league though

Yeah im absolutely stoked with them! It was deadline day and I saw Bohemians had signed Jon Douglas and Dundalk has signed Aaron McCarey and wondered if there were any other Irish freebies and was shocked when they were happy to sign! It's going to be a case of keeping them all fit and healthy while Dundalk are almost unbeatable at the moment.

 

[OhhhRickieLambert]

First Day of School

September/October 2016

The last update of an amazing season as the fight for second place goes down to the wire

​

U.C.D. 2-2 Bohemians
Marshall 6'
Long 47'
McClelland 71'
Quigley 73'
Pegged back twice against an average side. Very disappointing as it opens the door for Shamrock Rovers with their games in hand

​

Finn Harps 1-3 U.C.D.
Lehane 7'
Watts 17'
Marshall (Pen) 75'
Harkin 87'
Did what had to be done here. Keeps the pressure on for second spot

U.C.D. 1-1 Cork City
Buckley 45+1'
Marshall 51'
A decent result against the team currently in fourth. The only problem is Shamrock Rovers only need to win their game in hand to sit above us in second

U.C.D. 4-1 Galway Utd
McClelland 3' & 66'
Byrne (OG) 31'
Cunningham 71'
Lyons 77'
Three points against the relegation favourites, even with on loan centre back Jeff Henderson getting sent off in the 43rd minute

U.C.D. 1-0 Derry City
Watts 81'
The fight for second place is going to go down to the last game as we sit one point behind Shamrock Rovers.

Bray Wanderers 1-2 U.C.D.
Marshall 47'
Osborne 78'
Pender 87'
So we did our part but unfortunately so did Shamrock Rovers meaning we finish the season in third place

League Table

View attachment 130532

So thats the end of my first season in the IPL and to finish third and qualify for the Europa League is an incredible feat. Ive got to believe this isn't a one off and with the right additions we'll hopefully start challenging for the title. First off we need to make sure we consolidate this third place and finish in the European spots again.

​

 

[OhhhRickieLambert]

First Day of School

End of Season 2016

'' Scarce few pundits will have been brave enough to pluck U.C.D. from mid-table obscurity in pre-season and mark them out for bigger and better things but The Students did exactly that, surprising everyone as they broke free from the pack and secured continental qualification.'' - The Irish Football Express

End of Season Confidence- Very Secure

Competitions

Irish Premier League - Third Place
Irish Senior Challenge Cup - Third Round Round
Irish League Cup - First Round
Irish Leinster Senior Cup - Fourth Round

Awards

Fan's Player of the Season - Dylan Watts (MC)
Goal of the Season - Jason McClelland (ML)
Young Player of the Season - Dylan Watts (MC)

Team of the Season
View attachment 130045

Top Goalscorer - Rob Lehane (18 Goals)
Highest Average Rating - Jason McClelland (7.78)
Most Assists - Dean Marshall (9 Assists)
Most Player of the Match - Dean Marshall (6 PoM)
Average Attendance - 737
Highest Attendance - 2,567 (vs Shamrock Rovers, Irish Premier League)
Total Players Used - 40 (Highest in Premier League)
Biggest Win - 4-0 (vs Limerick F.C. Irish Senior Challenge Cup)
Most Games Won in a Row - 3 (15th to 29th July)
Finances - -£130,686

Irish Premier League
Winner - Dundalk
Europa League - Shamrock Rovers, U.C.D, Cork City​

Relegated - Galway Utd

Irish First Division
Winner - Shelbourne
Bottom - Drogheda Utd

Irish Senior Challenge Cup Winner - Shamrock Rovers
Irish League Cup Winner - Cork City
Irish Munster Senior Cup Winner - Waterford Utd
Irish Leinster Senior Cup Winner - Shamrock Rovers
Irish President's Cup Winner - Dundalk

