Published: Wednesday, 4th November, 2009 5:15pm

UCD crowned champions as ten-man Athlone are swept aside

Athlone Town 0, UCD 5

ATHLONE Town completed their home league campaign with a heavy defeat to newly-crowned First Division champions UCD at Lissywoollen on Friday.

A victory for UCD and a shock home defeat for Shelbourne against Longford Town meant that the Students, who have impressed greatly when visiting Athlone on three occasions this season, were crowned champions with a game to spare.

It was also the second time in three years that Athlone supporters have witnessed the First Division been clinched before their eyes, after Cobh Ramblers wrapped up the title at Lissywoollen in 2007.

The Town, who have struggled near the foot of the division all season, had picked up just a single point in their previous four outings - admittedly a surprising draw away to Shelbourne - and managed a paltry single win in 19 matches, so it was always difficult to anticipate anything other than three points for a UCD team chasing the title.

Athlone had also been leaking far too many goals in recent weeks, conceding 19 goals in the last seven games, and disappointingly notched up a mere three home wins throughout a season that proved quite unsteady at times.

Of course there will be those grateful that Athlone simply fielded a team in the league this season after facing deeply concerning financial problems and almost going to the wall before the season began. But overall, and despite the welcome emergence of younger players like Robbie Benson and, to a certain extent, Tom O'Halloran, the Town have failed to get going all through the season and never embarked on a consistent run of form.

Athlone complete their season with an away tie against FAI Cup finalists Sporting Fingal this weekend and after losing by five goals or more on three occasions in the past two months, the end of the season is coming almost as something of a relief to many Athlone followers.

Brendan Place made three changes to the team which lost at home to Monaghan Utd with teenager Ronan Stack coming in at right back. Fellow youngster Stephen Relihan also made his first start for the club in midfield and Tom O'Halloran also took his place in a wide midfield berth.

The visitors' were missing the suspended Ciaran Kilduff and Brian Shortall but were always likely to be an attacking threat with the likes of John Reilly and Chris Mulhall threatening from wide positions in an attack-minded 4-5-1 formation.

The early stages saw both side struggle with the heavy underfoot conditions following a deluge of rainfall in the Midlands over the course of last Thursday night and Friday.

This undoubtedly contributed to a slow and unentertaining opening to the game, with only one genuine half chance coming inside the opening 15 minutes when Robbie Creevey headed over the Athlone crossbar following a corner kick.

Sean Harding then sent a decent free kick just wide of the Athlone goal but you sensed it was probably only a matter of time before UCD's more experienced and lively side made the breakthrough.

Reilly then tried to set up a shotting chance for Paul Corry but Kevin Dunne was positioned well to clear.

Indeed, the opening goal duly arrived in the 35th minute when a well worked UCD move ended with Dave McMillan winning a free kick on the edge of the Athlone box, and Harding's free left Barry Andrews motionless in the Athlone goal.

In fairness, Athlone were not making things easy for UCD in the first half and often looked a decent threat on the counter attack.

However, two minutes after conceding, Athlone were under pressure in their own box when the very impressive Ronan Finn delivered a dangerous cross but Barry Andrews in the Town goal got his hand to it and steered it to safety.

Chris Mulhall then set up a chance for Creevy but he lost his balance and Des Hope, later in the evening announced as the club's senior player of the year, cleared the danger.

Robbie Benson, Stephen Relihan and Noel McGee did well to work a brief but all-too-rare opening for Andrei Georgescu but the Romanian was thwarted by good defending from Harding.

Kevin Horan, another of Athlone's emerging youngsters, replaced O'Halloran during the interval but the second half belonged entirely to a UCD side who showed no mercy to a tiring Athlone.

Andrews had to save well in the 55th minute after David McMillan manufactured a great opening in the Athlone box.

But Andrews' decent work was immediately undone by an over-reactive referee who sent the 'keeper off for a very innocuous incident.

As McMillan was running out of the Athlone penalty area, Andrews collided with the attacker, who seemed to overexaggerate his fall and the referee gave Andrews a straight red card. UCD were also awarded a penalty kick which was easily converted past youth goalkeeper Scott Gaynor by Ronan Finn.

In the 61st minute, Benson put Georgescu through on goal but his effort ended up in the side netting.

Benson was trying hard as always and his cross was headed over the bar by Kevin Dunne but it was basically all UCD at this point.

The visitors' third goal came in the 69th minute when Finn tore down the right flank and set up David McMillan to net.

Two minutes later, it was 4-0, and Athlone were again experiencing a real struggle.

Chris Mulhall was the man who grabbed UCD's fourth goal and substitute Peter McMahon put the gloss on a very impressive away performance by UCD in the 82nd minute as ten-man Athlone found it difficult to

On the positive side, with the introduction of ten of the 14 who featured are from the Athlone area, with the vast majority under the age of 21. Hope for the future, maybe, after a tough year.

Athlone Town: Barry Andrews; Ronan Stack, David O'Connor, Kevin Dunne, Des Hope, Anthony Hayes, Andrei Georgescu, Stephen Relihan, Robbie Benson, Noel McGee, Tom O'Halloran. Subs: Kevin Horan for O'Halloran (HT), Scott Gaynor for Relihan (58), Luke Hardy for Georgescu (75).

UCD: Gerard Barron; Sean Harding, Ciaran Nangle, Andy Boyle, Evan McMillan, Paul Corry, John Reilly, Ronan Finn, David McMillan, Robbie Creevy, Chris Mulhall. Subs: Peter McMahon for Creevy (70 mins), Michael Leahy for Boyle (76), Keith Ward for Reilly (79).

Referee: Darren Coombes.

League of Ireland First Division Standings

P W D L F A Pts

UCD 32 23 5 4 61 18 74

Sporting Fingal 32 21 6 5 66 25 69

Shelbourne 31 20 7 4 58 29 67

Waterford Utd 32 19 6 7 48 19 63

Monaghan Utd 31 14 7 10 53 48 63

Wexford Youths 31 15 4 12 27 28 49

Limerick 32 11 8 13 47 42 41

Finn Harps 31 8 9 14 34 46 33

Longford Town 32 8 4 20 45 60 28