To look at them throwing themselves headlong into one of the most exciting ties this year's Harps Lager FAI Cup is likely to produce it is hard to believe these two clubs have more important things to think about as the season moves into its final stages.

In three months UCD and Waterford might well be facing each other in the play-offs for a place in the Premier Division. If yesterday is anything to go by Martin Moran's side should redouble their efforts to catch Galway and Derry and thus avoid the two-legged encounter for they could certainly take nothing for granted against a side that twice led them on their own turf and may yet beat them tomorrow night back at the Regional Sports Centre.

The students had a couple of good opportunities late on to deprive them of that replay. But for their sheer determination to keep playing football until the final whistle United, who haven't made it even this far since making the semi-finals in 1997, deserved their second crack at nailing down a place in the last eight.

Eric Bradley, a young striker from Wexford who has caused a good deal of excitement in the visiting camp since arriving during the summer, produced a lovely flash of skill to open up the scoring in the 19th minute and then went on to torment the home side's defence with his darting runs and eye for a well-timed lay-off.

Though his goal gave the Dubliners plenty of time to get themselves back on level terms, which they did through Derek Swan's low and curling 22-yard free just before half-time, the 19-year-old went on to set up the visitors' second seven minutes after the restart, beating Alan Mahon to a 30-yard John Frost pass and then cutting the ball across the goal to Kevin Whittle, who scored.

Suddenly it appeared Paul Power's young side would go on and finish the game off, which they might well have done had Frost not fractionally misjudged his attempt to cut out an Alan Mahon cross from the right with his chest and been punished by referee Pat Whelan, who promptly pointed to the spot.

With Kevin Grogan playing poorly out on the right, the youngster looked an odd choice to take the penalty but he calmly sent Keven Fennelly the wrong way to equalise, after which his side steadily began to get the upper hand.

In central midfield Ciaran Kavanagh and, particularly, Ciaran Martyn played key roles as their team began to press for a winner but then, as some of Waterford's younger players began to fade, space started to open up for them that simply hadn't been there during the hour before the second equaliser.

During the closing stages UCD managed to produce probably their most controlled football of the season and would have won but for poor finishing by Martyn, Mick O'Donnell and then Robbie Martin. By then, United's only real threat at the other end was posed by Aaron Moroney's long-range free kicks.

The best of them forced a decent stop from Barry Ryan, who recovered well from the original block to gather the loose ball. When Brendan Rea followed up late, though, the goalkeeper reacted rashly, charging his opponents and almost conceding a penalty.

"It was kamikaze stuff from us out there during the last five minutes," laughed Power afterwards, adding that, in line with his team's usual youthful approach, "there hadn't been much defending, just everybody pushing forward together." He went on to explain that the fact Kevin Whittle, Paul Scully and Alan Reynolds are all suspended for tomorrow's replay had influenced the uncharacteristic make or break tactics at a point, he added, "when they really had us hanging on out there."

Moran, meanwhile, paid tribute to the spirit shown by the visiting side but lamented the fact his players hadn't quite had the wherewithal to edge ahead at any point in a contest that had produced so many scoring chances.

"They're a good team," he said, "make no mistake about it, but I do think that if we had managed to get our noses in front at some stage then we'd have gone on to win it."

Instead, his side face an uncomfortable trip to Waterford tomorrow evening when a place in the quarter-finals will be one part of the prize on offer, a potential psychological edge at the end of April then other.

UCD: Ryan: Mahon, McAuley, Delaney, McLoughlin; Grogan (Bennis, 70 mins), Martyn, Kavanagh, O'Donnell; Fitzpatrick (R Martin, 70 mins), Swan.

WATERFORD UNITED: Fennelly; O'Brien, D Whittle, Breen, Frost; Kirby, K Whittle, Reynolds, Waters (Rea, 86 mins); Watson (Moroney, 57 mins), Bradley (P Scully, 75 mins).

Referee: P Whelan (Dublin).