FAI Cup quarter-final: UCD 0 Bohemians 4
Ross Tierney maintained his rich vein of goalscoring form to hit a brace, to make it four goals in three games for the attacking midfielder, as Bohemians eased past UCD into the last four of the FAI Cup.
First goals for Bohs from substitutes Alex Greive and Martin Miller provided the gloss in the dying minutes, as Bohemians, beaten in two of the last three finals, made it a third semi-final in four seasons.
Having scalped Sligo Rovers away in the last round, UCD brought a fine record of just three defeats in their previous 28 games into Friday night’s fixture.
But with a side containing eight under-21s, Willie O’Connor’s First Division play-off contenders found themselves on the back foot from the opening whistle, and it was 10 minutes before Alan Reynolds’ resurgent visitors seriously threatened Kian Moore’s goal.
Dayle Rooney latched on to fellow winger Danny Grant’s nod down to cleverly turn Adam Verdon before curling a shot off his weaker right foot over the top.
With veteran skipper Ronan Finn orchestrating their midfield, UCD survived to briefly play their way into the game with Mikey Raggett having a shot deflected out for their first corner of the night.
But the pressure on the home goal soon resumed. Gypsies captain Jordan Flores, again set up by Grant, seeing his goal bound drive strike Tierney.
Grant was proving Bohemians’ chief threat down the left and so it was that another of his forays brought them their deserved lead on 34 minutes. Right-back Luke O’Regan was skipped past all too easily by Grant, who delivered a terrific cross that Tierney met first time to find the net through the legs of centre back Niall Holohan.
UCD started the second half positively, winning a free kick that brought a corner. Sean Brennan’s delivery to the back post was met by central defender Eanna Clancy whose header crashed back off the crossbar.
The danger remained, with Bohemians somehow surviving a right scramble in their area. First Raggett’s shot was cleared off the line by Paddy Kirk with Clancy’s clever, if deflected, back heel then needing a smart save from Kacper Chorazka.
Having duly survived the threat, Bohemians went down the other end to double their lead on 54 minutes. Archie Meekison sent Rooney away down the right. With UCD momentarily switching off, thinking the ball had gone out of play, Rooney kept it in to cross where Grant and James Clarke set up Tierney to calmly shoot past Moore for his well-taken second goal.
If not over already, the game was up for UCD four minutes later when they were reduced to 10 men. A heavy touch from Holohan saw him robbed of the ball by Tierney to give Clarke a run on goal. In attempting to retrieve the situation, Holohan merely succeeded in hauling the striker down leading to a straight red card.
In total control now, Moore made saves from Clarke and Greive before the latter followed up another parry save to tap home on 89 minutes. Miller then drilled a 92nd minute shot under Moore’s body to complete the rout.
UCD: Moore; O’Regan, Clancy, Holohan, Wells; Finn (Higgins, 83), Verdon (Parker, 61); S Brennan, Doyle (Curtis, 61), McCullagh (Behan, 61); Raggett (Mohan, 72).
BOHEMIANS: Chorazka; Smith, Byrne, Kavanagh, Kirk; Flores (J McManus, 73), Meekison (Miller, 81); Rooney, Tierney (Greive, 68), Grant (McDaid, 81); Clarke.
Referee: Damien MacGraith (Mayo).
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