By Neil Madigan
The Blues fall short to inform Shamrock Rovers at the RSC, as an earlier opener from captain Padraig Amond was cancelled out by Rory Gaffney and substitutes Michael Noonan & Graham Burke.
Back in the sunny Southeast, the Blues were at the RSC as they welcomed title hopefuls Shamrock Rovers for a clash that lived up to its billing. With clear blue skies above and a full house of passionate supporters below, the stage was set for a fiery encounter between two of the form teams at the moment. Last time out, John Coleman led his side to a 1-0 victory over Galway in his first game, making it four in a row for the Blues. The visitors were coming to the RSC hoping to get three victories on the bounce after beating Drogheda last time out.
As the game started in a lively fashion, it was the visitors who looked to get a grip of proceedings early on. A tidy passage of play in the corner allowed Aaron Greene break into the box to dink a ball across the area to Adam Matthews who was unable to capitalise on the perfectly executed pass. It wasn’t long before the Blues came to life. With the crowd driving them on, John Coleman’s side came into the game in style. After 10 minutes, the Blues stunned Stephen Bradley’s Shamrock Rovers as Ryan Burke broke into space delivering a beautiful cross on to the head of Padraig Amond, who elegantly guided it past the outstretched Ed McGinty from range, giving the Blues the lead. As the skipper’s name was serenaded around a lively RSC, the Blues continued to replicate this liveliness on the pitch, keeping Rovers at bay and their 1-0 lead intact as the half dragged on.
However it the visitors who created the next major chance. A fantastically executed trivella pass from Josh Honohan found Aaron Greene through one on one with Stephen McMullan, who astoundingly prevented the striker from knocking it around him. Moments later, Rovers’ growing persistence prevailed. Rory Gaffney found himself on the end of a ball into the box, rolling it past McMullan into the bottom corner and cancelling the deficit for the visitors. Waterford dealt with the blow in a positive way, as they were looking to recapture their momentum prior to the equaliser.
With Rovers looking slightly pinned back at this stage, the Blues were hoping for some more clear cut chances to come their way. With Rovers pushing to get further up the field, they got a big chance of their own resulting from a corner. From the rebounding corner, the ball was immediately swung back into the danger area which was then met by Rory Gaffney, who ultimately couldn’t scramble it past McMullan. Following this let off, the Blues began to find themselves increasingly under pressure as the visitors seeked some moments of brilliance to take the lead. As the half time whistle sounded, Coleman’s men had to regroup as they knew there was work to do to keep the quality they were facing at bay while seeking to retake the lead.
The second half began in a similar fashion to the first. Both sides looked lively as both were eager to get a stamp of proceedings straight from the restart. With the Blues growing in confidence, they were becoming the more likely creators of the first chance of the second half which didn’t seem to be falling for them. As the half went on, Stephen Bradley’s side looked to utilise their ability to counter attack with some half chances coming their way. However, it was the Blues who were still looking the more comfortable in the contest as they continued to keep possession whilst offering a threat in attack once Rover’s stepped out. As the game entered the final fifteen minutes, the tempo of game was looking to slow down with both side’s threats looking lesser and lesser.
This was until an incident completely against the run of play led to Rovers completing the turnaround. A misplaced pass from goalkeeper Stephen McMullan led to Michael Noonan pouncing on the loose ball and passing it into the open net. With a goal to chase, the Blues were vying to apply pressure on the Rovers defence, who had more than a point to hold on to at this stage. With the closing stages drawing closer, the Blue’s efforts were coming to no avail. Rover’s remained resolute while maintaining some important possession. With eight minutes added on, the Blues fully committed to the cause of equalising hence leaving them open to Rover’s counter. This was punished not so long later as Stephen Bradley’s side broke through, allowing Graham Burke a one on one with McMullan in which he slotted home to seal the deal for the visitors.
As the final whistle blew, there was a sense of sheer disappointment. With some positives to take from tonight’s game, the Blues now shift their focus to next Friday’s clash with St. Patrick’s Athletic FC.
Waterford FC: Stephen McMullan, Ryan Burke, Grant Horton, James Olayinka (90′ Maarten Pouwels), Padraig Amond, Darragh Leahy, Kyle White, Kacper Radkowski (59′ Navajo Bakboord), Tommy Lonergan, Sam Glenfield, Dean McMenamy (59′ Rowan McDonald).
Shamrock Rovers FC: Ed McGinty, Josh Honohan, Adam Matthews, Roberto Lopes, Lee Grace, Aaron Greene, Darragh Nugent (68′ John O’Sullivan), Gary O’Neill (68′ Matt Healy), Rory Gaffney (68′ Michael Noonan), Cory O’Sullivan, Jack Byrne (74′ Graham Burke).
Attendance: 3,321.
