UCC celebrate Munster Senior League and Collingwood Cup double

It's been a terrific year for UCC Soccer, and they're not quite finished yet.

College were crowned Munster Senior League Champions last week, a 3-0 win over Ringmahon Rangers securing them the title - their third in six years.

It adds to the Collingwood Cup crown won earlier in the year, UCC's second double in three years, and they could yet make it a quadruple.

UCC are in action in the Beamish Stout Senior Cup final on Saturday where they'll face either Avondale United, Rockmount or Wilton United (Rockmount host Avondale in the Quarter final on Tuesday night, with the winners hosting Wilton in the Semi Final on Thursday).

While on the 15th of June they'll face either Rockmount or Avondale United in the O'Connell Cup final. 

Boss Noel Healy and centre half Rob Slevin were our guests on the Big Red Bench over the weekend, and Healy says it's been a long year, but an immensely satisfying one. 

"We started off on August 20th. We've played close to 50 games between college competitions, Intermediate Cup, Munster senior league. It's been a very rewarding season, and to cap it with two trophies is always a nice finish to the season."

Such a hectic schedule would be tough on full time professionals let alone college students who have to add studies and exams on top. Slevin admits it can be tough, but that football can be a release from the pressures of exams.

"For me it's enjoyable. Your football is a break from your studies, and your studies are a break from football at the same time. But you're playing with your best friends who are also doing their studies, so it's not too hard.

"Exam season is the toughest part. You can't even train at times, and you're kind of struggling through exams at the same time as well. But we've been brilliantly rewarded with winning the league. And our form this year during exam season  was probably even better than when we were properly training. I think matches are a great break from exams that."

Healy explains that as a management team they've learned from mistakes in previous years and found the right balance for students when it comes to study and football.

"We learned that March/April/May is a very difficult time, and a there's a physical and mental tiredness that kicks in, that you can't really see or appreciate. I think what we've done over time is we've just eased off on things. Guys are sitting 8/10 hours in a chair studying, they have other pressures going on. We try and sneak in a training session here and there. 

"But if you look at our form - March 9th we were away to Leeds and we were beaten. Going into the last nine games then - we won 7 and drew 2  which was in the middle of their peak time for studies and exams. They deserve a huge amount of credit."

A challenge for UCC is that every year a number of their players leave the team as their studies at the college come to an end. And Healy says that a huge part of their success is down to how quickly the panel gel together at the start of each season.

"This bunch of lads developed that team spirit very early. We made mistakes and learned from them, and I think they've learned very quickly what it was like when you've won and tasted success. The Collingwood was one of those ones where you go away for a tournament, you tend to see things differently because you're they're for three day s, thankfully we were there for the lot. And you build the team morale around that. 

"We've had some tough conversations when things went wrong, we've had some really good conversation when things went right. But these guys are athletes. These guys are coming in with a completely different attitude to when I was playing twenty years ago. They're preparing themselves right, they're recovering right. And they're reaping the rewards."

"That Leeds game was definitely a turning point", adds Slevin. "We lost 2-0. We were looking at the table thinking 'we might actually go down'. I just remember sitting in the dressing, we were all tearing the heads off each other. But that was a release. Looking at our form then, we were winning and winning. and that becomes a habit."

And that run following the Leeds defeat set up an intriguing premise for the last series of games. UCC went to Ringmahon Rangers knowing that if they won they'd be champions, but if they slipped up it would open the door for Rockmount or Cobh Wanderers, who were going head to head at Rockmount Park at the same time.

"Team selection was really important. We played three strikers. We just went for it. We played the football we've been playing all season. Nerves were something you'd be afraid of, an early goal from Ringmahon would change things. But we settled really well. Ringmahon gave us a great game which was important to us as it meant we raised our game. We scored two goals in two minutes and that pretty much killed it off. These guys have been outstanding all season."

Slevin opened the scoring on the 19 minute mark, with Matthew McKevitt finding the net shortly after. And Slevin admits those goals dispelled any nerves that they may have had.

"At nil all there's always some nerves. Especially in the first ten minutes because you don't know what's going on up in Rockmount. The second goal gave us a nice cushion, and to get the third going in 3-0 at half time... the second half was long because we were waiting for the final whistle!"

"Rob started it all off for us last week scoring the opening goal", adds Healy. "He got the winner in the Collingwood. And he scored an unbelievable goal away to Avondale  in the 94th minute to bring it to the last game of the season. For a centre back it's not bad!

"Rob has really developed over the last while. His positioning has gotten a lot better, he's learned an awful lot. His ball skill, his control, he's starting to talk to players and people are now looking to him as a leader. I've said it time and time again - watch out for Rob Slevin, he's a name for the future."

Sean McLaughlin made the move from UCC to Cork City and is now a regular fixture in the Rebel Army's back four, catching the eye of cross channel scouts in the process. Slevin though says he hasn't thought about following in McLaughlin's footsteps.

"I've been focusing on the present. We've had such a long season. And you don't really want to think about that, you just want to live in the moment and win games with UCC." 

Healy admits that they've had some discussion about UCC competing in the League of Ireland, but that it's not on the table for the time being.

"It's come up over the last few years. Financially, we did some work on it. I think UCD are in between €300,000-€400,000 to keep it up and running. But it's not just that, it's the knock on effect, you've got to have your Under 19s and it trickles down through all the age groups. 

"The Mardyke and The Farm are being redeveloped, and a new arena is being built. So maybe in two or three years time we'll take a look at it again."

The Cork football community were left shocked recently following the death of Rockmount chairman Jamesie Corcoran. And Healy paid tribute to one of the game's greats.

"He's been incredible for the Munster Senior League, incredible for Rockmount. He's been a character who I've had lots of little tussles with, all in good nature, lots of fun memories. 

"Just to Rockmount - my heart goes out to them. They lost a chairman. They lost a real good football guy. To his family. To Billy Cronin, who's lost a best friend. It was a very tough closing part of the season for them, and my condolences go to all of them."

Applications for 2019/20 UCC Sports Scholarships are open now. For more details click HERE