Premier Review

**mypost** · 22/03/2005, 4:38 AM

Premier Division Results:

WEEK 1/33:
BOHS 1-1 SHAMROCK ROVERS
BRAY 2-1 ST. PATS. ATH.
DROGHEDA 0-2 DERRY
FINN HARPS 0-2 CORK
LONGFORD 1-2 WATERFORD
SHELBOURNE 1-1 UCD

Another Premier Division season started on St. Patricks weekend, with teams of new players, which led to some surprising results. There was just 1 home win, 2 draws, and 3 away victories after the first week of games.

There haven't been many seasons, when there has been a live tv game on the first week, but Bohs and Rovers is one of the league's glamour games in a season where league form goes out the window, and it had to be on tv. Personally, I thought it was crazy that the game was allowed to be played on a Friday night, after St. Patrick's Day, knowing what has happened before in previous meetings between the clubs. Despite the mounted police, and other cops in riot gear, mercifully there were no reports of crowd trouble in or around the ground this time.

Bohs started well, as Rovers struggled to settle. A Bohs goal had been coming for some time, when on 24 minutes, a poorly defended free-kick, allowed Jimmy Aggrey to tap home the opening goal. Bohs continued to press in the first half, and Rovers did well to keep it to 1 at half-time. The second half was more cagey, as Bohs decided to sit on their lead. Rovers had only one decent chance to score, when ex-Bohs man, Mark Rutherford rounded the keeper to curl an effort goalward, only for it to be cleared off the line by the Bohs defence. Ex-Rovers man, Mark O'Brien came on late on to secure the game for Bohs. Soon afterwards, Heary failed to control one of our many long balls, and out of nothing, Lee Feeney stabbed the ball home from the edge of the box for our equaliser.

A 1-1 draw meant that bragging rights had to wait until the next league game between the two sides in the summer.

**mypost** · 22/03/2005, 5:08 AM

Many people reckoned that Bray would struggle this season. Pats have fallen from grace completely since they finished 3rd in the league in 2002. Bray went on to take a 2-goal lead, before Pats managed to get a late consolation. A trip to the seaside to play Bray, will be difficult for many teams this season, and they may well take people by surprise. Pats though will struggle to impress this season, and may spend most of it in the bottom half of the table.

Drogheda have now gone full-time. One would therefore expect them to see off Derry at home. However, Stephen Kenny's men won comfortably 2-0. Drogheda's last league win was against Rovers in October, so if they don't find their feet soon, they will do well to finish in the top six this season.

Finn Harps won the First Division last season, and many neutrals will welcome them into the Premier. With their first game back at home to Cork, they may well have plunged Cork into deeper crisis, after losing their manager near the start of the season. However, on the field, class told. Reality hit Harps, as Cork were 2 up after 50 minutes, meaning there was no way back, as Cork rewarded their fans who made the long journey north, by winning 2-0.

The meeting of Longford against Waterford, was a repeat of last year's cup final. Longford lost in the Setanta Cup in midweek, and suffered a hangover, after going behind to a penalty early on. They equalised, but Waterford went back in front before half-time, andheld out to win 2-1. Longford look set to continue to languishe in mid-table.

The champions, and many say champions-elect this season, Shelbourne opened the season with a home game against UCD. The Wednesday night kick-off, predictably led to a poor crowd. However, it was UCD who scored the season's first goal, from Frenchman Daniele Dupuy. UCD almost held out until Shelbourne won and scored a penalty with 5 minutes left from Stuart Byrne to claim a point. Shels said, that they had a hard game with new players in their team. Methinks, they were merely warming up for their first trip to Dalymount next week to take out their frustration on us.

Beware the backlash!

**pineapple stu** · 22/03/2005, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by mypost

The champions, and many say champions-elect this season, Shelbourne opened the season with a home game against UCD. The Wednesday night kick-off, predictably led to a poor crowd. However, it was UCD who scored the season's first goal, from Frenchman Daniele Dupuy. UCD almost held out until Shelbourne won and scored a penalty with 5 minutes left from Stuart Byrne to claim a point. Shels said, that they had a hard game with new players in their team. Methinks, they were merely warming up for their first trip to Dalymount next week to take out their frustration on us.