An incredible first season back in the Irish Premier League as we confound all expectations and get a spot back in the Europa League qualifiers for the second time in three seasons and it couldn't come any quicker with our finances looking very precarious. My aim for the next season is to improve on our top three position and get a little further in the Europa League qualifiers while having a better run in the domestic cups as it's something that I've not given any priority to previously.​

 

[Disclaimer89]

Just caught up! Fantastic reading so far, really enjoying it.
I'm now tempted to have another run with Cobh Ramblers... haha.
Keep it up, will be following

 

[OhhhRickieLambert]

Just caught up! Fantastic reading so far, really enjoying it.
I'm now tempted to have another run with Cobh Ramblers... haha.
Keep it up, will be following

Thanks a lot mate i appreciate it. Cobh Ramblers could use the help! Really struggling in my save. Couple of decent players you can build a side around.

 

[OhhhRickieLambert]

First Day of School

Pre Season 2017

Media Prediction
After last seasons exploits the media believe we'll finish fifth. Still not sure whether last season was a one off or whether we're a justified top 4 side every year. The crop of players we have here should ensure a better than mid table finish.

Season Tickets
Sales marginally increased from 116 last season to 124 which is a little disappointing considering the season we've just had. Was hoping for a few more after impressing in the league and getting into the Europa League qualifiers again.

Facilities
Bit of a kick in the nuts that due to technological advances our facilities all dropped meaning that our youth facilities are now below average and our youth recruitment is basic.

Transfers
View attachment 129233
After our exploits last season I decided to beef up the squad with more quality and depth considering we're back in Europe and my want to go further in the domestic cup competitions. I have high expectations off centre back Niall Canavan, strikers Ciaran Kilduff and Danny North.

Pre Season Friendlies

I gave the guys eight friendlies this pre season as I was trying to adjust them to a new 4-4-2 formation. It was pretty successful getting seven wins and a draw albeit against lower opposition.​

 

[OhhhRickieLambert]

First Day of School

February/March 2017

As with every year there's only one competitive game in February so I figured i would group it in with March's update as there wasn't any other newsworthy stories.
Goals galore in the cup competitions doesn't translate into our poor start to the league.

U.C.D. 1-1 Finn Harps
Lehane 45+1'
Martin 52'
We took the lead in first half added time but weren't able to take all three points against a lowly Finn Harps side in what was a fairly even contest

U.C.D. 0-2 Dundalk
McEleney 3'
McAlinden 46'
A very poor defensive effort against last seasons champions

Derry City 2-1 U.C.D.
Langley 12'
Keegan 65'
Kilduff 75'
More shots and more possession doesn't result in three points as our poor start to the season continues

U.C.D. 0-0 Bray Wanderers
A bore draw as our new strikers weren't able to capitalise against a team that struggled last year

St Pat's Athletic 1-1 U.C.D.
Marshall 34'
McEleney 80'
A really good point away against the team that was top before this match. A bit disappointed not to hold on for all three points

League Table

View attachment 129226

A very disappointing start only getting three draws from our first five matches. Cork City are already twelve points ahead after five games so unless we buck our ideas up soon our chances of repeating last season will fall apart quickly

Leinster Senior Cup Fourth Round

Bangor City 1-2 U.C.D.
Marshall 22'
Tuite 30'
Fitzpatrick 37'
A comfortable win to get us through to the quarter final

Leinster Senior Cup Quarter Final

U.C.D. 4-0 Shelbourne
Lehane 15'
Hunt 25'
Benrouguibi 42'
North 62'
AIt finally all comes together at home against newly promoted Shelbourne to see us make the semi final of this competition for the first time since I took charge

EA Sports Cup First Round

Athlone Town 1-4 U.C.D.
Lehane 4' 27' & 45+1'
Marshall 8'
Lawless 31'
Another four goal effort as Rob Lehane bags a hat-trick to see us past the first game in this competition during my reign​

 

[OhhhRickieLambert]

First Day of School

April 2017

A full calendar of games this month sees us undefeated in the league as we start to climb up the ladder.

