The Blues picked up a valuable set of three-points away to Sligo Rovers on Friday evening, thanks to Christie Pattisson’s early second-half strike.
Pattisson, who was one of three changes that Head Coach Keith Long made for the trip to the North West, struck a brilliant half-volley after some excellent work from Darragh Leahy and Rowan McDonald out on the left, as the good run of form on the road continued.
Following wins on their travels against both Drogheda United and Bohemians earlier in the campaign, this was a fantastic result at a difficult venue with the game delayed for 15 minutes due to an issue with one of the goalmouths as the Blues moved into seventh spot in the table.
When the action did get underway, the visitors defended resolutely doing the course of the 90 minutes to keep their third clean-sheet of the campaign with the win making amends for defeat against John Russell’s side last month at the RSC.
After Max Mata was off target with an early header, it was Darragh Power that put in a brilliant ball from the right on 12 minutes looking for the head of Padraig Amond, but Ed McGinty did well to come off his line to catch the ball ahead of the striker.
Waterford continued on the front foot with another half chance coming their way five minutes later when Connor Parsons sent over a ball from the left that saw Ben McCormack volley the ball over the crossbar without troubling the Sligo keeper.
Parsons had a chance to put his side in front on 20 minutes when Christie Pattisson picked out the run of the winger on the left side of the penalty with a neat cross-field ball, but his shot was blocked out for a corner-kick.
Sligo had their first opportunity of real note eight minutes later when Connor Malley found space for himself down the right-side before cutting into the penalty area, but his shot was into the sidenetting of keeper Sam Sargeant.
It was Malley, who was in the thick of the action for his side once again just past the half-hour mark when he set up Stefan Radosavljevic for a low effort that was narrowly wide, before Max Mata had a shot brilliantly cleared off the line by the impressive Grant Horton on 39 minutes.
As the game ticked into the final minutes of the half, Radosavljevic had a big opportunity to put his side in front when he found space for himself inside the penalty area, but he struck a shot straight at Sam Sargeant.
The Blues got off to a dream start in the second-half as they struck the front within a minute of the restart when Rowan McDonald turned provider for Christie Pattisson, and he beat McGinty with a cracking half volley that flew into the top corner of the net.
It took a super save from Ed McGinty to deny the Blues a second goal four minutes later when Darragh Power put in a brilliant ball into the danger area that picked out the run of Padraig Amond, who looked certain to score, but his header was somehow kept out.
The home side only managed a couple of half chances as the game wore on in the second-half with Charlie Wiggett heading a Fabrice Hartmann corner-kick over the bar, before Max Mata was wide with an ambitious snapshot from distance.
There was a chance for Padraig Amond to double the lead on 83 minutes when Connor Parsons played the ball through for the centre forward, who was expecting an offside trap that never came, but his shot at the near post was turned around the posts by Ed McGinty.
Rowan McDonald kept the pressure on the Sligo Rovers goal with another chance four minutes later when the midfielder picked up a loose ball just outside the penalty area, but his curling effort just failed to beat keeper McGinty.
Max Mata had a half chance from a set piece for the hosts in the final minute of the contest when he got his head on the end of a free-kick to the back post from the right, but his header failed to hit the target as the ball looped over the crossbar.
There was one final chance for Sligo late on when Connor Malley headed over a late chance from a free-kick from Hartmann as Waterford defended resolutely throughout the course of the game to pick up a massive three points on the road.
Sligo Rovers FC: McGinty; Wilson, Wiggett, Denham, Hutchinson; Morahan; Malley, Chapman (71′ Elding); Radosavljevic (71′ Hartmann); Smit, Mata.
Waterford FC: Sargeant; Power, Horton, Radkowski, Leahy; McDonald, McCormack (84′ Evans), McMenamy (75′ O’Keeffe); Pattisson (71′ Asamoah), Amond, Parsons.
Attendance: 2,087
