Jorgen Voilas’ double was enough for the Blues to earn their place in this year’s Munster Senior Cup semi-final draw, as Eddie Nolan’s side defeated First Division outfit Cobh Ramblers 3-2.
After a succession of early corners for the visitors, Wilson Waweru earned Fran Rockett’s side the first chance of the game, turning his man before firing high over Jason Healy’s crossbar inside the opening five minutes.
Former Blue Anthony Adenopo was next to test the Blues defence, firing wide after Rhys Gourdie’s surging run through the Blues midfield found the Cobh winger.
The Blues poised their own threat from set-pieces, with Peter Byrne seeing his close-range header rebound off the Cobh crossbar after getting on the end of Jordan Faria’s set-piece delivery on 16′.
Cobh continued to look threatening from set-pieces, with loanee Josh Honohan heading over & captain Garry Buckley blazing his effort over the Blues crossbar from back-to-back corner kicks moments later, as both sides looked to find the lead inside the opening twenty minutes.
After a tight opening 25 minutes, it was the Blues who broke the deadlock in excellent fashion. Adam Coyne provided an inch-perfect delivery to Jorgen Voilas at the back-post, who fired home from close-range to give Eddie Nolan’s side the lead.
The visitors pressed for an equaliser, while the Blues defence maintained their strong defensive shape, as Kai O’Neill saw his effort fly wide of Healy’s back-post. Moments later at the other end of the pitch, Voilas fired wide of Corey Chambers’ net as the Blues looked to double their advantage.
In the final minute of the first-half, it was again Adenopo who cut in from his left-wing position, but could only fire over Jason Healy’s crossbar, as the Blues went into the break leading by a goal-to-nil.
The visitors started the second-half in similar fashion to the first, attacking in numbers as O’Neill again fired wide of the Blues goal looking to find his side an equaliser. Just moments later, Sean Keane put his body on the line to stop what looked certain to be an equaliser from the visitors by denying Claudio Osorio inside the Blues area.
Jason Healy was called into action on the hour mark, denying Gourdie from close-range after a smart counter attack by Fran Rockett’s side. And just minutes later, that save became even more important as the Blues doubled their lead.
Jordan Faria powerfully beat his man down the left wing before his cross was put into his own net by Cobh full-back Luka Le Bervet to give the Blues a 2-0 lead going into the final twenty minutes.
However, our two-goal advantage lasted just sixty seconds as Rhys Gourdie headed home at the back-post to get his side back into the contest immediately.
With the momentum, the visitors got back on level terms on 77′ when the experienced Wilson Waweru headed home from close-range to send this quarter-final tie in extra-time in-front of a packed Ben Wadding Park.
Both sides went for the game in extra-time, looking to seal the game within the twenty minutes of extra-time and to evade a penalty shootout, and it was Blues who found the crucial fifth goal of the game in the seventh minute of the first-period.
Substitute Trae Coyle’s pin-point cross found Jorgen Voilas at the back post to head into an empty net to give the Blues the lead once more – a lead Eddie Nolan’s side were able to hold onto for the remainder of the action to earn their place in this years Grandon’s Toyota Munster Senior Cup semi-final.
The Blues will face on of Cork City FC, Kerry FC or Rockmount AFC in the semi-final draw, with the draw set to take this coming Thursday (5th February) at 11am live on the Munster FA Facebook page.
Waterford FC: Healy (GK); Coyne, Keane (C), O’Brien, Dempsey; Lapite, Oladiti (112′ Keohan), Faria, Byrne (81′ Cala), Voilas; Wozniak (61′ Coyle) (104′ Cass).
Cobh Ramblers FC: Chambers (GK); Honohan, Frahill (111′ Hyde), Buckley (C), Le Bervet (75′ Lenihan); Gourdie, Crowe (79′ Abbott), O’Neill (102′ Deasy), Osorio, Adenopo (65′ Kelly-Noonan); Wawreu.
