Zak O’Sullivan’s spectacular goal was the highlight on Tuesday night as the Blues and sister club Fleetwood Town met for the first time at the RSC.
The visitors dominated much of the proceedings, taking a five-goal lead into the final minutes before 16-year-old Zak O’Sullivan fired a wonderstike into the top corner before full time.
Keith Long made a host of changes to his side for this friendly, giving valuable minutes to players who have had limited game time in recent weeks, as well as giving first starts to our quadruple of new signingsin recent days: Serge Atakayi, Drew Baker, Christie Pattisson & Sam Perry.
Both sides shared chances in the opening ten minutes, with Jayden Stockley firing a free-kick into the Waterford wall for the visitors, before Serge Atakayi found Christie Pattisson inside the Fleetwood penalty area, who had his shot blocked at the last moment by the Cods defence.
The opening goal came on the 11th minute, when Maleace Asamoah found space outside the Waterford penalty area, before firing beyond Matthew Connor from 20 yards to give Scott Brown’s side the lead.
Fleetwood began to see more of the ball after this opener, with Stockley forcing Connor into a good save after neat play from Asamoah & Robertson.
However, as the Blues started to soak up the pressure, the visitors found their second through Stockley, when he headed home from a Robertson corner. With ten minutes to go in the first-half, Fleetwood found their third, when Ryan Broom fired home after Stockley was intercepted inside the Waterford penalty area.
Keith Long’s side continued to put the Fleetwood defence under pressure, with the new duo of Sam Perry and Serge Atakayi both coming close in the final stages of the first-half, both firing narrowly wide of the Fleetwood net; Perry at the second attempt.
The opening exchanges of the second-period took a while for any dangerous chances to take place, with both sides making full use of their substitutes bench, with Keith Long giving game time to academy players Jason Healy, Mikey Carroll, Dylan Warren, Zak O’Sullivan, Callum McFadden, as well as Eddie Nolan, Tunmise Sobowale & Thomas Oluwa.
Mid-way through the second-half, the visitors extended their lead further through Kyle White, when the full-back picked up possession on the edge of the Waterford box and fired home.
With ten minutes to go, former Bohemians man Promise Omochere got his name on the scoresheet, when he finished beyond Healy after his strike-partner Jack Marriott intercepted the ball from the Blues defence.
Keith Long’s side got a deserved goal in the final minute to loud cheers from the almost-1500 in attendance, when U17 Academy strike Zak O’Sullivan fired into the top corner of the Fleetwood net from close-range, albeit the visitors protested that two balls had been on the pitch during the attack.
The Blues return to League action this Friday evening, as we welcome Longford Town to the RSC for our third clash of the season. Kick-off is at 7:45pm with tickets on sale now.
Waterford FC: Connor; Trialist A, Baker, Queally, Mansfield; Perry, Larkin, Pattisson, Akachukwu, Atakayi; Trialist B
Substitutes: Healy (GK), Nolan, Oluwa, Sobowale, H.Warren, Oluwa, Carroll, D.Warren, O’Sullivan, McFadden, O’Keeffe.
Fleetwood Town: Lynch, Wilson, Holgate, Earl, Johnston, Broom, Robertson, White, Asamoah, Stockley, Hayes.
Substitutes: Harrington (GK), Nsiala, Wiredu, Vela, Mayor, Omochere, Patterson, Marriott, Rooney, Montgomery.
Attendance: 1,427.
Image Credit: Ken Sutton
