UCD 0
Finn Harps 0

Ronan Macnamara reports from the UCD Bowl

UCD AND Finn Harps picked up their first points of the season after the two sides played out a goalless draw at the UCD Bowl in a game that lacked quality.

It was Harps’ first outing of the 2022 campaign after their home game with Drogheda fell foul to Storm Eunice last week while UCD kept a morale-boosting clean sheet following a 3-0 defeat to Shamrock Rovers last Friday.

Ollie Horgan who served a touchline nestled in amongst the trees named six debutants in his starting XI, including former UCD marksman Yoyo Mahdy.

The visitors had the best chance of what was a largely forgettable opening half. Barry McNamee found debutant Filip Mihaljevic and he cushioned the ball for Yoyo Mahdy who shot on the turn but Lorcan Healy saved brilliantly low to his left.

McNamee was given the freedom to roam, and he should have done better when he pounced on a John Ryan error, but he was hesitant when one on one with Healy and his finish was devoid of confidence.

Healy was called upon again as he held McNamee’s stinging shot just after the interval. The UCD stopper pulled off a stunning save in the 52nd minute denying Mihaljevic from point-blank range before tipping Ryan Connolly’s curling free-kick around the post.

The Students finally flexed their muscles going forward and had the best chance of the game when Jack Keaney’s chip kissed the crossbar after he was played in behind just shy of the hour.

With 19 minutes remaining Colm Whelan went down in the box under pressure from David Webster but the referee deemed the striker to have dived and brandished a yellow when he got back to his feet after receiving treatment.

Harps should have opened the scoring soon after but Mihaljevic was unable to turn the ball home from six yards out.

Both sides grew frustrated as the game ticked towards the 90 with Horgan often emerging from the foliage to bellow out orders.

UCD stung the gloves of Mark McGinley for the first time in the 85th minute as Mark Dignam’s powerful free-kick was beaten away.

Keaney almost won it with a stunning free-kick deep into added time after Connolly picked up a cynical yellow for stopping a rampant UCD counter-attack.

UCD: Lorcan Healy, John Ryan, Eric Yoro, Sam Todd, Daniel Norris, Jack Keaney, Sean Brennan, Evan Caffrey, Dylan Duffy (Dignam 58), Liam Kerrigan, Colm Whelan

Finn Harps: Mark McGinley, Regan Donelan (Tourish 81), David Webster, Ryan Connolly, Yoyo Mahdy, Barry McNamee, Jose Carillo, Bastien Héry (Rainey 65), Ethan Boyle, Filip Mihaljevic (McWoods 78), Elie N’Zeyi