Waterford FC fell to a late defeat at hands of champions Shamrock Rovers on Friday evening, as a late Graham Burke strike secured the points for the Hoops in-front of over 3,000 spectators at the RSC.

It was the visitors that settled into the game the quicker of the sides, before opening the scoring after just eight minutes through academy graduate Cory O’Sullivan.
Jack Byrne was the instigator as he played a superb through ball that picked out of Darragh Nugent in space, who in turn fed Cory O’Sullivan and on his fourth league appearance for the Hoops, he drilled a left-footed finish for his first goal of the campaign to the far corner to give the Hoops the lead.
There was a chance for the Blues to nearly have the immediate response as Ryan Burke fed the ball into the path of Dean McMenamy in the centre of the goal, but he fired wide of the target before Gary O’Neill’s dipping effort on 12 minutes saw Louis Jones scramble the ball away from danger for a corner-kick.

Rovers went in search of a second goal with Louis Jones called into action to save a Jack Byrne shot from the top of the area before Dylan Watts put in a teasing ball looking for O’Sullivan on 36 minutes, but his flick was just wide of the far post.
Aaron Greene had a big opportunity for the Tallaght outfit when he raced onto a long ball on 38 minutes, but he shot wide of the far post before Rowan McDonald was off target with an effort from distance at the other end a minute later.
Christie Pattisson linked up with Dean McMenamy out on the right as the first-half entered added time, but the latter skied a right-footed shot from 20 yards high over Leon Pohls’ crossbar.

The second-half saw Waterford up the tempo in their play early doors with Christie Pattisson feeding the ball into the feet of McMenamy out on the left on 50 minutes, but his snap left-footed shot cleared Pohls’ crossbar.
Within two minutes, the Blues were level when Ryan Burke’s long throw was headed clear to Rowan McDonald, who hooked a left-footed ball into the area where keeper Leon Pohls failed to commit that saw Christie Pattisson get to the ball first to head home from close-range.

Blues keeper Louis Jones made a massive save in a cracking second-half just past the hour mark when Darragh Nugent latched onto the ball on the left-side of the area before bursting into the area, but the on-loan Doncaster Rovers netminder made a top stop with his feet.
It was the turn of the Rovers keeper Leon Pohls to redeem himself on 70 minutes when Sam Glenfield won possession in the middle before spraying the ball out to the left for goalscorer Pattisson only for his fine effort to be turned around at the near post.

A brilliant one-handed stop from Jones kept the Blues level nine minutes later when he kept out a brilliant effort from Trevor Clarke after he linked up with Burke. The latter won the game for Stephen Bradley’s side five minutes from time when he swept home a cracking right-footed finish from just inside the area.
Waterford FC: Jones; Power, Horton, Radkowski, Leahy (C), Burke (90′ Arubi); McDonald (68′ Baggley), Glenfield, McMenamy (68′ Parsons); Pattisson (85′ Bellis), Amond.
Shamrock Rovers: Pohls; O’Sullivan (63′ Clarke), Lopes (C), Cleary; Watts (71′ Poom), O’Neill, Nugent (66′ Farrugia), Kavanagh (71′ Honohan), Burns; Byrne (66′ Burke), Greene.
Attendance: 3,102.