National League previews: Having moved to within striking distance of Derry City at the foot of the Premier Division after a couple of decent wins, UCD will look to further improve their situation this evening and play a part in deciding the championship race when they take on league leaders Shelbourne at Belfield.

"I think the players lacked a little bit of confidence when I arrived," says the club's recently arrived manager, Pete Mahon, "but the wins over Waterford and Derry have helped a lot and strong as Shelbourne are, nothing short of another win will make us happy."

Mahon has Tony McDonnell and Gavin Whelan back in training but feels that the game has come too soon for the pair and intends to stick with the same team that secured those earlier wins.

Pat Fenlon, on the other hand, will be forced into making at least a couple of changes to the side that lost on Monday to Bohemians, as leading scorer Jason Byrne is still troubled by the chest muscle injury that forced him out of the game during the second half, while Dave Rogers is suspended.

The Tolka Park side are also likely to be without Stephen Geoghegan, Jim Gannon and Jim Crawford, none of whom started Monday game but Kevin Doherty should be back from injury.

Waterford United boss Jimmy McGeough is another manager looking to stick with a winning side as he takes his players to Turners' Cross. Neale Fenn and Darryl Murphy will again lead the attack for the visitors who will be looking to build on the win over Bohemians that halted the team's slide and helped to steady nerves at the club.

John O'Flynn is expected to be missing from the home side's line-up once again due to a knee ligament injury.

Meanwhile, fresh from his own struggle to secure better pay, conditions and a decent pension from his new employers, FAI chief executive, Fran Rooney, yesterday criticised SIPTU for threatening to proceed with industrial action at Merrion Square from Monday in a dispute over pension rights.

"I believe this matter can and should be resolved very quickly with both sides willing to finalise matters in a co-operative manner," said Rooney in a statement yesterday.

"I am disappointed that SIPTU has not engaged in the joint communications programme agreed between the FAI and the union to clarify issues relating to the proposed pension scheme," he added. Around a third of the association's employees are due to strike from Monday.