Beware the backlash!

That's nonsense! The crowd was much better than typical Shels-UCD (or Dublin City) crowds - twice what you would expect going on the last two seasons, in fact. The fact that it was Wednesday helped rather than hindered this, as there were no competing games on and a fair few neutrals turned out. Damien, not Daniele, Dupuy scored our goal. And everyone seems to be ignoring the fact that we had four debutantes as well as Shels...

**bambi** · 22/03/2005, 5:54 PM

The Champions elect couldnt beat a bunch of kids!!!

**pineapple stu** · 22/03/2005, 8:35 PM

Sure you'll never win anything with kids!

**mypost** · 29/03/2005, 4:18 AM

Premier Division Results:

WEEK 2/33:
CORK 1-1 BRAY
DERRY 1-0 LONGFORD
S. ROVERS 0-2 SHELS
ST. PATS. 0-0 BOHS
UCD 0-2 DROGHEDA
WATERFORD 2-1 FINN HARPS

The second weekend of the league saw all games played on the same night on Easter weekend. There were only 5 games played, which featured another live tv game, 2 Dublin derbies, and just one home win, 2 draws, and 2 away victories.

Cork had their first home game against Bray, and you would have got long odds against a home win, but with both sides having won their opening games, a close game was in store in front of 7,000 people. Cork took a first half lead, and most people would have expected them to score more. However, Bray equalized with 10 minutes left, and held out for a point. Bray will be hard to beat this season, they have 4 points already, but Cork are a full-time outfit, and would have expected to collect 3 points at home to a promoted side, who are part-time.

Cork had a player called up to the international U-21 side at the weekend, but didn't postpone the game, unlike what Longford did, after they also had a player called up for U-21 duty. Who was right? Longford will play Derry in April. Derry won the game 1-0. Longford play Cork in Week 3.

Back to Dublin, and except for a home game against Bohs last season, it was Rovers' first home league game at Dalymount since we beat Sligo 2-1 on September 16th, 1990. It was a new experience for our fans to be able to sit in the Jodi Stand, and the expected mass boycott didn't materialise. As expected, Shels had most of the possession, with Rovers only creating 1 chance in the first half. Shels took the lead after 35 minutes. Richie Baker made mince meat of Keith Doyle, before laying the ball back for Stuart Byrne to lash the ball in from 20 yards. We had the chance to level it in the second half when Shels handled the ball in the box on the hour, giving us a penalty. Unfortunately, Stephen Gough thought he was playing in Croker instead of Dalyer, and skewed the penalty into the empty Des Kelly Stand. That was it of Rovers as an attacking force, as Shels began to dominate once again. On 74, Crowe, and Baker ran rings around the hapless Doyle again, Baker curling a fine shot into the net. The only other thing that happened was Roddy Collins getting himself sent off for arguing witht the ref near the end, as Shels started to showboat. To be fair, we aren't really expected to beat teams like Shels, they'll beat better teams than us this season, it's games like next week's trip to Donegal that will decide how we do. It's starting to look ominous however, as we are 9th in the league already, and we have a long summer ahead of us.

**mypost** · 29/03/2005, 4:46 AM

...And now for something completely different! TG4 showed their first ever live NL game this week. You would think it would be something like Galway-Sligo, but instead it was the other Dublin derby in Week 2, Pats-Bohs. Both sides hoping to do better than last week. The trouble was, nobody did. It finished 0-0, and it was probably even more boring to watch for most of the viewers, except for the few who could understand the commentators.

UCD are the Manchester City of the league. They play in the same colours, and are as inconsistent. With Drogheda losing badly at home last week, you would have thought that UCD had a great chance to build on their draw at the champions. However they came down to earth with a bump, losing 2-0. Drogheda scored early on, and won comfortably. UCD will continue to grind out results this season, but it's their inconsistency which will see them struggle in the league.

