Derry City's match fitness told in the Brandywell in the end as, after a tight-fought match for most of the 90 minutes, they pulled away in the last quarter of an hour to ultimately deserve a 2-0 winning margin.
For UCD, it was a much improved performance on the end of last season, with the midfield creating plenty of chances and but for a distinct lack of pace up front, UCD could well have taken a point from the game.
With captain Tony McDonnell out injured, Alan Cawley, Stephen Hurley and Gary Dicker all found places in the midfield, while Ciarán Quinn made his debut up front. UCD started well, and could have been ahead within three minutes when Podge McWalter was played in behind the defence but, with David Forde hesitating, McWalter screwed his shot across the six yard box.
UCD's defence was coping quite handily with Derry's attack, and the Candystripes were limited to shots from distance, with Stephen O'Flynn going close from 25 yards in one of the hosts' few first-half chances.
However, just before the break, Derry were ahead and yet again, it was Ciarán Martyn who scored the goal, as he does so often against UCD. Taking a ball just inside the area, he turned his defender superbly and shot home past Quigley from 12 yards.
UCD came out all guns blazing after the break, and could have been level twice within the opening minutes of the second half. First Conan Byrne laid the ball off the Alan Cawley on the left - Cawley's cross was met by Ciarán Quinn, but he mis-hit his shot and screwed well wide. A minute later, Quinn turned his defender and sent in a shot from the edge of the area; it took a deflection, but Forde was down well to save.
After Stephen O'Flynn sent a 20-yard free over the bar, Forde presented UCD with a superb chance for an equaliser. His dealing with backpasses had been poor for most of the night, but on the hour he sent a kick straight to Pat McWalter, who shot hastily wide. Derry went straight back down the other end of the pitch and worked a position for Mark Farren to send in a volley from ten yards, but Quigley saved comfortably.
With 20 minutes to go, UCD's best - and last - chance of an equaliser came when Quinn skewed over from ten yards after being found unmarked from a corner. It was a gilt-edged chance and one which marked the beginning of Derry's ascendancy in the game as the two competitive games already under their belt started to tell.
On 75 minutes, Derry extended their league. Darragh Ryan left Brian Cash in acres of space on the left; Cash dummied past him and put in a cross across the face of goal which found two Derry faces unmarked at the back post. Quigley pulled off a superb save from Gareth McGlynn - with the midfielder getting injured in the process - but Stephen O'Flynn poked home the rebound into an empty net.
Quigley was called on twice more before the end of the game to keep the score down - first, he superbly palmed away another dangerous low cross from the left with a Derry player poised to apply the final touch, and five minutes later he was out quickly to deny Kevin McHugh a goal two minutes into his league debut for Derry.
Overall, it was a much improved performance for UCD on the 3-0 defeat in the same venue last July. Realistically though, the next two games - Pat's at home and Waterford away - are more important to UCD's season (FAI scrooges aside...)
UCD - Quigley; Mahon, Ryan, Kenna, McNally; Hurley (Matthews 88), Cawley, Dicker (Doyle 65), McWalter; Byrne (Samon 80), Quinn.
Att - c 2400
