Bohemians - 1 UCD - 1:NATIONAL LEAGUE: Having halted Cork City's progress last week to move off the foot of the table, UCD dented Bohemians' march with a draw at Dalymount Park last night which owed much to Barry Ryan's 86th-minute penalty save from Glen Crowe.
If ever there was a game of two halves this was it as a rejuvenated Bohemians were a transformed side after half-time. However, despite a succession of chances they only made the breakthrough with 10 minutes remaining when Simon Webb crashed home an unstoppable 20-yard free-kick to earn a point.
And Bohemians almost snatched an unlikely three points - which would have been cruel luck on the students - when they were awarded that penalty in the 86th minute. But Crowe saw his effort brilliantly pushed away by Ryan.
Yet Robert Doyle, who had given UCD their sixth-minute lead, could have scored again for the visitors after Webb's equaliser only to be denied by a couple of great saves by Bohemians goalkeeper Ashley Bayes.
When the sides met on the opening day of the season in July Doyle scored for UCD after just seven minutes; this time he was off the mark after six. UCD scored first in each game but Bohemians won the previous match 2-1.
Alan Cawley sent Sean Finn out wide on the left and his inch-perfect cross found the former Blackburn Rovers striker who slid in at the near post to beat Bayes.
Bohemians were somewhat lack-lustre in that opening half and UCD could easily have stretched their lead by the interval.
After 35 minutes Cawley sent a great cross into the box, but sadly for the students nobody was able to convert, and then two minutes later Doyle was in again but Webb just did enough to force his shot over.
Late in the half UCD goalkeeper Ryan was kept busy, first holding a Crowe effort and then diving full-length to push away a goal-bound effort from Webb.
It had only been in those final five minutes of the opening half that Bohemians had started to sparkle into any sort of life and pose any sort of a threat to the UCD goal.
Yet Bohemians' rousing finish to the first half was to provide the impetus for their much improved second-half display.
After 50 minutes a Webb cross was headed back to the danger zone by Crowe, but Stephen Caffrey was unable to convert.
Another Webb delivery created a scoring chance this time for Colin Hawkins, who headed too high.
As Bohemians piled on the pressure they simply could not find the breakthrough. Twice in the space of a minute they should have been on level terms, but Keegan was first denied by a superb one-handed save from Ryan.
Then less than 60 seconds later Keegan headed against the crossbar and Derek Coughlan somehow headed over with an open goal.
But Bohemians' efforts were eventually rewarded 10 minutes from time with Webb's equaliser.
BOHEMIANS: Bayes, O'Connor, Webb, Hunt, Coughlan, Hawkins, Ryan, Caffrey, Keegan, Crowe, Rutherford. Sub: Harkin for O'Connor (78 mins).
UCD: B Ryan, Sullivan, D Ryan, McAuley, Delaney, McNally, J Martyn, McDonnell, Cawley, Doyle, Finn. Sub: Purdy for Finn (89 mins).
Referee: A Kelly (Cork).
