UCD 5-8 CIT 0-10

UCD started slow but they finished like trains.

The reigning champions were slow to get going but once they found their way, they took off and they left a threatening Cork IT team for dust in an explosive pipe opener in Belfield.

It really was a tale of two halves in this first round clash with Cork IT blowing UCD out of the water in the early stages in south Dublin, the 2009 winners racing into a 0-7 0-1 lead in the first seventeen minutes of the game.

UCD weren’t long waking up though.

Encouraged by the home support in their college grounds, the 34 time winners did respond and they responded swiftly. Monaghan’s nippy forward Conor McCarthy was the first of their men to smell the roses and he made it count, blasting home two goals in the space of two quickfire first half minutes to drag the home side back into this one and to leave the scores at 2-2 to 0-10 at half-time.

One of those McCarthy goals was finished off with such power that it shattered the in-goal camera.

Conor McCarthy’s rocket of a goal for @UCDGAA vs CIT smashed the in-goal camera! It will be worth watching later.. @HigherEdGAA @officialgaa pic.twitter.com/41RgfSqAiV

— Jerome Quinn (@JeromeQuinn) January 17, 2019

The Monaghan man – man of the match in last year’s final – means business again.

They had plenty of work still to do but with the momentum on side going into the second, UCD picked up from where they left off and left the Cork college sitting.

John Divilly’s men reeled off the first three scores of the half, the third of those a fine strike from Con O’Callaghan’s left boot.

#SigersonCup (Rd.1) –

(2nd half, 34min)@UCDGAA 2-5 (11)
@CorkITGAA 0-10 (10)#Allianz #Gaa

Con O’Callaghan off his left puts UCD in front!

— 𝘿𝙪𝙗𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙧 (@DubMatchTracker) January 17, 2019

And when big Laois forward Evan O’Carroll fisted in a goal with fifteen minutes remaining to put the champions five clear, this one was all over bar the shouting.

UCD’s dynamic attacking sextet kept piling on the pressure in the closing stages as they laid down a marker to every other college in the competition, Kerry’s Fiachra Clifford tacking on a fourth goal before King Con got in on the act with a goal of his own.

From trailing by two at the break to winning by thirteen without conceding a score in the second half, it was quite the turnaround for UCD.

Garda College 1-15 IT Sligo 1-10

Despite Donegal ace Jamie Brennan hitting form for the institute, it’s the Gardaí who advance to the second round of the Sigeron Cup with Ronan Carolan’s late goal sealing the deal for them.

Today’s teams for the Sigerson Cup Garda College v @ITSligoGAAClub @oceanfmsport pic.twitter.com/4Arq8rhGdg

— Gavin Cawley (@gavcawley) January 17, 2019

The FootballJOE quiz: Were you paying attention? – episode 10