After playing in the Discovering Ireland Division for the last 5 seasons, Finn Harps should be used to long-haul away trips. And where do they have to go for their first away game back in the top division? Waterford!! Anyway, they took the lead on 15 minutes, but Waterford hit back with 2 goals in 4 minutes late in the second half. Bet that journey back wasn't enjoyed. Waterford are the surprise leaders, as they are the only side to have won both their games. It's the reverse situation for Finn Harps, but hey, they have to get their quota of defeats out of the way before their next game...against Rovers.

**mypost** · 07/04/2005, 4:33 AM

Premier Division Results:

WEEK 3/33:
BOHEMIANS 0-1 DERRY CITY
BRAY WANDS. 1-0 UCD
DROGHEDA UTD 1-1 ST. PATS. ATH.
FINN HARPS 1-1 SHAMROCK ROVERS
LONGFORD 0-1 CORK CITY
SHELBOURNE 1-0 WATERFORD

Week 3 saw the first Thursday night game, no Dublin derbies, 2 home and away wins, 2 draws, and the first goal of the season to be scored in second half stoppage time. No prizes for guessing where, of course...

Bohs had their third game of the season in Dublin, against Derry, who had an extra week to prepare for the game. They took advantage of it, and won 1-0, as Stephen Kenny got his revenge on the Bohs board, who fired him last season. Derry are the only side who still have a 100% record, while Bohs haven't won yet, and lie in the botttom half of the table.

Two of the promoted sides met in Week 3, as Bray played UCD. Bray have started well, while UCD continue to play "Jekyll & Hyde". Bray won 1-0, and are 3rd, while UCD are already struggling in 11th, a situation which is unlikely to change after they play Cork next week.

Many people tipped Drogheda as title contenders, while predicting that Pats would struggle. Pats took the lead at Drogheda, before the home side equalized in the second half. Pats were reduced to 10 men, but will have been happier with a point. Drogheda haven't won at home yet, but that may change, as Rovers come calling there next, who Drogheda beat 4 times last season.

And speaking of Rovers, we made the first of our 9 trips outside Dublin this season, to take on Finn Harps, in front of the Ballybofey Samba. Rovers began well, but Finn Harps gradually took control, especially in the second half, when one of their efforts hit the bar. In games like these, one goal often settles it. Rovers got it, on 76 minutes, as Paul Caffrey side-footed home from 6 yards, after a well-worked move. However with Rovers, one goal is rarely enough, and sure enough, disaster struck in injury time. A Harps free-kick from inside their own half, was punted forward into our box. Poor goalkeeping allowed Brown to nod in the equalizer. One point may not be enough for either side in the long-term, but it moves Harps off the bottom of the table for now.

Two of the Setanta Cup teams met on Week 3, as Longford played Cork. Longford's extra week's break didn't help much as they lost 1-0. Longford now move to the bottom, with no points. A sure sign, that a game against Rovers is on the way...

The leaders Waterford, travelled to Dublin for the first time to play Shels. They got a boost early on, when Baker was red-carded for retaliation. Waterford won a penalty last week, but conceded one this week after 16 minutes. Shels scored, and won 1-0. Cork and Shels are now joint top, so normal service has resumed.

**BobtheDrog** · 07/04/2005, 11:56 AM

actually it was the drogs who were reduced to ten men

**mypost** · 12/04/2005, 4:22 AM

Premier Division Results:

Week 4/33:
BRAY WDS. 2-2 DROGHEDA UTD.
CORK CITY 0-0 UCD
DERRY CITY 0-0 SHELBOURNE
SH. ROVERS 0-2 LONGFORD
ST. PATS. ATH. 2-0 FINN HARPS
WATERFORD UTD. 2-0 BOHEMIANS

Week 4 of the season, saw 2 home wins by the same score, 3 draws, including two 0-0 draws, and 1 away win this week.