Shamrock Rovers 1-3 U.C.D.
Clarke 30'
Kilduff 37'
Hunt 56'
Marshall 59'
An excellent performance against a top, top side away from home to start as off in a positive fashion after last months poor efforts

U.C.D. 2-2 Sligo Rovers
Kilduff 5' 83'
O'Connor 46'
Boyle 83'
A disappointing point as I thought we had snatched it late on through the impressive Ciaran Kilduff's second of the match but Sligo went staright down the other end from kickoff to equalise

Cork City 2-2 U.C.D.
Hunt 33'
Sheppard 49'
Buckley 54'
Marshall 56'
An excellent point against one of the pace setters this season. We were out played but still managed to ****** a draw

Bohemians 1-1 U.C.D.
O'Halloran 45+2'
Holohan 46'
A fairly even game in which a point was probably about right

U.C.D. 1-1 Shelbourne
Kilduff 71'
Sandford 77'
A disappointing result against a side we demolished in the cup earlier in the season. At the moment we seem unable to hold onto a lead or keep a clean sheet

Longford 0-1 U.C.D.​

Kilduff 54'
It would have been quite easy to slip up against a Longford side around us on the table but we did the job to continue the month unbeaten

Finn Harps 1-3 U.C.D.
Kilduff 44'
McGonagle 55'
Hunt 72'
Benrouguibi 89'
A good way to end our seven game run this month as striker Ciaran Kilduff gets his sixth goal of the month to also grab player of the month

League Table

View attachment 129145

A month undefeated sees us rise up the league and keep us in touching distance of the top four. Hopefully our early season blip was just that and we can get back to business as usual​

 

[OhhhRickieLambert]

First Day of School

May/June 2017

Only one game at the end of June after the mid season break so i decided to join the two updates together. We face four league games and five cup games to round what was another pretty good month.

​

U.C.D. 0-2 Cork City
Maguire 8'
Delaney (OG) 90+2'
A pretty even game in terms of chances and possession but our defence had a very poor game that ultimately let us down

Dundalk 1-2 U.C.D.
Holohan 12'
Kilduff 80'
McEleney 81'
An excellent result away from home as midfielder Gavan Holohan ran the champions ragged as even though left back Alan Sheehan was sent off after 63' we still managed to stay in charge and score a second before a nervy finish as they scored straight after

U.C.D. 3-2 Derry City
Keegan 2'
Hyland 34' & 88'
Holden 73'
North 86'
Another victory against a team sitting above us on the table. It looked for long periods we were going to drop three crucial points but we came back both times and then managed to sneak a late winner which on the balance of play was probably justified

U.C.D. 2-0 St Pat's Athletic
North 77' & 87'
Another league game this month where we secure victory against a team sitting above us on the table. Striker Danny North was brought on as an attacking midfielder and did exactly what i was hoping he would by putting away a couple of goals to keep us in touch with the top four

League Table

View attachment 128119

As I mentioned our results this month keep us in touch with the top four teams going into the halfway point of the season.

Senior Challenge Cup Second Round

U.C.D. 1-1 Cabinteely
Hanrahan 68'
O'Connor 88'
A disappointing result against a team that has been a bit of a bogey side for us over the past few years. Youngster Gary O'Connor rescues a replay for us

Senior Challenge Cup Second Round Replay

Cabinteely 3-3p U.C.D
Quinlivan 3'
Hanley 26' & 96'
Byrne 49'
Kilduff 90'
Hunt 105+1'
Cabinteely took a surprise two goal lead in the first half but we managed to drag it back and take the game to extra time with a Ciaran Kilduff 90th minute equaliser. We again had to come from behind before winning the shootout 4-3 with keeper Conor O'Donnell saving three penalties

View attachment 128117
EA Sports Cup Second Round

U.C.D. 1-1p Bohemians
Kavanagh 40'
Kelly 80'
Knocked out on penalties after having the chance to win the shootout but Jake Hyland managed to have his effort saved then with our next one Gavan Holohan did the same thing to end our League Cup run

View attachment 128113

Leinster Senior Cup Semi Final

U.C.D. p0-0 Cabinteely
This was the third time we played Cabinteely in 16 days and they're not even in the same league! Another struggle against them in a match we dominated as left back Adam White got sent off for us after 76 minutes. We won the shootout 8-7 to progress to my first cup final!

