Railway Union connect to produce second-half surge

HOCKEY/LEINSTER CUP FINAL/Railway Union 5 UCD 1:IN THE first half it looked as though UCD might frustrate Railway Union and snatch a break -away goal. The students fought a rearguard action for the entire time, falling into a half-court defensive pattern from the moment the match started.

For that first 35 minutes, Railway Union held possession and territory almost exclusively before finally going on the rampage in the second half and knocking in five goals.

UCD deserved their scoreless first half after doughty defending but Railway must have asked themselves at half-time why with so much possession the UCD goal went largely untroubled.

That changed dramatically when they resumed and from their second corner on 38 minutes an Emer Lucey strike was cleaned up off the pads by Sinéad Dooley for 1-0. The second goal came a minute later, again from a set-piece, Sinéad Walsh taking the ball off the goalkeeper’s hand save and tidying up nicely for 2-0.

Railway relaxed and continued to dominate. UCD did generate a few scares and will be asking if one of their corners late in the first half deflected off a Railway defender’s leg. But there were few gripes.

And for Railway the goals kept coming. On the 49th minute Kate Dillon produced the strike of the match, again from a short corner after a switch left to her from the striker ended high in the net following a first-time flick.

It was Dillon again who tapped in the most bizarre goal of the afternoon. Following a freaky high reverse-stick cross from the left that looped high over everyone’s heads, it was Dillon who had the presence of mind to follow it until it hit earth and deflected in at the far post for 4-0.

UCD didn’t give up and while they were short on territory and possession they were earning corners. In their final set-piece of the game Rachael Burke deflected in the strike at the far post before Railway notched the final score. A cross from the right found Kate Lloyd stealing in at the back to touch in at the post for 5-1.

RAILWAY UNION SQUAD: G O’Flanagan, I Joyce (capt), K Dillon, H Jenkinson, S Walsh, K Clarke, C Joyce, R Hutchinson, E Lucey, E Dolan, S Dooley, O Fox, K Lloyd, O Macken, J Deacon, Z Delaney, O Bunworth.

UCD SQUAD: S Davis, L Pelow, L Ridgeway, R Carrigan, M Tennant-Humphreys (capt), O O’Shea, C McGlip, Z Ennis, R Burke, A O’Connor, J McMickan, L Wilson, C Hill, L Lenehan, R O’Reilly, E Menzies.

Umpires: M Flahive, F Davitt.