Bray are the first club this season to have 2 home games in a row, while Drogheda have started the season erratically. The game was the only one in the league this week to have first-half goals. It was entertaining, finishing 2-2. Bray lose their place in the top three, while Drogheda move into mid-table.

UCD have the reverse set of fixtures as Bray, becoming the first team to have 2 away games in succession. After losing last week, a trip to Cork would have been even more daunting. Cork couldn't break them down however, and drew their second home game of the season 0-0. Cork lose their top spot, while UCD move into 10th with their point. Not many teams will get a point at Shels and Cork this season.

Derry were the last team to have a home game this season, having to wait 4 weeks for the opportunity. Facing the champions, they couldn't have asked for a harder game to open their home programme. Both sides cancelled each other out, and will have been happy to have a point. It ends Derry's 100% record, and knocks Shels out of second.

In contrast, Longford were the last team to have an away game, travelling to Dublin for the first time to play Rovers at Dalymount Beach. Even though, there are many cagey games when these two play, Longford will struggle to have an easier away game this season. Rovers were toothless, and the visitors dictated the play. Rovers came out to coloured firecrackers from the fans in the second half, it's a pity the players didn't have the same fire in the belly. Longford got the breakthrough following a corner on 69 minutes, after what can only be described as Sunday league defending. Steven Paisley nodded in at the near post completely unchallenged. Longford's second soon followed on 77. Dessie Baker received a long ball several kilometres offside but, aided by a blind linesman, he went on to round the keeper, and score from an acute angle. Rovers offered no response, and on this week's performance, our next home game against Cork is a write-off. We move down to 11th after an awful display, while Longford move away from the bottom.

Pats motor has struggled to get started this season. However, they had a great chance to get their first win of the season against Finn Harps, who faced their first trip to Dublin this season, basking in the glow of getting their first point last week. Reality check! Pats won comfortably 2-0. Finn Harps remain on one point, and drop back down to bottom.

Waterford, who along with Bray are the early-season surprise packets, faced a Bohs side, who are still an enigma. Waterford played well winning 2-0. They move back to the top of the table, while Bohs remain level with Rovers on 2 points in the lower half. So for now, both of the Dalymount teams share more than a home ground.

**mypost** · 20/04/2005, 4:46 AM

Premier Division Results:

WEEK 5/33:
BOHS 0-2 CORK CITY
DROGHEDA UTD 2-1 SH. ROVERS
FINN HARPS 0-2 DERRY CITY
LONGFORD TOWN 2-1 BRAY WDS.
SHELBOURNE 3-1 ST. PATS. ATH.
UCD 1-0 WATERFORD UTD.

Week 5 saw 3 home and away wins, a Dublin derby, and a Northern derby to boot.

Bohs lost 9 players from last season, and have struggled, while Cork are formidable away, and poor at home. Cork won 2-0 with 2 second half goals, at both ends of the half. Bohs have just 1 goal, and 2 points so far this season, haven't scored for 4 games, and are 11th. It's just as well for them, that they have Finn Harps at home next, for scoring practice. Cork are 3rd.

After all the club's latest financial difficulties, few would have expected Rovers to come away from Drogheda without a pasting. Rovers started well though, taking the lead after 7 minutes, following McCourt's run, and shot from an acute angle. Drogheda woke up, and peppered the Rovers goal for the remainder of the half. They equalized on 52 minutes, Reilly slotting in a penalty. 7 minutes later, they took the lead, as another corner wasn't properly defended. You're supposed to have a man on both posts when defending corners!

Once again we didn't, and they scored. Gartland rising highest to head home. Rovers tried to come back into it, but Drogheda got their first home win of the season, and their 5th straight win against us. The only consolation for Rovers' fans was to see us move above Bohs into 10th, on goals scored

...
...for the moment!

