Waterford FC recorded their biggest win since a 8-0 win over Salthill Devon back in June 2010 as the Keith Long era at the Blues got off to a magnificent seven-goal start with victory over Finn Harps in front of 2537 supporters.
Long, who signed a three-year deal with the club in midweek, saw his side run out rampant victors with a professional display that will give the squad the confidence going into the upcoming run of fixtures that continues against Cobh Ramblers on Friday next.
After a tentative opening, the Blues took the lead on 29 minutes. Shane Griffin played the ball out to the left for Roland Idowu, who turned inside the Harps fullback to rifle a right-footed piledriver past keeper Tim Oliver Hiemer from 16 yards.
With the Blues controlling the contest in terms of possession, a second goal arrived a minute before the break when Barry Baggley – on loan from sister club Fleetwood Town, swung over a right-wing free-kick that saw Ellis Farrar head into his own net under pressure from Kilian Cantwell.
It got better for the home side in the second minute of first-half injury time when they scored a third goal. Griffin’s short corner to Baggley saw the midfielder whip in a brilliant ball to the back post where Cantwell arrowed an unstoppable volley to the back of the net.
With the RSC hopping, Long’s side were well on their way to three points when they added a fourth goal with 54 minutes on the clock. Ryan Burke’s ball into the penalty area from the left saw keeper Hiemer fail to deal with the ball, and Ronan Coughlan was on hand to make it three goals in two games with a close-range finish.
Idowu extended the lead with a fifth goal on 69 minutes with a sweetly struck strike that took a slight deflection after a Tunmise Sobowale cross into the area, and a sixth goal arrived eight minutes later when Connor Parsons scored his first Blues league goal when hammering home from 12 yards after Shane Griffin’s shot was blocked into his path.
Blues skipper Giles Phillips netting the seventh on 81 minutes when Griffin’s right-wing free was flicked on by Aouachria to the back post, where the central defender was on hand to plant a close-range header to the back of the net.
Finn Harps did pull a goal back three minutes through Okwuy Okwute.
Waterford FC: Paul Martin, Tunmise Sobowale (Harvey Warren ’84), Kilian Cantwell, Giles Philips, Ryan Burke, Niall O’Keeffe, Shane Griffin (Romeo Akachukwu ’84), Dean McMenamy (Dean Larkin ’80), Barry Baggley (Connor Parsons ’74), Roland Idowu, Ronan Coughlan (Wassim Aouachria ’74).
Finn Harps: Tim Oliver Hiemer, Caoimhin Porter, Daithí McCallion, Noe Baba, Ellis Farrar (Shane McMonagle ’85), Katlego Mashigo (Kevin Jordan ’46), Seamus Keogh (Michael Harris ’46), Ryan Rainey, Filip Da Silva (Shaunie Bradley ’59), Okwuy Okwute (Damien Duffy ’85), Ryan Flood.
*Report courtesy of Adrian Flanagan at Waterford Sport