Leinster Senior Cup Final

U.C.D. 0-0p Dundalk
This Another cup game in this update that involved a penalty shootout. In this case we were on the wrong side of the one that mattered. It was a frustrating game that we absolutely dominated and if it wasn't for poor finishing coupled with some excellent goalkeeping we would have killed the game off in normal time. As it were we had to go to the lottery of penalties and ultimately their skill from the spot shone through and we fall at the final hurdle​

 

[OhhhRickieLambert]

First Day of School

July 2017

Another busy month as European football returns to the Belfield Bowl along with four games in the league.

​

U.C.D. 1-1 Shamrock Rovers
Kilduff 17'
Mulhern 80'
Patrick Cregg got sent off for Shamrock Rovers after 57 minutes but we were unable to take advantage as Alan Sheehan returned the favour by reducing us to ten men also allowing Rovers to equalise

Shelbourne 0-2 U.C.D.
Lehane 43'
Liddle 46'
A very comfortable result against the newly promoted hosts

U.C.D. 0-0 Bohemians
A bore draw where not many chances were created. Feels like two dropped points as apposed to one gained

U.C.D. 1-2 Longford
Melody 30'
Ireland 38'
Gorman (Pen) 80'
A really poor result as teams above us dropped points aswell, denying us the opportunity to close the gap. Stephen Ireland equalised with an absolute screamer from 20 yards out but substitute Kurtis Byrne gave away a needless penalty to give up all three points

League Table

View attachment 128059

A decent enough month where we don't lose too much ground but a sharp improvement will need to occur once the Europa League campaign is over

View attachment 1077732

Europa League First Qualifying Round

AS Omonoia Nicosia 1-3 U.C.D
Aristeidou 10'
Kilduff 16'
Tabb 53'
Holohan 68'
An incredible result against a much higher ranked side. When i saw they had Matt Derbyshire and Cillian Sheridan up front i feared the worst. Those fears were doubled when they took an early lead but we didnt panic and controlled the rest of the game

U.C.D. 2-1 AS Omonoia Nicosia
Holohan 7'
Sheehan 38'
Sheridan 70'
A comfortable second leg as first half goals nullified the opposition enough for us to enjoy the £70K we received for playing in this round of the competition

Europa League Second Qualifying Round

Belshina Bobruisk 1-3 U.C.D
Tabb 32'
Dulub 36'
Kilduff 37' & 70'
We were rewarded with a second round tie against a much easier opponent and the result was much of the same with a flurry of goals between the 32nd and 37th minutes. Kilduff all but ended the tie with a second half header

U.C.D. 2-0 Belshina Bobruisk
Hunt (Pen) 25'
Kilduff 32'
A comfortable second leg set up due to our good first leg. Two early goals ended the tie as a contest as we were able to enjoy our furthest progression in Europe to date

Europa League Third Qualifying Round

Girondins De Bordeaux 2-1 U.C.D.
Bouchet 19'
van der Vaart (Pen) 22'
North 88'
Our reward for reaching this far is an impossible tie against Bordeaux. We only had two chances and managed to score with one to get a crucial away goal in a match where Bordeaux will be wondering how they only scored two

U.C.D. 0-2 Girondins De Bordeaux
Bouchet 26'
Gautier 89'
We came up against a team with much more class. I wish I could blame the result on the fact we played at the Aviva instead of the Belfield Bowl but i doubt that would have made a difference

Transfer Window

View attachment 128058

The July transfer window opened again and with it were a lot of experienced Irishmen wanting to come home. I could have made 15 signings but restrained myself and managed to keep it to eight in and four out.
Along with the above signings I tried to get Darron Gibson and Anthony Stokes in on a free but asked for too much. Absolutely amazed to be able to get Wes Hoolahan and Stephen Ireland in fairly cheap. ​

