UCD got their first win in three attempts over Bray Wanderers with a huge 3-1 win at the Carlisle Grounds to strengthen their position in the race for what looks like to be one of the tightest races for play-off positions in recent times.
Last season's beaten promotion/relegation play-off finalists were hoping to bounce back from a run of consecutive defeats as they welcomed their rivals, who themselves, were off the back of a damaging home defeat to Cobh Ramblers on Friday night
Captain Eanna Clancy's first-half double had the Students in control at the break but an excellent Rhys Knight halved the deficit with less than a half an hour to go, before an Adam Well’s stunner in the 93rd minute made sure of the points for UCD.
Danu Kinsella-Bishop, who notched the second in a 2-0 win against his former side last time the sides met, was sharp with just a couple of minutes played, showing good feet to turn and get his shot away but Dara Kavanagh got down well to hold.
The surface, that still had that new carpet smell, made for excellent conditions for two good footballing sides as the frenetic start continued.
The visitors earned a corner following some neat build up play. Ciaran Behan’s excellent delivery was finished well by Clancy to give his side the lead - their first goal against the Seagulls this season.
The hosts responded well and wing wizard Billy O’Neill was doing his best to drag his side back level, taking on all comers.
The talented teenager dipped into his box of tricks to get to the end line before teeing up fellow 17-year-old Knight, who saw his close-range strike well blocked in a crowded area, which drew huge shouts of handball from the Bray faithful.
Having weathered the home side's response, UCD doubled their lead just after the half hour mark.
Trying to take the sting out of the game, the visitors showed good patience building up down the right. Goalscorer Clancy cut inside onto his left foot and delivered a whipped ball towards frontman Michael Ragget that evaded everyone, including Jimmy Corcoran in the Bray goal, as the ball crept into the bottom corner.
It seemed as if boss Paul Heffernan’s five changes to the side from Friday’s energy-sapping defeat in Kerry were struggling to have the desired effect, despite some spells of pressure.
One of those included from the start was the exciting Richard Ferizaj, who was desperately unlucky not to halve the deficit, with his whipped shot that grazed the top of the bar and landed on the net, as some in the ground roared thinking it had beaten Kavanagh.
The home side must have gotten the proverbial hairdryer treatment at half-time as they desperately looked to get back in the game.
Within the first five minutes of the restart O’Neill had a volley from the edge of the area sail just over before Kinsella-Bishop stung the palms of Kavanagh as he rifled a shot towards the near post from close range.
It took until the 65th minute for the hosts' pressure to pay off when Knight cut inside from the left wing and reversed a powerful low strike from 20 yards into the bottom corner to set up a grandstand finish.
Despite a few half-chances, and with nothing to lose, the home side threw bodies forward at every attempt but were met by a sea of blue as they struggled to carve open the Students.
To their credit, Willie O’Connors side, through man-of-the-match Sean Brennan, showed some incredible composure on the ball to take the sting out of the game and eventually got a tremendous third to wrap up the win when Wells drifted in from the right wing and played a clever one-two with Raggett before curling an unstoppable effort into the side netting to put the icing on the cake.
Elsewhere in the second tier, Gradi Lomboto's penalty earned Finn Harps a shock 1-0 home win over league leaders Dundalk.
Cobh Ramblers capitalised on the Lilywhites slip-up in a 1-0 win over visitors Kerry FC, with Matthew Whelan bundling the ball home from a speculative punt that painfully exposed Tim Oliver-Hiemir's lack of stature in the Kerry goal.
Aaron Doran bagged a brace as his Longford Town side accounted for Athlone Town 3-2, while Treaty United and Wexford FC huffed and puffed to a dour 0-0 draw.
Bray Wanderers: Jimmy Corcoran; Alain Kizenga, Killian Cantwell, Paul Murphy, Max Murphy; Billy O’Neill, Rhys Knight (Guillermo Almirall, 86’), Cian Doyle, Calum Costello (Conor Knight, 70’); Richard Ferizaj (Jordan Tallon, 70’), Danu Kinsella Bishop (Cian Curtis, 70’).
Subs not used: Stephen McGuinness, Dylan Barnett, Thomas Considine, Jamie Duggan, Kyle Degelman.
UCD: Dara Kavanagh; Adam Wells, Eanna Clancy, Niall Holohan (Carl Lennox, 57’), Brian McManus: Michael McCullagh, Sean Brennan, Ciaran Behan, Killian Cailloce (Ryan McBrearty, 72’); Jake Doyle, Michael Raggett.
Subs not used: Noah Douglas, Colin Bolton, Odhran McLaughlin, Sam Norval, Ben Mahon, Adam Brennan, Callum Wynne.
