Alan McNally scored his fifth goal of the season to make it four wins out of five for UCD in the eircom League Premier Division at Belfield Park on Sunday as Cork's promising campaign petered out to nothing.

McNally struck for the only goal of the game on 56 minutes. Robbie Martin released half-time substitute Greg O'Dowd down the right. His cross came off a defender to float over to the back post where McNally arrived all alone to head home.

Cork had been left kicking themselves as Noel Hartigan should have given them the lead just two minutes earlier. Ollie Cahill clipped a free kick over the UCD wall to set up Hartigan but the tall striker scuffed his shot which was easily cleared.

With neither side having anything to play for, there was an air of end of season drabness about the game which the appaling weather conditions of driving wind and rain did little to help.

Both sides struggled to play constructive football on the very soft pitch, but did manage to carve out a couple of openings each in the first half.

Cork's Colin T. O'Brien bounced a corner onto the UCD crossbar early on while both he and fellow midfielder Greg O'Halloran had good long strikes on goal, one nestling in the arms of Barry Ryan while the other flew narrowly wide.

Playing into the strong breeze, UCD created just the one chance before the break. Player/manager Paul Doolin and Ciaran Martyn combining to put Robbie Martin in on goal on 30 minutes. But Cork goalkeeper Michael Devine was alert to the danger and raced off his line to save well at the striker's feet.

UCD: B. Ryan; Quinn, Delaney, Purdy, McAuley; J. Martin (O'Dowd half-time), Doolin, McNally, D. Ryan (Grogan 65); R. Martin (McDonnell 83), Martyn.

Cork City: Devine; Bennett, Daly, Coughlan, Horgan; Cahill, O'Halloran, O'Grady, C.T. O'Brien; Mulligan (Morley 57), Hartigan (CP O'Brien 57).

Referee: D. Hanney (Dublin).