The Blues fell to a narrow defeat on Friday evening at the hands of Galway United, as John Caulfield’s side saw out a two-one victory in our latest SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division meeting at the RSC.
It was the crossbar that denied Galway the lead on three minutes, when the experienced Jimmy Keohane found space in the centre of midfield and drove at the Waterford defence, but his left-footed strike struck the crossbar before rebounding into the hands of Sam Sargeant.
Waterford took the lead on seven minutes. Ryan Burke sent over a left-wing free-kick that was knocked down into the path of Dean McMenamy, who swept a first-time right-footed shot to the right-hand corner past a helpless Brendan Clarke.
The Blues had a golden chance to double their lead three minutes later. Sam Bellis was cleared out of it on the right-side of the area by Galway keeper Brendan Clarke, but the netminder made amends diving to his left to save Padraig Amond’s 12-yarder.
Amond went close to doubling the lead for the hosts on 22 minutes when he got his head on the end of a left-wing Ryan Burke cross, but his powerful header was well saved by keeper Clarke as his side continued to put their opponents under pressure.
The visitors slowly began to get into the game mid-way through the first-half. Jimmy Keohane linked up with Vincent Borden on 32 minutes, but defender Kacper Radkowski got in a block before the cracked in a shot five minutes later only for Darragh Leahy’s deflection to take the ball wide of the target.
Galway made a double change at the half-time break with David Hurley and Jeannot Esua entering the fray, but it was defender Patrick Hickey that had the first chance of the second-half on 47 minutes when he cracked in a shot from the top of the area, but keeper Sargeant made the save.
Karl O’Sullivan went close to a leveller for the visitors on 59 minutes when he latched onto a breaking ball just outside the area after Jimmy Keohane’s cross was cleared into his path, but his low right-footed shot fizzed wide of Sargeant’s near post.
The visitors got the upper hand in the second-half, and they drew level on 62 minutes. Garry Buckley took advantage to get clear down the right, and his teasing cross to the centre was touched home by Stephen Walsh, who got between defenders Darragh Leahy and Kacper Radkowski.
Killian Brouder put John Caulfield’s side in front seven minutes later. Greg Cunningham’s free-kick from 25-yards came crashing back off the bar and with Leahy’s clearance falling straight to the centre-half, he blasted home past Sam Sargeant.
Gbemi Arubi came on as a 85th-minute substitute for the hosts when he fired in a shot from distance, but keeper saved with ease before Ryan Burke cut onto his right-foot 20-yards from goal four minutes later only to blaze wide of the target.
Waterford FC: Sargeant; Power, Horton (74′ Pattisson), Radkowski (85′ Arubi), Leahy, Burke; McDonald, Baggley, McMenamy (74′ Parsons); Bellis (66′ Glenfield), Amond.
Galway United FC: Clarke; Cunningham, Buckley, Brouder, Horgan (46′ Esua), Hickey (90′ Slevin); O’Sullivan (66′ McCarthy), McCormack (46′ Hurley), Keohane, Borden (85′ O’Keeffe); Walsh.
Attendance: 2,357.
