Dundalk are braced for “tough test” against UCD

Ciaran Kilduff is expecting a stern test as Dundalk FC ventures to Belfield this Friday night to clash with UCD in the SSE Airtricity League First Division (kick-off: 7.45pm).

At the time of writing, The Students sat at the foot of the First Division table. However, a home victory over Bray Wanderers on Monday night—their game in hand—would have catapulted them to fourth, highlighting the fiercely competitive nature of the league.

Having gone winless in each of their opening five fixtures, UCD finally secured their first victory of the campaign last Friday night, edging past Kerry 1-0 at Mounthawk Park.

READ MORE: Dundalk's patience pays off as second-half surge sinks Wexford

“We’re probably getting them at the worst time,” Dundalk manager Kilduff said to The Democrat when previewing this week’s game.

“Everyone knew they were going to turn a corner eventually. They’ve got too many quality players. They’re an institution of Irish football, UCD; they’ve always got players coming through.

“It’s going to be a tough, tough test. I don’t think the pitch is in the best of shape either. We’ll have to go up and adjust, but we know we’re playing a really, really good team—a team that most people expected to start better than they have. It was a matter of when rather than if they were going to hit their stride. They’re a top team, so we’re going to get a top game.”

The UCD Bowl has been a happy hunting ground for Dundalk in recent seasons, with The Lilywhites suffering defeat just once in their last 13 visits to the Belfield venue.

In their most recent meeting on the final day of the 2023 Premier Division season, when Dundalk triumphed 5-1, only Daryl Horgan remains from the starting XI, highlighting the sweeping changes that have taken place at Oriel Park over the past 18 months.

UCD were relegated that year, while Dundalk suffered the same fate in 2024. However, under the guidance of new manager Kilduff—himself a former UCD player—Dundalk have adapted well to life in the First Division, winning five of their opening six matches.

Their latest triumph, a 3-0 victory over third-placed Wexford at Oriel, showcased a more clinical edge in front of goal, with a brace from Leo Gaxha, coupled with an excellent strike from Sean Keogh, arriving during a devastating 12-minute spell in the second half.

“It was always coming,” said Kilduff after witnessing his team record their biggest win of the season so far. “We were never going to lose any faith in it.

“We knew we were so new coming into the season and we still are. We’re not even a round of games in, and there’s four rounds of games, so there’s so much ahead.

“We’re hitting the net and we’re hitting it from different areas. Leo has opened his account there with two, (Eoin) Kenny has got two, (Dean) Ebbe has got four, and Sean Keogh has got two. We’re chipping in with some big goals now from all over the place. That’s what good teams always need.

“It’s something we’re working on, but to be fair, I’d probably press you on it and say we could even be more clinical. There could have been a couple more there if we really took our chances, but I’m delighted with them. It’s hard to criticise such a great second half.”

Although the scoreline may have suggested a comfortable night for Dundalk, it took them 66 minutes to break down Wexford’s resistance, requiring a great deal of patience.

“The one thing we said at half-time as a staff and as a group was that we needed to be a little bit more carefree. We needed to just impose ourselves on the game, back ourselves, and go one-v-one in defensive areas to release the attacking players.

“We did that in the second half, and you could see in the second half we were very, very on the front foot and were very, very positive in a lot of our play, so we’re delighted with it.”

As the final whistle echoed at Oriel, news emerged that second-placed Cobh Ramblers had conceded a last-gasp goal to fall 2-1 in Bray, meaning Dundalk are now five points clear at the top of the table and in an automatic promotion berth after seven games.

“It does (have the feeling of a statement win). I’m delighted with it, but we’ve set a standard now for ourselves and we can’t drop below that.

“There’s a bit of a statement in it for us too, but we’re seven games into a 36-game season. We’re not getting carried away, but there are definitely some positives that we can take from tonight.”