Students discover the winning habit

FRESH from Monday’s impressive display in beating Bohemians, UCD oozed confidence as they equalled their biggest win of the season.

The victory was made all the sweeter as it avenged three defeats to Dundalk earlier in the campaign.

Ex-College midfielder Greg Bolger would twice come close to scoring, the first a from a cheeky 40-yard lob, before UCD deservedly took the lead.

The visitors had failed to make anything from four corners before UCD showed them where the goal was from their first on 35 minutes.

Dean Marshall put the ball across and central defender David O’Connor scored with a downward header at the back post.

Four minutes later UCD doubled their lead with a truly sublime goal.

Marshall put right-back Hugh Douglas away on the overlap and his cross was controlled and drilled to the bottom corner by midfielder Paul O’Connor.

Dundalk were better on the resumption and almost pulled a goal back nine minutes in when David O’Connor headed Ross Gaynor’s corner off his own keeper Mark McGinley.

Gaynor then should have done better than shoot badly wide when through on goal six minutes later.

But that was as good as it got for Ian Foster’s side as UCD regained the initiative to finish with a flourish.

Substitute Chris Lyons stooped to head over the bar at the near post from a Graham Rusk cross before adding a third UCD goal on 77 minutes.

Substitute Dean Clarke, on for his debut just six minutes earlier, whipped the ball in low from the right and Lyons slid in for only his second senior goal for the club.

UCD: McGinley; Douglas, Leahy, D O’Connor, Ledwith; Marshall (Clarke 71), P. O’Conor, Corry, Meenan; Doyle (Lyons 59), Rusk (McCabe 81).

DUNDALK: P Murphy; Madden, C Byrne, McHugh, N Murphy; Ward, McDonnell (Reilly, 73), Bolger, Gaynor; Byrne, Breen.

Referee: Paul McLaughlin (Monaghan).