The Blues picked up their first-win of the season with a dominant four-goals-to-one display against Drogheda United in Weavers Park on Friday night.
After falling behind after 13 minutes, the Blues got back in the game with two goals in seven minutes from Darragh Leahy & Niall O’Keeffe, before Leahy got his second of the game with Padraig Amond finishing off the scoring to secure Keith Long’s side all three points.
With over 400 Blues supporters making the 440-kilometre round-trip to Weavers Park, they watched their side go a goal-down early on when Zishim Bawa fired beyond Sam Sargeant after smart play from Darragh Markey to give Kevin Doherty’s side the lead.
The Blues only found themselves behind for two minutes before Darragh Leahy opened his account for Waterford as he levelled the scoring.
Robbie McCourt’s deep free-kick into the Drogheda box fell to the feet of Grant Horton on the edge of the Drogheda box, who’s effort looked to be going wide of goal before Leahy’s diving header rifled beyond Andrew Wogan to level the scoring.
Just seven minutes later and it was Keith Long’s side who found the lead, when Niall O’Keeffe finished off an excellently worked team goal to net his first ever senior goal for the club in his 123rd appearance.
Barry Baggley found Connor Parsons on the right-wing, who played an inch-perfect ball to Darragh Power beyond the Drogheda defence. Power’s pull-back found O’Keeffe ten-yards out who steered his effort home, much to the delight of the travelling away support.
Grant Horton & Maleace Asamoah both came close to extending the Blues’ lead before half-time from a dangerous Baggley set-piece delivery, as Waterford went into the break with a two-goals-to-one lead.
Bawa fired narrowly over Sargeant’s crossbar nine minutes into the half after getting on the end of Conor Kane’s pull-back, before Darragh Leahy extended the Blues’ lead further with his second of the game when he deftly flicked home Baggley’s in-swinging free-kick to give his side a two-goal cushion on the hour mark.
It was almost four just three-minutes later when Asamoah played in Padraig Amond behind the Drogheda defence, but his angled effort went just wide of the Drogheda far-post, before the striker got the goal his performance deserved with twenty-minutes remaining.
Again, another Barry Baggley set-piece delivery was headed across goal by the ever-dangerous Darragh Leahy, before Amond tapped home from close-range to send the Waterford fans into wild celebrations once more.
The Blues comfortably saw out the remaining twenty-minutes, giving valuable minutes to Rowan McDonald, Ryan Burke, Romeo Akachukwu & Ben McCormack as Keith Long’s side picked up an important three-points on the road.
With four points from two games and sitting at the top of the Premier Division table, the Blues make the journey to Eamonn Deacy Park to face Galway United this Friday (1st March), before hosting St. Patrick’s Athletic at the RSC next Monday (4th March), with tickets on sale for both games now.
Drogheda United: Wogan (GK); McNally (64′ Brennan), Cann, Keaney, Weir, Kane; Deegan (C), Gallagher (77′ Foley), Markey; Bawa, Pierrot (64′ Davis)
Waterford FC: Sargeant (GK); Power, Horton, Radkowski, Leahy, McCourt (82′ Burke); O’Keeffe (90′ McCormack), Baggley (C); Asamoah (73′ McDonald), Parsons, Amond (90′ Akachukwu).
Attendance: 2,059.
