Shelbourne substitute Sean Boyd breached a brilliant Sam Sargeant for a second-time this season as the league leaders ended the three game winning run of Waterford FC in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division at Tolka Park on Friday evening last.
It was the hosts to began the game quicker, as Will Jarvis caught Rowan McDonald in possession before flicking the ball into the path of Matty Smith, who in turn set up an another former Blue John Martin, but Sam Sargeant tipped his stunning effort from 18 yards over.
It was another top Sargeant save that kept the hosts at bay three minutes later. Smith was played in behind the Blues defence by a perfectly weighted Sean Gannon pass that put him clear on goal, but his left-footed effort was brilliantly kept out by the netminder.
After weathering the early storm in the game, it was a brilliant last ditch block from Grant Horton that denied the hosts the lead on 37 minutes. The dangerous Matty Smith slipped the ball out to the left for Will Jarvis, who shot goalwards, but the centre-half got across to divert the ball out for a corner.
Shelbourne looked for a penalty from the resulting left-wing flag-kick, but referee Rob Harvey was uninterested with Waterford’s first opportunity arriving two minutes later. Maleace Asamoah teed up Dean McMenamy out on the left, but his first-time shot was just wide of Conor Kearns’ upright.
McMenamy had another half chance on 43 minutes when he took a rebound in his stride only for his shot to cause problems for the netminder Conor Kearns, with Evan Caffrey off target with a chance that came his way sixty seconds later at the other end after a Kameron Ledwidge cross.
Will Jarvis continued to be a torn in the Waterford side with the winger having another opportunity to test keeper Sam Sargeant just shy of the hour-mark when he cracked in a shot that was saved at the near post before Maleace Asamoah had a curling effort go wide at the other end soon afterwards.
The home side had another big chance to go in front on 65 minutes when Jarvis skipped past three challenges out on the left-side before firing in a right-footed shot that was turned around the posts and from the resulting Evan Caffrey corner that found the head of Paddy Barrett, Horton cleared off the line.
It was the brilliance of Sargeant that denied Damien Duff’s side the lead goal two minutes later when Caffrey sent in another pin-point delivery from a left-wing corner that found the head of Sean Boyd, and his header looked destine for the net only for the netminder to superbly keep it out.
Christie Pattisson had a moment of reprieve for the Blues on 69 minutes when he controlled a ball out on the right, but his shot was straight down the throat of Conor Kearns, who was also equal to a Maleace Asamoah effort a minute later.
The Blues defence was finally breached on 72 minutes as the hosts struck the lead. Evan Caffrey fed Jarvis with a neat ball, and his deft touch picked out substitute Boyd, who turned onto his right-foot to beat Sam Sargeant with a finish low to the bottom right-hand corner.
Waterford nearly got a share of the spoils two minutes from the end when Grant Horton sent over a left-wing cross from an advanced position that found the head of Gbemi Arubi, who headed the ball into the ground only for Conor Kearns to turn the ball out for a corner. Padraig Amond had the final shot five minutes into added time after an Arubi knockdown, but the netminder saved as Shels won out.
Shelbourne FC: Kearns; Gannon, Barrett (90′ Temple), Molloy, Ledwidge; Lunney (61′ Burt), Coyle, Caffrey, Smith (77′ O’Sullivan); Jarvis (90′ Wilson), Martin (61′ Boyd).
Waterford FC: Sargeant; Power (87′ Arubi), Radkowski (46′ Macadam), Horton, Leahy, McCourt; McDonald, McMenamy (73′ McCormack); Asamoah, Amond, Parsons (61′ Pattisson).
Attendance: 3,586.