 

[OhhhRickieLambert]

First Day of School

August 2017

Another positive month in the league and progress achieved in the Challenge Cup

​

U.C.D. 2-1 Finn Harps
Best 15'
Martin 27'
Kavanagh 55'
This result should have been a lot more comfortable than it was. New signing Wes Hoolahan got the man of the match

Cork City 0-1 U.C.D.
O'Hanlon 49'
A fantastic result against another team at the top away from home. Striker Josh O'Hanlon scores the winner on his debut

Sligo Rovers 0-2 U.C.D.
E.Stokes 6' & 38'
Sligo Rovers have been poor this season and we continued our excellent form away from home with another debutant, striker Eoghan Stokes getting two

U.C.D. 0-1 Bray Wanderers
Creevy 20'
A really poor result in a match we dominated at home against a team at the bottom of the league

League Table

View attachment 128007

We still have a couple of games in hand on the teams above us. I can't see us catching St Pat's in third place so we need to hope we win the Challenge Cup to get that European place.

Senior Challenge Cup Third Round

U.C.D. 2-0 Athlone Town
Lehane 59' & 90+2'
Progress to the quarter finals is achieved through Rob Lehane's double from the right wing. We've drawn Bray Wanderers in the next round who we've just lost to in the league​

 

[OhhhRickieLambert]

First Day of School

September 2017

Another good month in the league while we make it difficult for ourselves in the Challenge Cup. Two more additions to the squad including a long time target, former EPL and SPL striker Anthony Stokes and promising former Man City trainee Aaron O'Driscoll

​

Shamrock Rovers 0-2 U.C.D.
Sheehan (Pen) 6'
Yadolahi 71'
Alan Sheehan got us off to the perfect start from the spot before centre back Neil Yadolahi secured the points with his first ever goal for the club to continue our incredible form away from home this season

U.C.D. 1-0 Dundalk
E.Stokes 71'
Another brilliant result against the team that looks to be heading for another title. Our results against the top four this season have been amazing, only losing twice to them

U.C.D. 3-4 Sligo Rovers
Tabb 4'
Dunne 14'
Hamilton 22' & 51'
Marshall 27'
A.Stokes 39'
O'Connor 66'
A very frustrating defensive performance at home against a team struggling in 8th. I thought when Anthony Stokes scored his first for the club to give us a 3-2 lead at half time we would be alright but the defence fell to pieces allowing some really poor goals

St Pat's Athletic 1-1 U.C.D.
Akinade 39'
Byrne 45'
We dominated this one but were unable to capitalise on our opportunities as a first half stoppage time equaliser seems to deflate us

Bohemians 0-2 U.C.D.
A.Stokes 16'
Tabb (Pen) 27'
A straightforward result against a team struggling in the league

League Table

View attachment 127692

Looking pretty good for fourth place at the moment and with a couple of games in hand we've got a tiny chance of grabbing third off of Cork City

Senior Challenge Cup Quarter Final

U.C.D. 3-3 Bray Wanderers
Allan 6'
Kavanagh 14'
E.Stokes 25'
Quinn 32' & 37'
Kilduff 75'
Another home game against lowly opposition where we ship the goals, this time resulting in a replay at a time where we are playing catch up in the league and can't really be doing these extra games

Senior Challenge Cup Quarter Final Replay

Bray Wanderers 1-1p U.C.D.
Tabb 8'
Quinn 11'
We've done it the hard way again requiring penalties to progress to the semi finals after centre back Gary O'Connor received an early bath for a second yellow card in the 69th minute. In the shootout Bray youngster Sean Quinn blazed over after scoring three goals over the two legs to hand us the victory 5-3​

 

[OhhhRickieLambert]

First Day of School

October 2017

Our second season in the Premier League comes to an end. Can we hold onto fourth place and make a second cup final this season?

