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Match Preview: UCD (H)

Written on . Posted in Men's, News.

Date: March 14th 2025
Kick-off: 7:45 pm
Venue: Athlone Town Stadium

Athlone Town look to claim back to back victories for the first time this season as they welcome UCD to Athlone Town Stadium for the fifth game of the 2025 campaign.

Gideon Tetteh’s sensational strike was enough to claim all three points away to Wexford FC last week, but the students will provide a difficult opposition for Dario Castelo’s side. Friday’s visitors have earned respectable draws against both Finn Harps and Cobh Ramblers in their last two games.

What do you need to know

A win for Athlone will be crucial in building confidence for the squad and gaining momentum in their push for promotion, following a lacklustre start to the season. The games against Longford Town and Wexford FC have allowed players to settle into a new system following an abundance of new signings in the Summer.

Cole Omorehiomwan has offered an outlet to target for set pieces, Ben Feeney’s physicality up front and Gideon Tetteh’s pace down the wing accumulate to forge a dangerous attacking threat.

JR Wilson, Dylan Hand and Kyle O’Connor have solidified defensively, with the first clean sheet of the season coming against Wexford, with Matt Connor’s heroics, making a total of seven saves in Ferrycarrig Park.

The Students come into this game with two draws and one loss having played three games. William O’Connor’s side will be eager to earn their first win of the campaign on Friday night.

Team News

It remains to be seen if Declan McDaid will be fit for this encounter, having trained during the week. Bastien Hery is available having featured off the bench last week. Dan Mckenna remains absent through injury.

Key Players to Watch

Ben Feeney has started the season strongly for Athlone. The 21-year-old has one goal this season and was instrumental in Tetteh’s winning strike last week. His hold up play is instrumental for Athlone going forward while his positional sense makes him a constant threat to the opposition’s defence.

Ronan Finn is a stalwart of Irish football with over 300 appearances for Shamrock Rovers he returned to UCD for the 2024 season. A creative midfielder, the 37-year-old provides experience for the Dublin side who have a tendency to rely on youth. 

Match Information

Tickets for the game can be purchased by clicking here.

The game will be streamed live on LOITV here.

Subscriptions for LOITV can be purchased here.