Following a second-place finish in the First Division and a comfortable 4-0 aggregate win over Longford Town in the playoffs, UCD qualified to play 3rd-place finishers Bray Wanderers in the playoff final.
The stage was set for a decider in the home of Shelbourne FC, Tolka Park. On a mild evening with the weather uncharacteristically good for a 1 November match, the two teams faced off in an entertaining decider. The sides had met 4 times this season in the league, and UCD had lost every time, so they had their work cut out for them. Bray fans outnumbered UCD fans comfortably, with at least twice as many there to cheer on the Seagulls as there were to support the Students.
UCD had possession early, but Bray quickly grew into the game and kept the UCD defence busy. Successive crosses from Bray were well defended, with Luca Cailloce making several important interventions for the Belfield outfit. Eventually Bray broke down the UCD defence, taking a deserved lead in the 27th minute.
Bray’s edge didn’t last long as 6 minutes later they conceded a howler after a hopeful cross from UCD was dropped by the Wanderers goalkeeper straight into the path of Sam Norval, who duly knocked it into the net and equalised for UCD. The goal seemed to wake the Students up, and they started playing with a bit more aggression and confidence. Bray failed to close them down quickly enough on several occasions, and in the 39th minute a good shot by UCD’s Ciarán Behan took a helpful deflection and put UCD 2-1 up.
As half-time approached, both teams had chances, including a late free for Bray which led to a yellow card for UCD’s Michael McCullagh. The Bray fans had been booing him every time he got on the ball and perhaps frustration got the better of him. As the half-time whistle blew, Bray probably felt unlucky to be behind but they’d only themselves to blame.
The match was very much still in the balance. Bray came out in the second half clearly intent on erasing the deficit and booking their spot in the promotion playoff for the third successive season. They went on the attack and UCD seemed content to let Bray have the ball for long periods and focus on the occasional counterattack.
With pressure building and the tackles and fouls flying in, it bore all the hallmarks of the lead-up to Bray’s first goal and an equaliser felt inevitable. Bray came close a few times but UCD’s back 4 put in a very good performance and stifled attack after attack. Just as the game was petering out and it seemed that UCD would likely survive to face Drogheda, the Belfield outfit went on the counterattack again. A long ball forward dropped into the path of UCD’s number 11, Hugh Smith. Showing great composure, he calmly lobbed it over the Bray keeper and killed off any chance of a comeback. Final score: UCD 3-1 Bray Wanderers.
UCD march on to face Drogheda on Saturday, 7 November, where they have the chance to return to the Premier Division for the first time since 2023.
Stéphane De Bairéad – Deputy Sports Editor