UCD - 1 Shamrock Rovers - 1 Trevor Molloy scored a late equaliser to keep Shamrock Rovers' quest for Europe on course as they appeared to be about to lose a game they should have won at Belfield last night.

Substitute Molloy swivelled well on to a James Keddy pass to fire a low drive past Patrick Jennings on 86 minutes.

That goal came six minutes after Rovers had fallen behind to a Gavin Whelan goal, his first for bottom-of-the-table UCD. Fellow substitute Alan Gallen picked out the unmarked Whelan, son of former Rovers captain Paul and nephew of former international Ronnie, and he beat goalkeeper Tony O'Dowd with a perfectly weighted low shot. Glen Fitzpatrick might then have won it for Rovers on 90 minutes, but Jennings pushed his shot out for a corner.

Both sides struggled in a dour first half, the first real shot on target not coming until the last minute of the half. The sting in Tony Grant's shot was taken out of it by Alan McNally and Jennings put the ball out for Rovers' fifth corner. Shortly afterwards a Keddy free-kick was almost turned into his own goal by UCD defender Robert McAuley.

The pace of the game improved in the second half, but Rovers continued to be frustrated. Excellent defending by Darragh Ryan prevented Fitzpatrick's setting up Stephen Grant before Rovers had an escape when Tony O'Dowd made a bit of a meal of a long-range shot from Mark Rooney.

UCD: Jennings; Sullivan, McNally, McAuley, Ryan; J Martin (Whelan, half-time), Griffin, McDonnell, O'Donnell; R Martin (McWalter, 83 min), Rooney (Gallen, 66 min).

SHAMROCK ROVERS: O'Dowd; Gough, Deans, Palmer, Doyle; S Grant (Reynolds, 85 min), Boughanem, Colwell, Keddy; A Grant (Molloy, 69 min), Fitzpatrick.

Referee: D McKeon (Dublin).