Perhaps UCD's best performance of the season has given them a Premier Division lifeline as they battled from behind to beat Shamrock Roves at Belfield.
The win sees the students leapfrog a point above Finn Harps out of the two automatic relegation places. Another win in Galway next week, no matter what Finn Harps do against Longford Town in their final match, will secure the play-off place for UCD.
Captain Tony McDonnell was UCD's match winner with a headed goal midway through the second-half after Eoin Bennis had equalised Rovers' lead goal from Tony Grant in an end-to-end first-half. "Relief is the one emotion I feel at the moment," said UCD manager Martin Moran at the finish. "We deserved to win. We created six chances in the firsthalf and only scored one having given away a soft goal.
"It's in our own hands now and if we win in Galway next week we have the play-off spot. Rovers did us no favours and were out to win the game and that's the way it should be. But we battled away and deserved our win. I just wish we could have played like that all season."
UCD had to defend in numbers as Rovers kept surging forward. Patrick Jennings made a vital save to deprive former UCD player Terry Palmer an equaliser.
UCD: Jennings; Mahon, Delaney, McAuley, O'Donnell; J Martin, Kavanagh, McDonnell, O'Meara; Bennis, Swan. Subs: Mooney for O'Meara (77 mins), R Martin for Bennis (92 mins).
SHAMROCK ROVERS: O'Dowd; Woods, Palmer, Cronin, Dunne; Kenny, Deans, Tracey, Byrne; Francis, Grant. Subs: Cousins for Francis (14 mins), Colwell for Kenny (61 mins), Kavanagh for Byrne (69 mins).
Referee: R O'Hanlon (Waterford).
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