FAI CUP QUARTER FINALUCD - 2 DERRY CITY - 2: As he has done numerous times in the past, Liam Coyle weaved his magic to keep Derry City in the FAI Cup with an equaliser with the last kick of the game.

Coyle, a talismatic figure for the Derry faithful for so long, was their hero once again as he shot home a free kick three minutes into stoppage time to bring this quarter-final tie to a replay at the Brandywell tomorrow night.

It was cruel on a very young UCD side who had twice found themselves in front in a frantic cup tie and were literally within seconds of a semi-final place.

It was Coyle who was fouled by a cluster of defenders right on the edge of UCD area deep into time added on. Coyle drilled his low right-foot shot hard through the wall and into the bottom right hand corner of Barry Ryan's net.

"The referee told me there were two minutes and 15 seconds of stoppage time played and it was the last kick of the match, " said Coyle. "I had to hit the target. I knew I had to score or it was over. There was only one place the ball could go. There was a little gap and I went for it and thankfully I scored."

Ted O'Connor had put UCD in front on 23 minutes only for Sean Hargan to level for Derry right on the stroke of half time. A dreadful error by Derry goalkeeper Russell Payne then gifted Mick O'Donnell a goal to restore UCD's lead 10 minutes after the break.

"I've been drumming into my lads that a game of football is not 90 minutes long it's 92 or 93 or whatever the referee decides," said UCD manager Paul Doolin. "I'm so disappointed for my players as it was a very young team we had out today.

"But that's how it goes. That's cup football. We're still in it and we'll go to the Brandywell and start from scratch again."

The blustery, damp conditions mitigated against flowing football but it was nonetheless an intriguing contest as College took advantage of some unusually sluggish Derry defending to take the lead only for Derry to claw themselves level before half-time.

Both sides made changes from their most recent games with UCD bringing a further element of youth into their midfield and strikeforce.

Alan McNally returned alongside David Quinn in the middle of the park for suspended player/manager Paul Doolin while O'Connor made his first starting appearance since playing against Derry last September.

And it was O'Connor who played a key role in UCD's positive start, feeding Robbie Martin in for a bad miss on 12 minutes before putting them in front 13 minutes later.

Martin ought to have done better when finding himself clean through on goal from his strikepartner's pass.

But he over hit the ball as he took it round Russell Payne and ran it out for a goal kick.

Further sluggish Derry defending contributed greatly to UCD's lead on 23 minutes.

Robert McAuley's long throw was only partially cleared by Eddie McCallion to McNally. His shot was parried by Payne to fall at the feet of O'Connor who side-footed home from six yards.

Another throw-in routine, this time down the right, caught out Derry again on 32 minutes as they were fortunate not to find themselves two goals behind.

This time Alan Mahon's throw put John Martin away down to the end line to cross and Mick O'Donnell knows he should have done better that shoot straight at Payne who made an awkward save to force the ball out for a corner with his feet.

If the defending was poor at the Derry end it was scarcely better from UCD as they conceded a soft equaliser right on 45 minutes.

Sean Hargan, who had headed wide when unmarked minutes earlier, was again picked out superbly by Paddy McLaughlin at the back post.

Again unatteneded by a College defender, Hargan made no mistake this time when controlling the ball with his first touch before drilling a shot past Barry Ryan.

UCD restored their lead courtesy of Payne's dreadful howler 10 minutes into the second half. Payne, normally the most reliable of goalkeepers, inexplicably allowed an inocuous cross in from the right by Mahon to slip through his hands and O'Donnell, scarcely believing his good fortunate, was in quickly to shoot the loose ball into the unguarded net.

UCD: B Ryan; Mahon, Delaney, McAuley, D Ryan; J Martin, McNally, Quinn, O'Donnell; O'Connor, R Martin (Grogan 74).

DERRY CITY: Payne; McLaughlin, E McCallion, Kelly, Hargan; McGlynn (Moran 69), Doherty, T McCallion, Beckett (McCready 83); Coyle, Hughes. Referee: J Stacey (Athlone).