UCD coach William O'Connor fears Derry City backlash

​The Belfield outfit have shipped in 13 goals in three head-to-heads against Derry this season already but come into Friday's clash at Brandywell in buoyant mood following last weekend's stalemate against leaders Shamrock Rovers.

They lost 7-1 at the Lone Moor Road venue last season and despite having already been relegated this term, O'Connor says their game-plan will be to contain and frustrate the Candy Stripes.

While UCD did Derry a favour last week, keeping their fading title hopes alive with that result against the Hoops, O'Connor expects his young team to be under siege in the Walled City.

"The title swung against them last week but if they win on Friday and Rovers don't, it's back on," said the UCD coach. "So they're by no means out of it. They are still in the title race and they will probably be coming gung-ho to rectify last week's result.

"We'll be really up against it in the first 15 or 20 minutes when we'll have to ride the storm. Hopefully we can resemble how things went last week in terms of staying in the game as long as we can and hopefully we can get a few more opportunities at the other end of the pitch too.

"From a defensive side, we've got to be the exact same as we were last week and hopefully that's enough.

"That's the game-plan," he added.

Back-top-back games against the league's top two who are still gunning for the title is no easy task but it's one UCD are relishing with their days in the top flight numbered for this year.

"Our boys deserve a lot of credit in terms of them being relegated for the character and commitment and the way they're training and going about things. They're still sticking it at it and they'll be going there looking forward to and enjoy the last few games in the Premier Division for this year.

"These are the teams you want to be playing againts. Obviously the boys had a great result last week against Shamrock Rovers. They didn't have much of the ball but defended really, really well and put their bodies on the line. That's what it takes against those bigger teams to get a result.

"The mood is good after the result last week and the boys are looking forward to the game on Friday night."

UCD have also lost three times heavily to Rovers this season but out of the league's top two, who has he been impressed with most?

"I think there's very little between both teams and I think Rovers maybe have that wee bit of know-how and experience of winning leagues over the last few years and that might see them out.

"Again, with the quality players that Derry have, if they click then I don't think any team in the country can really live up to them and hold them at bay because they have some incredible players.

"We were disappointed with some of the goals we conceded that last day against them (5-0 loss at Belfield) and hopefully we can work out a few things to try and resolve that. We need to be a bit more compact to keep ourselves in the game and then maybe in the transition we'll look to maybe catch them."

Despite recent results against Derry, Buncrana native O'Connor always enjoys the opportunity to get back to the North West.

"It's always brilliant to come up home, well not the last couple of times where the result was the only problem with it but it's really good to get up home.

"I know a lot of people there and a few of the family will be going to the game so I'll probably stay up for a few days.

"The games up there are the ones you look forward to against a big team at the Brandywell. The atmosphere is really good and when they're going well they're hard to stop."

The Balbriggan Community School teacher is in line to succeed departing UCD boss Andy Myler next year. The Pro Licence coach who spent five years at Finn Harps as first team coach under Ollie Horgan, is excited about the future of the club and his first steps into management.

"It's something I'm really looking forward to. It's probably the next step for me. I did five years with Ollie and two and a half years with Andy as his assistant so that will be the next step, managing and we'll see how it goes.

"I'm really looking forward to it. It's a great opportunity for me and I'm really appreciative of the club to give me this opportunity.

"We're obviously looking forward to seeing out the rest of the season and then there's a lot of new players coming in on scholarship. They started university in the last few weeks and there's some really, really promising players that we're excited to work with and who we think will have a big future. We're looking to try and develop them now as much as we can.

the First Division will suit them in terms of their development and getting them up and going. That will take them to the level of the Premier Division and hopefully we do enough to get back there again.

"It would be great to go straight back up but that's not the ultimate priority for the club's point of view. That's a bonus of you do get up but it's not do or die in terms of promotion.

"That would be my ambition and the players' ambition - that's where they want to be and play. That's the league everyone wants to be involved in."