McMenamy saves Blues’ blushes with injury-time equaliser
The Waterford FC team that drew 1-1 against Galway Unitedat the RSC.
Dean McMenamy scored a remarkable 96th-minute equaliser for Waterford FC that rescued a point from the jaws of defeat for Jon Daly’s men against Galway United in their SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division clash at the RSC.
After the home side played second fiddle to their opponents for long periods that saw the visitors dominate possession where they racked up 16 corners, with their first-half opener coming from Killian Brouder’s header.
But the close-range leveller from McMenamy will paper over the serious cracks in this Waterford team as they were disappointing for long periods, but a fifth draw of the campaign levels them six points behind second from bottom Sligo Rovers.
The visitors had a chance to take the lead inside two minutes when forward Stephen Walsh sprayed the ball out to Ed McCarthy out on the left, but Blues keeper Arlo Doherty did well to save at the feet of the attacker After Matthew Wolfe had a penalty appeal turned down when his shot seemed to strike the hand of a Waterford player in the area on 11 minutes, it was Doherty who produced a strong save to keep out a Conor Barratt stinger from the right six minutes later.
There was a big chance for Galway to take the lead with 24 minutes on the clock when David Hurley fed the ball out to the left for McCarthy, who put in a teasing ball into the six-yard box for Stephen Walsh, but his touch took the ball wide of the far post.
The visitors continued to dominate against their hosts and they had another chance on 36 minutes when Hurley’s right-wing free broke to Conor Barratt, but his well-struck left-footed shot was deflected over the bar by defender John Mahon.
Galway finally got the breakthrough that their first-half performance deserved on 42 minutes when a David Hurley corner from the right found the head of central defender Killian Brouder, and he couldn’t believe his luck when planting an unchallenged close-range header to the net past Arlo Doherty.
The second-half continued in the same vein for the visitors as they pinned Waterford back into their own penalty area forcing 15 corners before Conor Barratt flashed an effort from distance over Doherty’s crossbar as they tried to find a second goal to kill the game.
But it was home side, who made a triple change on 65 minutes, that carved out a chance of their own seven minutes later when Benny Couto found himself in space on the right and after his cross broke to Tommy Lonergan on the top of the penalty area, but his curling effort cleared the Galway crossbar.
Waterford went close with a rare opportunity on 75 minutes when Evan McLaughlin turned provider for Conan Noonan on the penalty spot, but his low left-footed shot was well kept out by Galway keeper Evan Watts before Padraig Amond was just wide with a deflected effort just going wide of the Watts’ right-hand post.
Tommy Lonergan cleared the crossbar with a close-range header that came his way on 84 minutes before the Blues attacker got his head on the end of a Trae Coyle delivery in the final minute before a final twist in the dying seconds of added time.
The Blues won a corner-kick out on the right that saw Evan McLaughlin swing in a dangerous ball that landed on Padraig Amond’s head, and his header forward was bundled over the line by Dean McMenamy to snatch a late point for the hosts.
Doherty; Houston (Coyle 65), Mahon, Long, Cann, Couto; Glenfield (Noonan 65), Barrett (McMenamy 46), Heeney (McLaughlin 46); Amond, Carty (Lonergan 65).
Watt; Barratt, Brouder, Facchineri, Wolfe (Williams 84); McCarthy (Lomboto 76), Bolger, Hurley, Amin-Kazeem, Twardek (Keohane 76); Walsh (Pierrot 76).
Paul Norton (Dublin).
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