Stylish Railway set up title decider

Women's Division One:
UCD 0 Railway Union 2 (Jean McDonnell, Cecelia Joyce)
A goal in each half from a dominant Railway Union meant the season, as long looked the case, will come down to the meeting with Hermes on Saturday afternoon. Bar one Lisa Jacob reverse and two corners, Helen Stevenson was a bystander as the game played out largely in the UCD defensive 25 as the dribbling skills of Emma Smyth and Nikki Evans and quick midfield interplay saw them camped high up the field.

The concern may be for Mick McKinnon that they could not fashion more clear chances while Megan Tennant-Humphreys had a top class game at the heart of the defence. Indeed, after 12 minutes of incessant pressure but no major shots, Jacob went on a fine solo run to crash just wide.

She won a corner too to draw Stevenson's only touch before Jean McDonnell broke the deadlock in the 24th minute, reversing home from eight yards after Evans had created the space with a dash down the left baseline.

And McDonnell was central to the second goal, too, seven minutes after the break. She looked to have been guided down a blind alley down the left wing only to check out and bash across goal where Cecelia Joyce had a simple tap-in at the far post.

A couple of corner chances were comfortably defended and a number of goalmouth scrambles went incomplete as Railway were always in control to take a three-point lead, albeit with an extra game played, into Saturday's tie at St Andrew's.

* For more of Deryck Vincent's photos from the game, click here