Sligo Rovers 2-1 UCD

Sligo Rovers came back from a late equalising goal against UCD in the Showgrounds to snatch all three points with a goal in injury time from Padraig Amond, last night (13/7/2010).
It was Amond’s second goal of the night, having put the home side ahead in the 29th minute. Up to that point a Sligo goal looked inevitable and the chances raining down on the UCD goal felt as ominous as the theme music from “Jaws”.
The Students came to Sligo just a point behind the Bit O’Red in the Airtricity League Premier Division Table, but Sligo’s recent form suggested they would be able to dismiss the visitors with ease.
Certainly on the first half performance, Rovers deserved to be two or three goals to the good at the break.
As early as the second minute John Dillon had a strike on goals deflected, and with John Russell, Joseph Ndo and winger Eoin Doyle all playing superb football against an often-overwhelmed UCD back line, it was amazing the ball stayed out of the net as long as it did.
Doyle and Ndo twice spurned good chances to put Sligo ahead, but UCD failed to tighten their line and just before the half hour mark Russell and Dillon linked up to send the ball into the path of Doyle, but the winger passed square for Amond to chip the keeper with a delicate lob bouncing in off the underside of the crossbar.
Fans hoping for the floodgates to open were disappointed when Sligo failed to capitalise on their dominant possession, although Russell was unlucky to see his stinging strike rattle the UCD crossbar a minute from the break.
After the interval, UCD boss Martin Russell introduced lofty midfielder Robbie Creevy into the game and with him bullying the Sligo back line and Richie Ryan in particular, UCD looked more potent.
Keith Ward, another danger for UCD, brought the best out of Sligo netminder Richard Brush with a 35 yard lob in the 53rd minute. The visitor’s chances were still few, but when Ciaran Kilduff came close to scoring five minutes from the end, the tension in the Showgrounds was palpable.
In the 88th minute UCD got their equaliser. For a moment the Sligo defence looked undecided on whether to intercept the run of Kilduff, but the striker’s shot from inside the box deflected off Jim Lauchlan and over the head of Richard Brush, who was a few metres off his line.
It was an agonising sight for Sligo fans, but with three minutes of injury time still to play, Sligo pushed forward and earned a free to the right of the penalty area in the 91st minute.
Joseph Ndo sent the dead ball into the UCD six-yard box where Padraig Amond rose highest to head beyond Gerard Barron. In the end Sligo deserved the three points, but boy did they have to work hard to get them!