There was a Finn Harps-Derry game in the league for the first time, since 2000. Derry dominated and won 2-0 with 2 first-half goals. Stephen Kenny must be laughing loud at the Bohs board these days. Bohs would have gone bottom, if the home side had won.

Longford played Bray. Bray have surprised most people this season, while Longford have spluttered. Longford won 2-1, and won their first home game of the season.

The Dublin derby saw Shels at home to Pats. Shels won comfortably 3-1, and move into second in the league, while Pats continue to be mediocre.

UCD are a bogey side for many clubs, and will be hard to break down this season. Waterford, however have started well. UCD won 1-0, as ex-Ireland boss Mick McCarthy, watched. Waterford were top, but have since slipped out of the top 3. Derry lead the way with 13 points, from Shels and Cork, while Finn Harps remain bottom, still celebrating their sole point this season, against Rovers.

**mypost** · 02/05/2005, 4:43 AM

Premier Division Results:

WEEK 6/33:
BOHEMIANS 1-0 FINN HARPS
BRAY WANDS. 2-1 WATERFORD
CORK CITY 0-1 DROGHEDA UTD.
DERRY CITY 2-3 SHAMROCK ROVERS
LONGFORD TOWN 0-2 SHELBOURNE
ST. PATRICK'S ATH. 3-2 UCD

Week 6 saw 1 Dublin Derby, 3 home and away wins, and 17 goals scored.

The bottom two met at Dalymount, and while it's no surprise to see the away side down there, it certainly is to see Bohs there. Bohs had only scored 1 goal so far this season, and Finn Harps had only got 1 point. It still looked like a home banker, and an own goal after 35 minutes settled it for Bohs. However, it didn't change their positions in the table.

One game started later than the others, as a floodlight failure delayed the start of the Bray-Waterford game. The away side took the lead, but Eamonn Zayed helped the home side to win, as they scored 2 in 4 minutes near half-time. Bray continue to impress, while Waterford gradually lose their early season momentum.

Damian Richardson is whinging again. This time it's about visiting teams tactics down in Cork. As they haven't won at home yet, he may have some grounds for complaint this time. The latest team to defend like tigers in Cork were Drogheda, keeping the home side at bay, annoying their fans, one of which took out his frustration by firing a bottle at the Drogheda keeper. So what happened? Drogheda went up the other end and scored, through Damian Lynch's penalty after 70 minutes. Gartland was sent off for the visitors, but their fans won't care too much about that on the long journey home. Cork still haven't won at the South Pole yet, and it's allowing Shels to slowly build up a lead at the top of the league.

Meanwhile at the North Pole, the league leaders Derry hosted Rovers. It appeared to be another home banker, against a side who haven't won yet, with their manager suspended for the game, fined, and reprimanded by TPTB. Rovers have only scored 15 goals up in Derry before the game, however 2 arrived in 15 minutes, from Mooney, and McCourt, stunning the home side. They replied just after the half hour, even though it looked suspiciously offside. In first half injury time, McCourt challenged and won the ball on the halfway line, proceeded to run unopposed into the home penalty area, and scored from an acute angle. 3-1 up, and our fans were in dreamland. We continued to boss the home side in the second half, and Derry didn't look like scoring once, never mind twice. That was until the 76th minute, as Martyn scooped the ball up in the 6-yard box into the corner of the net. It was backs to the wall stuff after that, but Derry only hit the post while a player was being flagged offside. It's our first win of the season, only our 6th ever win at the Brandywell, and the first there since the 12th July game in 2002. However, we stay 10th, while Derry lose top spot. Maybe Collins should be suspended more often!

Two of the Setanta Cup teams, Longford and Shels, met at Flancare Park. Both of them wanted extra time to prepare for their next Setanta Cup games. Longford haven't quite got the gist of Thursday night home games yet, and their second one of them, and second in a row, ended in a comprehensive 2-0 defeat. Shels regain top slot, and are starting to go on a run.

Pats, and UCD met in the Dublin derby. UCD amaze me. How can they get points at Shels and Cork, then find themselves 3 down at Pats in half an hour?

