Matchday 2 Preview – UCD -v- Treaty United
Treaty United’s first away game of the season pits them against UCD.
Match Details:
Teams – UCD Vs Treaty United
Competition – SSE Airtricity League of Ireland First Division
Date – Friday, February 23.
Time – 19:45
Venue – UCD Bowl, UCD, Belfield, Dublin
Tickets – https://ucdfc.ticketco.events/ie/ie/e/ucd_fc_v_treaty_united
Referee –
Live Coverage:
The game will be streamed live on LOITV at the below link. Individual match passes can be purchased for €5 or viewers can purchase a season pass which will give them access to all games across the League of Ireland.
https://www.loitv.ie/en-int/livestream/ucd-v-treaty-united/1713904
Treaty United
It was a dream start to the season last Friday night at a packed Markets Field as a Treaty United side missing several key players beat Cobh Ramblers 3-1. An early own goal by the away side was cancelled out by former Treaty United striker Matt McKevitt seven minutes into the second half.
Six minutes later, Thomas Considine restored Treaty’s lead with a stunning strike after cutting in from the right and curling the ball into the Cobh net.
The new signing was at it again in the 85th minute with a very similar goal that wrapped up the points for the Limerick side on a very positive night for the home team.
Tommy Barrett is hopeful of having new signings Yoyo Mahdy and Evan O’Connor in the matchday squad but is monitoring the fitness of frontman Enda Curran.
UCD
The students started their season back in the familiar territory of the first division with a 2-1 win away to Bray Wanderers despite having Alex Dunne sent off in the 35th minute.
The Dublin side still somehow found themselves 2-0 up at half-time through Ciaran Behan and Harvey O’Brien. Bray Wanderers didn’t take advantage of the numerical advantage until the 85th minute when Ben Feeney provided hope of a comeback that ultimately never came.
In midfield, decorated 36-year-old veteran Ronan Finn, a former Shamrock Rovers captain with five League of Ireland titles to his name, is likely to start on his return to his first club after 15 years away.
He won the 2009 first division with UCD before going on to have a glittering career in the domestic game.
Willie O’Connor succeeded Andy Myler as manager in the off season.
Past Meetings
These sides don’t really do boring encounters when they play each other.
It’s an even split of three wins each in competitive meetings.
The first ever meeting between the sides is perhaps best remembered for an audacious long-range effort from Kieran Hanlon putting Treaty 2-0 up at the Bowl before the students upped their games and staged a comeback win.
The sides met in the 2021 season promotion play-off semi final. A 3-0 victory for UCD at the Markets Field would have suggested a straight-forward second-leg was to come in Dublin.
However, Treaty went into the break leading 1-0 through a Conor Melody goal. When Anto O’Donnell made it 2 just after half-time the comeback appeared to be on.
A very questionable red card for Stephen Christopher swung the momentum back in favour of the Dublin side and an Adam Verdon goal ended Treaty’s promotion prospects. UCD went on to seal a place in the Premier Division.
Revenge was served ice-cold the very next season as UCD visited Limerick for the FAI Cup quarter final. It was a night to remember for Tommy Barrett’s men as they easily progressed through an Enda Curran hat trick and a William Armshaw goal. A late UCD consolation could not take the shine off the 4-1 win.
Past meetings
W – (4-1,Home, Sep’ 22)
W – (1-2, Away, Nov’ 21)
L – (0-3, Home, Nov’21)
L – (2-1, Away, Oct ’21)
W – (2-1, Away, July ’21)
L – (3-2, Away, May ’21)
