A brilliant winning start for the Blues on the road
Tommy Lonergan of Waterford celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division clash with Sligo Rovers. Photo: Sportsfile/Stephen McCarthy
Waterford FC picked up a brilliant three points on the road after a battling performance that yielded a 3-2 win over Sligo Rovers at the Showgrounds with on loan goalkeeper Stephen McMullan the star of the show making a crucial penalty save with the game in the melting pot.
There was a big chance for the home side to take the lead on six minutes. Will Fitzgerald played a ball from the left-side of midfield that saw the ball fall nicely for Owen Elding, but he couldn’t get proper contact on his left-footed shot.
The Blues took the lead on 13 minutes. Former netminder Sam Sargeant tried to play a short clearance to Matthew Wolfe, who was intercepted by Rowan McDonald, and he beat the Sligo keeper with a crisp right-footed strike to low to the corner from 20 yards.
Jad Hakiki forced Waterford keeper Stephen McMullan into a fine save when he cut in from the right on 23 minutes, but his stinging effort was saved at the near post. Waterford’s dominance was rewarded with a second goal ten minutes later.
Tommy Lonergan was fouled out on the left that saw Conan Noonan put in a brilliant left-wing dead ball that found the head of McDonald, who headed goalwards, and it was Lonergan that managed to head home from close-range to put his side in the driving seat.
The home side pulled themselves back into the game five minutes into the second-half when Will Fitzgerald, who once donned the Waterford jersey, got space down the left before crossing into the centre where Owen Elding fired home from inside the six-yard box.
Sligo could have levelled from the penalty spot on 57 minutes when substitute Dean McMenamy was judged to have pulled back Will Fitzgerald that saw referee Damien MacCraith point to the spot, but former Blue Cian Kavanagh saw his 12-yarder superbly saved by keeper McMullan.
From the resulting corner-kick, the Blues went on the counterattack that saw Padraig Amond pick up possession of the ball out on the left, and his pinpoint pass picked out Conan Noonan, and he applied a simple finish past a helpless Sam Sargeant.
Sligo Rovers kept on fighting with McMullan making a stunning stop to deny Hakiki, but they set up a grandstand finish on 82 minutes when Oskar Van Hattum slipped the ball into the path of Jad Hakiki on the right-side, and he beat keeper Stephen McMullan at his near post with a cracking strike.
There was a dramatic moment in the tenth-minute of added time when Fitzgerald got space down the left before cutting into the area, but after the ball came crashing back off the crossbar, Owen Elding couldn’t convert the rebound as the Blues held out for a brilliant win.