​

Derry City 2-1 U.C.D.
Davis 20'
Keegan 30'
Hunt 65'
A disappointing result against a team right on our tails in the league. This has given Derry and Shamrock the chance to overtake us with another loss

U.C.D. 0-0 Shelbourne
More dropped points at home against a struggling side. The front four didn't fire and as a consequence we are hanging onto fourth spot by one point with two games to go

Bray Wanderers 0-2 U.C.D.
A.Stokes 63'
Lehane72'
A more straightforward result against a team we struggled against in the Challenge Cup

Longford 2-3 U.C.D.
Hunt 14'
O'Sullivan 22'
A.Stokes 45'
Duffy 79'
Byrne 86'
A real cracker of a match for the neutrals to finish off the Irish Premier League but I wasn't too impressed with our defending. Bit part winger Kurtis Byrne got the winner here rising highest from Anthony Stokes cross to guarantee a fourth place finish

League Table

View attachment 127685

Confirmation of our fourth place finish by the solitary point while we were six points off third where we finished last season with four less points earned than this time last year. We had the best defensive record in the league but didn't score nearly enough goals and drew to many with 7 of our first 10 games ending in that manner

Senior Challenge Cup Semi Final

U.C.D. 1-0 Finn Harps
Kilduff 59'
We did what was required here as goalkeeper Rene Gilmartin receives man of the match in a game where Finn Harps had more of the ball but fewer opportunities as we make our second final of the season!

Senior Challenge Cup Final

U.C.D. 1-0 Bohemians
Kilduff 90+3'
We played Bohemians in the league last month and won comfortably away from home but if we thought that this game would go the same way we would have been very much mistaken.
Although we had more possession and shots which has become the norm despite the scoreboard, we weren't able to break them down effectively and when Bohemians were awarded a penalty in the 77th minute due to a trip by substitute Anthony Stokes it appeared as though we were going to fall at the final hurdle again. Up stepped Jake Kelly and Rene Gilmartin picked the right way and managed to palm it away from the goal to keep us alive.
Just as i was preparing for extra time and the possibility of heading to a sixth penalty shootout this season we won a throw in on the left wing with only seconds to go. Left back Adam White threw it towards the corner to Stephen Ireland who took a touch and whipped in a near post cross. Ciaran Kilduff made a diagonal run from the penalty spot and rose every centimetre of his 183cm frame six yards out and helped it into the roof of the net to send the U.C.D. fans into raptures and me jumping around like a madman, celebrating my first trophy in three years at the helm!!!​

 

[OhhhRickieLambert]

First Day of School

End of Season 2017

'' Scarce few pundits will have been brave enough to pluck U.C.D. from mid-table obscurity in pre-season and mark them out for bigger and better things but The Students did exactly that, surprising everyone as they broke free from the pack and secured continental qualification.'' - The Irish Football Express

End of Season Confidence- Very Secure

Competitions

Irish Premier League - Fourth Place
Irish Senior Challenge Cup - Champions
Irish League Cup - Second Round
Irish Leinster Senior Cup - Finalists

Awards

Fan's Player of the Season - John Kavanagh (DR)
Goal of the Season - Ciaran Kilduff (ST)
Young Player of the Season - John Kavanagh (DR)

Team of the Season
View attachment 127677

Top Goalscorer - Ciaran Kilduff (17 Goals)
Highest Average Rating - John Kavanagh (7.62)
Most Assists - John Kavanagh (11 Assists)
Most Player of the Match - John Kavanagh (7 PoM)
Average Attendance - 842
Highest Attendance - 3,000 (vs Dundalk, Irish Leinster Senior Cup Final)
Total Players Used - 41 (Highest in Premier League)
Biggest Win - 4-0 (vs Shelbourne Irish Senior Leinster Cup)
Most Games Won in a Row - 4 (29th September 2016 to 19th February 2017)
Finances - -£187,232

