Abbott’s late free-kick sends UCC into Collingwood final

Jason Abbott’s free-kick winner four minutes from the end of yesterday’s Collingwood Cup semi-final sealed University College Cork a place in today’s decider against Trinity College.

On a wretched afternoon for football, when the wind and rain swept onto Salthill Devon Drom pitch from the Atlantic, it took a pair of long-range efforts to settle the semi-finals of the annual Universities four-day blitz.

Up against hosts NUI Galway, UCC had a battle on their hands with the westerners enjoying the better of it once they recovered from the scare of seeing Daniel Pender’s free-kick smack of their crossbar during the opening half. With extra-time looming, Abbott struck the only goal of the contest. His free-kick may have been launched from afar and at acute angle, but still caught NUIJ cold by floating straight into the net. The outcome was tough on the hosts, having had two goals disallowed in the second-half.