They recovered somewhat, limiting the damage to just a 3-2 scoreline. However, both sides continue to be an enigma this season.

**mypost** · 09/05/2005, 3:47 AM

Premier Division Results:

WEEK 7/33:
DROGHEDA UTD. 2-2 BOHEMIANS
FINN HARPS 0-0 LONGFORD TOWN
SHAMROCK ROVERS 1-3 CORK CITY
SHELBOURNE 4-1 BRAY WDS.
UCD 1-0 DERRY CITY
WATERFORD UTD. 1-0 ST. PATS. ATH.

Week 7 saw 3 home wins, 2 draws, and 1 away win, with 15 goals scored.

Drogheda have finally got going after a slow start, while Bohs have struggled badly all season, with just 2 goals scored before Week 7. That was how many they were behind mid-way through the first half. However, they got one back before the break, and equalized in the last quarter. Drogheda lie in mid-table, while Bohs move up to 10th with their point.

Someone else really struggling for points are Finn Harps, who played a Longford side this week, who are struggling to score goals, with only 5 so far. The two clubs who play at home on Saturdays fought out a goalless draw in the North-West. It doesn't change much for either side, but Finn Harps claim their second point of the season.

Returning from the North Pole last week with a very unexpected victory, it was time for Rovers to play host to the team from the South Pole the following week. It would prove to be TM's last game in charge of Rovers. With Rovers' next 8 games being played in Dublin, it could be a vital sequence of games for us. Bad start as Cork scored two in two minutes early in the second half, from O'Callaghan, and Doyle. Rovers pulled one back with a Gavin McDonnell header from a free-kick on '73, before O'Callaghan sealed the defeat on '86. My personal bugbear, time-wasting at the corner flag by Cork, led to 2 players been sent off in injury time, for their part in a 15-man brawl. It's Rico's second win at Dalyer in two weeks, who described Rovers as "our" club to the fans at Rovers' POTY awards in January. Rovers' latest bout of homesickness means we drop back to second from bottom.

Riding high as expected in the league, Shels took on the league's surprise package Bray, at home. Shels ran out easy winners 4-1, and continue to lead the league.

Stephen Kenny's Derry team travelled to Dublin again to play "Jekyll & Hyde". They are still suffering the effects of their defeat to Rovers at home, as Robbie Martin scored on 10 minutes for UCD, who held out to win 1-0. UCD remain inconsistent, while Derry slip further away from the leaders.

Waterford played at home to Pats. Pats won at home last week, but haven't been too clever away from home. They proceeded to lose their third away game this season, as Pat Purcell scored on 72' for Waterford to win 1-0 at the RSC fortress. Pats have picked up just one point on the road so far.

**mypost** · 09/05/2005, 4:29 AM

Premier Division Results:

WEEK 8/33:
CORK CITY 3-1 ST. PATS. ATH.
DERRY CITY 1-0 WATERFORD UTD.
LONGFORD 1-1 DROGHEDA UTD.
SHAMROCK ROVERS 3-2 BRAY WDS.
SHELBOURNE 3-0 FINN HARPS
UCD 1-1 BOHEMIANS

Week 8 saw 1 Dublin derby, no away victories, 4 home wins, and 2 draws. 17 goals were scored this week. 3 Dublin clubs completed the second game of their successive home games, while 2 other Dublin clubs and Bray completed their successive away games.

One of them, Pats, made their second journey down to Munster in a week, to play a Cork side suffering from a severe bout of homesickness this season. They found a cure with 2 goals in the opening 25 minutes. Another goal sealed the game for them, despite O' Callaghan's late own goal for Pats. Cork won 3-1, and finally win at home, while Pats are warming up for next week's derby against Rovers.

Both Derry, and Waterford were early season leaders, but while Waterford blow hot and cold, Derry have suffered two shock defeats in their last two games. They got off to a great start with a Shane Hargan goal on 9 minutes, and kept it for the rest of the game to win 1-0, ensuring a very long, miserable journey home, for the Suir lads.