Irish Premier League

Winner - Dundalk
Europa League - St Pat's Athletic, Cork City, U.C.D.​

Relegated - Finn Harps

Irish First Division

Winner - Galway United
Bottom - Athlone Town
Irish Senior Challenge Cup Winner - U.C.D.
Irish League Cup Winner - Bohemians
Irish Munster Senior Cup Winner - Cork City
Irish Leinster Senior Cup Winner - Dundalk
Irish President's Cup Winner - Dundalk

We've consolidated our position as a top four side and brought European football back to U.C.D. for another season achieving two out of my three goals for the season by reaching the next qualifying round in the Europa League as well as also having an excellent run in the cups making two finals. My board wants me to win the title this coming season so the pressure is really on to improve again. ​

 

[coolmcool]

Congrats on the Cup Win, Does that mean you have Europa League qualifiers to look forward too next season?

 

[OhhhRickieLambert]

Congrats on the Cup Win, Does that mean you have Europa League qualifiers to look forward too next season?

Thanks mate, yeah we'll have Europa League qualifiers again for the third time so far which I'm stoked about as it basically is saving my club from massive debt

 

[OhhhRickieLambert]

First Day of School

Pre Season 2018

Media Prediction
Incredibly we've been made equal favourites for the title! I'm not sure why this has occurred as we've only been in the Premier League two seasons and our highest finish was a distant third place. Maybe it's due to the squad we have but we've yet to hit our straps

Season Tickets
Somehow we've only gained two extra season ticket holders this season taking us to 126 overall

Facilities
No change to our facilities over the past twelve months

Transfers
View attachment 127201
Only the two incoming players this pre season as I needed to cut costs and thin out the excess players that weren't getting a game. The biggest loss here was Stephen Hunt who decided to retire despite my attempts to prevent it. I also managed to get a couple of players out on loan which will hopefully put me in good stead going forward

Pre Season Friendlies
I gave the guys nine friendlies this pre season as I've implemented a new 4-2-3-1 formation that will hopefully result in more goals. We managed six wins, a draw and two losses scoring 14 goals and conceding 8.​

 

[OhhhRickieLambert]

First Day of School

February/March 2018

An undefeated start to the league campaign makes up for disappointment in the season's curtain raiser. In an odd twist of fate we play title rivals Dundalk three time in eight days over three competitions

Dundalk 1-1 U.C.D.​

McDermott 30'
O'Driscoll 59'
A good away point against the champions and the other favourite for the title

Sligo Rovers 1-5 U.C.D.
Deegan 1'
Burke 10'
Gibson 39'
Sheehan 52'
Akinade 70'
O'Hanlon 78'
An excellent performance away from home to kick start our season. Former player Gary Deegan scored an absolute rocket in the first minute before getting a straight red in the 30th minute when it was still 1-1. Right back John Kavanagh starred with three assists in a man of the match performance

U.C.D. 0-0 Shamrock Rovers
A share of the points was all we could muster in the Dublin Derby to see us take points off of two very good teams already this season

U.C.D. 1-0 Shelbourne
Sullivan 79'
Defensive midfielder John Sullivan scored off the bench in his first game since his loan spell at Derry City last season

League Table

View attachment 127043

A good start to the season sees us provisionally in top spot after the first month. With the board expecting the title it's important that we're consistent and don't get too far behind as its a short season and playing catch-up is difficult

Leinster Senior Cup Fourth Round

U.C.D. 2-0 St Pat's Athletic
Lehane 68'
Kilduff 83'
A good crowd saw us get an easy win and passage through to the Quarter Final

Leinster Senior Cup Quarter Final

U.C.D. 1-3 Dundalk
Hoolahan 14'
McAlinden 38' & 41'
O'Connor 46'
This was the last of the three games in a row against Dundalk and i was glad to see the back of them as they completely outplayed us, knocking us out of this tournament for the second season in a row

View attachment 127040
Irish President's Cup

Dundalk p2-2 U.C.D.
Kilduff 41'
McAlinden 55'
Horgan 71'
Ireland 78'
Beaten in a final on penalties again by Dundalk as White and Tabb missed our first two penalties and though Gilmartin saved the next we weren't able to overcome them again
​

 

[OhhhRickieLambert]

​

First Day of School

April 2018

An incredible month of league fixtures as we finish it with a 100% record. Ciaran Kilduff continues his form from last season scoring half of all our goals.

