The Blues fell to defeat against Derry City on Monday evening, as three first-half goals proved the difference between the sides at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.
In a lively opening three minutes, it was the hosts that created the first chance. Will Patching sprayed the ball out to the right for Paul McMullan before continuing his run to meet the resulting cross, but his header went over with Padraig Amond testing Brian Maher at the other end with a shot from distance moments later.
It was a blistering Derry move that yielded the breakthrough goal on 11 minutes. Patching started the move with a ball down the left for Ben Doherty, who feed the ball into the path of Michael Duffy, and he beat Sam Sargeant with a left-footed effort at his near post.
Waterford tried to respond from that goal with Connor Parsons and Niall O’Keeffe having efforts that failed to trouble keeper Maher before Pat Hoban saw Sargeant advanced from goal on 17 minutes, but his shot went wide of the target.
With Waterford down to ten men as Amond received treatment for a head injury, Derry took full advantage of the extra-man from a corner-kick four minutes later. Will Patching sent in a right-wing delivery that found the head of the unchallenged Mark Connolly and he powered a header to the far corner.
Ben McCormack cracked in a 28-minute effort from the right-side that cleared Brian Maher’s crossbar as he tried to bring his side back into the game.
Paul McMullan took possession of a loose Waterford clearance 30-yards from goal before spotting the run of Pat Hoban and he beat Sam Sargeant with a first-time right-footed shot to the bottom left-hand corner.
Connor Parsons nearly scored a stunner to bring his side back into the game on 41 minutes when the winger took possession of the ball on the left-side, but his 20-yard strike that had Derry keeper Maher beaten came crashing back off the far upright.
Hoban went close to adding a fourth for his side three minutes later when the centre forward peeled off his marker to get on the end of a teasing Cameron Dummigan right-wing delivery, but his header went inches wide of the near post.
Blues Head Coach Keith Long made a double swap at the break as he tried to get his side back into the contest and after Hoban tested Sam Sargeant with an angled effort on 55 minutes, Padraig Amond had an opportunity at the other end sixty seconds later, but his deflected effort was wide of the right-hand post.
After firing high over the bar from the resulting Ben McCormack corner, Darragh Power went close to pulling a goal back just past the hour mark. Ryan Burke swung over a left-wing delivery that was cleared into the path of the full-back, but his right-footed shot was well held by keeper Brian Maher.
There was a length nine-minute stoppage in the midway point of the half as Derry’s Patrick McEleney was forced off with what looked like a nasty left shoulder injury after landing awkwardly in a challenge with Blues’ midfielder Ben McCormack.
That break in play really killed the game as a contest with Keith Long emptying the bench before the finish with Kacper Radkowski firing in a shot from the top of the penalty area that was easily saved before Grant Horton had a shot from distance by Maher in injury-time.
DERRY CITY FC: Maher; Connolly, S. McEleney, Doherty, Dummigan; O’Reilly (90+5′ Harkin), P. McEleney (71′ Diallo), Patching (71′ Kelly), McMullan; Duffy (90′ Coll), Hoban (90′ Mullan).
WATERFORD FC: Sargeant; Power, Horton, Leahy, Burke; McDonald (85′ Skwierczyński), McCormack (79′ McMenamy), O’Keeffe (79′ McCourt); Pattisson (46′ Radkowski), Amond, Parsons (46′ Arubi).
Attendance: 2,084
