Champions Shamrock Rovers huffed and puffed but eventually secured three valuable league points following a tough battle with UCD at Tallaght Stadium.
College played well but their resistance was finally broken down on 69 minutes through Karl Sheppard’s rasping shot. Ronan Finn doubled the lead on 72 minutes before Robbie Benson reduced the arrears on 81 with arguably the best goal of the night.
Billy Dennehy made sure of the win when his effort took a knock off Michael Leahy and hit the back of Ger Barron’s net on 82.
UCD claimed a last-gasp point thanks to Graham Rusk’s 94th minute equaliser away to St Pat’s last week. Rusk had been at the top of a 4-4-1-1 formation in Inchicore, with Dean Marshall sitting just behind him.
Boss Martin Russell opted for Rusk up front alone again with Marshall on the right of midfield. Darren Meenan was positioned on the left of midfield and both he and Marshall provided plenty of balls into the middle.
Rovers were without their top marksman, Gary Twigg, through injury so manager Michael O’Neill went for Gary O’Neill and Sheppard in a two-pronged attack.
It was Finn, though who first threatened, on seven minutes, but his shot crashed into the side netting to the left of UCD keeper Barron. Two minutes later, Barron saved Paddy Kavanagh’s effort and saved from O’Neill on eleven minutes, tough O’Neill had been put off by the close attentions of David O’Connor.
Rusk had the better of Dan Murray on 13 minutes and sent Meenan through but his subsequent shot was saved by Rovers goalkeeper Alan Mannus. A minute after that Meenan crossed the ball for Robbie Creevy but with Ken Oman and Enda Stevens bearing down, he flashed his header wide.
In an end to end spell of action, Barron saved Sheppard’s header from Dennehy’s corner on 16 before Creevy narrowly missed connecting with Ciaran Nangle’s deep cross into the Rovers area on 17.
Marshall went on a brave mazy run on 25 minutes, cutting into the Rovers box from the right and then smashed a low drive that Mannus saved on the line.
Rovers went close to breaking the deadlock on 35 minutes. Finn took possession inside the UCD box, to the right of the six-yard box, turned, and played the ball out to O’Neill but the former St Pat’s and Sporting Fingal man blasted over. Another excellent chance came on 37 but Sheppard’s header hit the post from Enda Stevens’ ball after a short Rovers corner on the left.
UCD had two excellent chances of their own at the start of the second half, but couldn’t make either of them count.
On 50 minutes, Daniel Ledwith collected Rusk’s pass and put Marshall clean through but Marshall contrived to fire his shot wide of the left hand post with just Mannus to beat. A minute later Creevy did pretty much the same thing. He got on the end of Marshall’s pass and played a one-two with Rusk before hammering his shot wide.
O’Neill had seen enough by that stage and made a double change on 53 minutes – replacing Conor McCormack and Paddy Kavanagh with Stephen Rice and Ciaran Kilduff.
Rovers soon began to take control of the game and wrapped up the win during a spell of fantastic pressure.
Sheppard set them on their way on 69 minutes with a cracking shot from the right of the area following priceless build up play from Dennehy and Stevens.
The offside flag then stayed down on 72 minutes when Finn got on the end of O’Neill’s short ball and cracked it past Barron with aplomb.
UCD were not down and out just yet and sub Robbie Benson notched one back with an impressive 20-yarder past Mannus on 81 but Dennehy wrapped up the win with his deflected strike a minute later.
Shamrock Rovers: Mannus; Sullivan, Murray, Oman, Stevens; McCormack (Rice 53 mins), Kavanagh (Kilduff 53 mins), Finn (Corcoran 85 mins), Dennehy; Sheppard, O’Neill.
UCD: Barron; O’Conor, Nangle, O’Connor, Leahy; Corry (Kavanagh 83 mins), Creevy, Ledwith (Belhout 73 mins), Meenan, Marshall (Benson 73 mins); Rusk.
Referee: N Doyle.
