UCD - 2 Longford Town - 0 At least UCD did everything expected of them, yesterday. However, the victory at Belfield Park was not enough to see them survive, after seven years, in the top flight. Derry City beat Waterford United, so the students automatically go down to Division One.
The fact that it was a former UCD player that scored the vital winner for Derry, to send them into the relegation/promotion play-offs, didn't really concern Pete Mahon, who is already focused on the bigger picture.
"Well there are UCD players everywhere," he pointed out "Every team we play, there are former UCD players. So we have to try and put an end to that, and also what we have to do is get the scholarship system back running here again. Stop all the young, best players going to Rovers, Shels and Bohs."
Mahon's main task now will be to keep intact the young squad he was presented with as they seek an immediate return to the Premier Division. However, those who impressed throughout the year will be targets in the off-season for the bigger fish, players like Alan Cawley - who polished off his performance with the second goal in the 87th minute.
"We are very, very positive," Mahon continued. "We are going to move on from this, it's not the end of the world, it's a blow, it's the biggest disappointment I've ever had in football but, as I said, we'll move on from this.
"I have to be judged now. People were saying to me: 'you've done great since you came here'. We've done great but we still got relegated. So that to me is not good enough, we have to be to the forefront of the First Division next season."
UCD have been a precarious outfit all season, but with all eyes on them yesterday they produced one of their most clinical performances this term, albeit against a Longford United team that had already dashed St Patrick's Athletics European aspirations last Friday.
It would have taken a Herculean effort for the FAI Cup winners to hit the high-notes twice in three days, and they have produced enough of them for one year.
The students' captain Tony McDonnell livened up the slow start when he fired home the opening goal from the edge of the area after 22 minutes, against the run of play. Longford had their chances but SeáFrancis was denied what seemed like a certain equaliser by an excellent save from Patrick Jennings.
Looking back on their season, a valiant revival appeared to start too late in the day for UCD to pull clear of the trap door.
UCD: Jennings; Sullivan, McAuley, McNally, Ryan; Whelan, M O'Donnell, Cawley, O'Donnell; Martin (Gallen, 86 mins), Griffin (Rooney, 76 mins).
LONGFORD TOWN: Dempsey; Ferguson, McGovern (Byrne, 37 mins), Prunty; Kirby, Perth, Keogh, Murphy; Francis, Mulvihill (Murphy, 67 mins), Lavine (Kelly, 74 mins).
Referee: J McDermott (Dublin)
