After a superb start to the league this year, Dublin University Association Football Club (DUAFC) added a cup victory to their list of early-season triumphs last night, overcoming Willow Park 2-0 in a chilly Iveagh Grounds in the first round of the Herald Metropolitan Cup.
The home side started the better of the two sides, their growing knowledge of the pitch at Iveagh Grounds helping them navigate the wet and perilous surface. The game began rather slowly, with both teams pinging the ball around, trying to create chances. The first real break of the game came 22 minutes in, when DUAFC captain Ronan Hanaphy just missed an opportunity set up by some slick interpassing between Jamie Rice and Oisin Pennycook. This was soon followed by a long-range effort from Willow Park striker Claudio Silva, who narrowly missed the top corner from 25 yards.
For the remainder of the first half, the visitors grew into the game. A powerful long-range effort from the boot of Glen Byrne required a diving save from DUAFC keeper Devin Connolly. Ten minutes later, Connolly had to react quickly yet again, after a shot from Willow Park’s Brendan Magennis should have put the Athlone players ahead. By half-time, it seemed as if the momentum had now strongly swung in the visitors’ favour.
The second half, however, wasn’t very old when DUAFC hit the front. Pennycook, who looked far more menacing since switching at the break from the left flank to the right, wriggled free of two defenders before cutting in and firing goalwards. His effort lacked power, but Willow’s keeper spilled the ball, a mistake that proved fatal as Hanaphy pounced on the opportunity and put his side ahead.
The visitors were not yet resigned to defeat, and a couple of attacks late on left DUAFC’s defence worried. Another Willow attempt was halted by a well-timed tackle from Jason Boateng, who in one movement won possession and laid the ball off to Pennycook. The winger then set off down the wing, leaving his marker for dead and drawing the keeper, who he coolly rounded before his effort was cleared off the line by a last-ditch Willow tackle.
From then on, the game was firmly in Trinity’s hands. In the dying minutes of the game, substitute Steven Ball threaded an impressive through ball into Brian O’Reilly, who danced his way into the box and slotted it past the keeper to finish the game off in style.
Despite almost conceding on many occasions in the first half, whatever manager Richard Maguire said to the home team in the changing room at half-time must have worked. Although they remained in second gear for much of the game, a 2-0 win is testament to the professional manner in which DUAFC are going about games this year.