U.C.D. 2-0 Bohemians
Hoolahan 48'
Kilduff 88'
A good performance to keep our unbeaten start going

St Pat's Athletic 0-1 U.C.D.
Kilduff 4'
We take all the points from last seasons second place team thanks to Kilduff's early goal

U.C.D. 2-0 Cork City
Ireland 54'
Sheehan 56'
Two quick goals after half time gives us another three points against a team that finished above us last year. That's now eight points out of a possible twelve against the other title contenders so far this season

U.C.D. 1-0 Longford
Ireland 9'
We keep our good form going with a professional performance thanks to Ireland's early strike

Bray Wanderers 2-3 U.C.D.​

Kilduff 6' & 33'
Connolly 13'
Ireland 40'
Clucas 88'
This was a very comfortable victory despite their late goal

Galway Utd 0-2 U.C.D.
Lehane 42'
Burke 46'
Newly promoted Galway are the latest opponent to fall by the way side as our streak continues

U.C.D. 4-1 Derry City
Kilduff 11' 14' & (Pen) 43'
Holden 48'
Lehane 66'
An excellent month is concluded with a big win as Kilduff scores a hat-trick to get his seventh goal this month and stretch our winning run to eight in a row and our unbeaten run in the league to fourteen

League Table

View attachment 126986

An outstanding start to the season continues as we open a three point lead. Dundalk have fallen off the pace early, falling ten points behind leaving the title race wide open this season​

 

[OhhhRickieLambert]

First Day of School

May/June 2018

Only two games in early June before the mid season break so the two updates are joined together. We face five league games and three cup games to continue what has been an excellent start to the season.

Bohemians 0-0 U.C.D.
A really poor result away from home as we weren't able to really test their keeper despite having twenty shots
​

U.C.D. 0-0 Dundalk
Back to back league draws. At least we don't concede any ground to our main title rivals

U.C.D. 4-3 Sligo Rovers
Kilduff 22' 55' 67' & 88'
Ryan 62'
Deegan 66'
McCaffrey 85'
Another high scoring match involving Sligo after our six goal meeting earlier in the season. This time it was a lot closer as it took Ciaran Kilduff's 88th minute fourth goal to settle this one

Shamrock Rovers 2-1 U.C.D.
Burke 50'
Drennan 53'
Cregg (Pen) 77'
Our first league defeat in fifteen games this season at the hands of our Dublin rivals who we've had a pretty good record against lately. Disappointed to throw away a lead

U.C.D. 1-1 St Pat's Athletic
Timlin 34'
Burke 63'
Once again we don't take full advantage of playing at home with another average display where we were unable to translate attempts on goal into actual goals

League Table

View attachment 126897

Dropped points this month have cost us our place atop the table. Only three points behind and at this stage we're up to our neck in a title battle

Senior Challenge Cup Second Round

Drumkeen 0-3 U.C.D
O'Hanlon 21' & 88'
O'Driscoll 55'
Straightforward victory against lower league opposition

EA Sports Cup Second Round

U.C.D. 3-1 Limerick F.C.
Kavanagh 3' & 45+3'
Coughlan 6'
O'Hanlon 17'
Another cup competition and another progression. We made two cup final appearances last season has made me even more determined to go on and keep winning trophies

EA Sports Cup Quarter Final

U.C.D. 5-1 Wexford Youths
Byrne 5'
O'Hanlon 12' & 31'
Ireland 40'
Furlong 43'
​

Tuite 90+2'

An excellent performance albeit expected. Josh O'Hanlon scored two here and capped off a good month scoring five overall​