Drogheda, like Waterford blow hot and cold. For prospective title contenders, they haven't produced much so far, only 3 wins from 7 games. The draw specialists, Longford would contend for the title if they could turn more of their draws into wins. They don't score or concede many, but did one of each in this game, as it finished 1-1. The result doesn't do either much good, as Drogheda continue to lie in mid-table, and Longford remain 8th.

The first Rovers game, post-Maguire, was another home game against Bray. It didn't promise to be exciting, but plenty happened. Bray took the lead on 28' through James, but Pat McCourt showed why he has been one of the league's best players this season, by scoring two wonderful, individual goals before half-time. He added a penalty in the second half after 62 minutes to complete his hat-trick too. Bray pulled one back with 10 minutes to go, but we held on against one of our bogey sides to win 3-2. Bray have now lost 2 in a row away, while Rovers' second win of the season moves us up to the heady heights of 9th!

Something far more expected happened at Tolka, where Shels played Finn Harps. The league's bottom club coped well until the 37th minute, when Shels opened the scoring. It didn't stop there either, as Shels ran out comfortable 3-0 winners, whilst giving the men from Donegal a rough examination.

What's it like watching Bohs this season? Not much fun I guess, seeing a big club struggle at the wrong end of the table. Having failed to score for 4 games, they showed some character to retrieve a point from Drogheda last week. Watching UCD however, is never fun. While Belfield is one of the nicest grounds to watch a game in the NL, the atmosphere is almost always non-existent. No surprise that these two played out a draw then. Bohs scored first, early in the second half, but UCD equalized with 10 minutes remaining, as it finished 1-1. Dropping to 11th, Bohs should be nowhere near that position. Meanwhile Shels have 20 points so far, 3 points clear of Cork, at the top of the league.

**pineapple stu** · 09/05/2005, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by mypost

Watching UCD however, is never fun. While Belfield is one of the nicest grounds to watch a game in the NL, the atmosphere is almost always non-existent. No surprise that these two played out a draw then.

Eh?

Watching UCD is fun. If you're a UCD fan.

Belfield is not one of the nicest grounds in the league to watch football from - even I'll admit that.

Can't really comment on the atmosphere, but how does a poor atmosphere mean that it's "no surprise" that the match ended in a draw?

Do you do the Aertel reports?

**Krstic** · 09/05/2005, 1:41 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Do you do the Aertel reports?

I think you're right.

'Shane Hargan'?????

**BohDiddley** · 09/05/2005, 1:59 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Eh?

Watching UCD is fun. If you're a UCD fan.

Belfield is not one of the nicest grounds in the league to watch football from - even I'll admit that.

Can't really comment on the atmosphere, but how does a poor atmosphere mean that it's "no surprise" that the match ended in a draw?

Do you do the Aertel reports?

I can understand your taking umbrage there. On Friday's evidence, UCD are not to be sneezed at. I was impressed at how you came back into it, and I was relieved to be leaving with a point.
That said, I think most of the atmosphere was imported, and wore black and red.
Still on atmosphere, your 'stadium' announcer is a hoot. I went to UCD, and I never encountered anyone that super-posh in my time there! Sounded like he had never heard of any of the players, he read them out so s-l-o-o-w-l-y. Was he doing it for a dare?

**Schumi** · 09/05/2005, 2:05 PM

Originally Posted by BohDiddley

That said, I think most of the atmosphere was imported, and wore black and red.

In fairness, there wasn't much of that either.

your stadium announcer is a hoot. I went to UCD, and I never encountered anyone that super-posh in my time there! Sounded like he had never heard of any of the players, he read them out so s-l-o-o-w-l-y. Was he doing it for a dare?

No, he's always like that.

The slow (and repeated) team listing is actually handy, some places lash through them too quickly to be able to mark them on the programme. You missed out on an own-goal though unfortunately.