Shamrock Rovers 2 UCD 0
Second half goals from Ronan Finn and Ryan Brennan broke UCD's brave resolve at Tallaght Stadium to get Shamrock Rovers back on track.
Having hit the woodwork three times in the first half and been frustrated by the brilliance of UCD goalkeeper Conor O'Donnell, Rovers finally found a way to goal on 57 minutes.
Powerful shot
Former Student Finn cut in down the inside-right channel and drilled a powerful shot that O'Donnell got a hand to but couldn't keep out.
His goal under siege, O’Donnell made a parry save from a Brennan header and then somehow pushed Gary McCabe’s drive out for a corner.
But the 20-year-old goalkeeper could do little to stop Rovers’ second stunning strike on 85 minutes. Stephen McPhail, starting a league game for the first time, back-heeled the ball to McCabe to set up Brennan who found the top corner of the net from 20 yards.
The pick of O’Donnell’s saves was a terrific one-handed save to keep out Jason McGuinness’s downward header from a McCabe corner just before half-time.
SHAMROCK ROVERS : Murphy; Madden, Kenna, McGuinness, Byrne; Brennan, McPhail; McCabe (Sheppard, 89), Finn (Bayly, 89), O'Connor (Waters, 78); Kilduff.
UCD : O'Donnell; Barker, Douglas, Boyle, Matthews; Mulhall (O'Halloran, 75), Creevy, Benson, Clarke (Belhout, 78); Burke (Kavanagh, 67); Morrison.
Referee: Graham Kelly (Cork).
