UCD book promotion playoff against Drogheda after first win over Bray all season

First Division playoff final: Bray Wanderers 1 [O’Shea 27] UCD 3 [Norval 32; Behan 39; Smith 81]

UCD will face off against Drogheda United in the promotion/relegation playoff with the carrot of Premier Division status in the offing having beaten Bray Wanderers for the first time all season, saving the best for last.

In a hugely entertaining first half, Dean O’Shea got the scoring under way with a clever opener before two goals in quick succession from Sam Norval and Ciaran Behan turned the game on its head. With time running out man-of-the-match Hugh Smith bagged a brilliant third to set up an enthralling clash against Kevin Doherty’s men.

Having overcome a stubborn Kerry FC side 5-1 over two legs, The Seagulls, who have won the last six straight meetings between the two rivals and for the third year running found themselves at this stage in search of a return to the promised land.

With 20 goals in their four league meetings this season, goals were expected at Tolka Park as The Students looked comfortable in possession without really troubling Rian Hogan early on.

The Wanderers boast some of the best attacking talent in the division in the shape of player of the month Tyreke Sammy, Ben McCormack and Richard Ferizaj – who is set to feature for Ireland Under-17s at the World Cup this month. But it was a chess-like opening to the game, with Bray looking dangerous on the counter and the likelier to break the deadlock.

Just before the half-hour mark Paul Heffernan’s side did just that following a quickly worked short corner routine between skipper Dean O’Shea and McCormack. The former, on the overlap, looked to shape to cross but whipped the ball into the near bottom corner catching Dara Kavanagh cold as the Riverside erupted.

They were soon silenced when Rian Hogan failed to collect a high and hopeful Luca Cailloce cross, under some pressure from Hugh Smith, spilling the ball to the feet of the grateful Norval who finished from close range.

UCD completed the turnaround six minutes later when the impressive Behan let fly from 25 yards out, seeing his powerful low drive come off the helpless John Bilili Sesay, who had slipped, with the ball wrong-footing Hogan to make it 2-1.

With the sun creeping down behind the stands, the raucous 2,586 in Tolka Park, continued to roar their sides in the hopes of delaying the setting of the sun on their respective seasons.

It was back to the wall defending for the Students as Bray piled forward but were met by a wall of Blue. In a bid to halt their momentum, Willy O’Connor’s side almost put the game out of reach but the off-balance Dignam shot straight at Hogan from the edge of the area.

With 10 minutes remaining, and having been resolute in their defending, UCD managed to book their place in the final.

Following a long ball down the left, Declan Osagie agonisingly just failed to get enough on his header back towards his keeper, allowing Smith to steal in and finish expertly by lobbing the ball. It sent the travelling support wild and gave them one more day out in Tallaght next Saturday at 5.30pm.

BRAY WANDERERS: R Hogan; A Kizenga, J Duggan, D Osagie, D O’Shea (R Kelly, 84); JB Sesay (I Achara 75), B McCormack, A Oluwabiyi, R Ferizaj, T Sammy; E Mustali (E Cheese 75).

UCD: D Kavanagh; L Cailloce, C Lennox, H Curtis, S Murphy; S Norval, L Dignam, A Wells (J Goad, 75), C Behan, H Curtis, M McCullagh; H Smith,

Referee: M Houlihan.