Three second-half goals for Eddie Nolan’s side secured the Blues’ place in this years Grandon’s Toyota Munster Senior Cup Quarter-Final this afternoon against Munster Senior League side Riverstown FC at SETU Arena.
The Blues side, made up of our MU20’s, saw the majority of the ball in the opening stages of the first-half, with Mo Oladiti forcing the first effort on goal of the game after 15 minutes after Bobby Keohan was fed the ball by Noah O’Brien, as Keohan found Oladiti who forced Aaron Spriggs in the Riverstown goal into a smart save.
Just minutes later, Jan Wozniak was next to test Spiggs as Wozniak got on the end of Aaron Cass’s cross to force Spriggs into a low save.
Ross Yelverton created the visitors first effort of the game, creating space 25 yards out from Jason Healy’s goal before firing wide midway through the first-half.
Both sides shared possession for the second quarter of the game, as the sides went in level at the break.
There was only six minutes on the clock in the second-half when the breakthrough goal came from the Blues through Mo Oladiti.
Bobby Keohan’s cross found Jan Wozniak inside the Riverstown penalty area who kept the ball before finding Olaiditi 15 yards out as his right-footed effort found the bottom-left corner to give the Blues the advantage.
With their heads up, the Blues pressed for a second and almost found it in spectacular fashion on the hour mark when Wozniak’s acrobatic effort flew wide of the Riverstown post from 18 yards.
The pressure paid off just two minutes later as Adam Coyne flew down the right wing before his inch-perfect cross found the head of Wozniak to double the Blues’ advantage.
Eddie Nolan made full use of his bench, bringing on Igor Bacela, Peter Byrne, Matt Barrett, Gavin Mitchell & Jack Garrett on the hour mark to bring on fresh legs in what was the groups first competitive game of the season.
And it was keeper Bacela to kept the Blues lead in-tact with a stunning save with 15 minutes to go, getting his hands on Darragh Barrett’s looping header, to maintain our clean sheet.
However, the visitors pressure eventually paid off when inside the final 10 minutes, the Cork side were awarded a penalty as Gavin McCarthy dispatched into the bottom corner despite Bacela getting his hand on the effort, to half the deficit.
And despite the momentum switching to favour the visitors, it was the Blues who rounded off the scoring in injury time as substitute Jack Garrett was played through by Jan Wozniak to calmly slot home beyond Spriggs to earn the Blues their spot in this years quarter-final of the Munster Senior Cup, where we will face the winners of Leeside United & Cobh Ramblers at home in a fortnight’s time.
Waterford FC: Healy (GK) (61′ Bacela); Coyne (61′ Mitchell), Keane (C) (61′ Barrett), O’Brien, McDonald; Oladiti (61′ Byrne), Lapite, Keohan, Cala, Cass (70” Garrett); Wozniak.
Riverstown FC: Spriggs (GK); Anderson (57′ Browne), Twomey (63′ Leonard), McCarthy, S. Yelverton (73′ O’Sullivan); Barrett, O’Herlihy, R. Yelverton (86′ Morley), Barry, Behlouli; Goggin (70′ Barrett)
