Blues suffer a fifth straight defeat in Tallaght cauldron
Waterford's Trae Coyle tries to hold off the challenge of Shamrock Rovers Aaron McEneff. Photo: INPHO/Bryan Keane
Defeat at the hands of Shamrock Rovers in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division at Tallaght Stadium won’t define the final position in the table for Waterford FC, but certainly a fifth straight defeat on the bounce will be big cause of concern for Head Coach Keith Long.
Goals from Aaron McEneff and Lee Grace gave the Hoops a dominant victory on the Southside of the capital as the Blues found it difficult to lay a glove on Stephen Bradley’s side and although the Blues fans applauded the team at the final whistle, they didn’t have much to cheer about over the 90 minutes.
With Waterford going into the game on the back of a horrid 2-0 defeat on the road to Drogheda United, the wait for a cleansheet stretches to nine games as the Blues finish the first series of fixtures with nine points to their name from a possible 27.
The hosts took up the early running in the contest with Matthew Healy delivering a number of dangerous corners from the right-side, but they failed to really trouble Waterford keeper Stephen McMullan, who dealt with everything that was thrown at him.
When Sam Glenfield found space for himself down the right on 12 minutes, he sent a fine ball to the near post, but Rovers keeper Ed McGinty took a heavy knock from captain Padraig Amond that resulted in a free.
It was from a quick Waterford throw that put themselves under pressure five minutes later when Graham Burke tried to break from inside his own half only to be hacked down by Glenfield, and he received the first yellow from referee Damien MacCraith.
In terms of chances, there was none in the opening 25 minutes in a game of cat and mouse with a frustrated home crowd on the back of the Mayo official when he prolonged Danny Grant’s spell on the touchline with a hand injury before eventually leaving him re-enter the fray.
Dylan Watts had a glimpse at goal on 26 minutes when the midfielder took possession of the ball after some good work down the right from Josh Honohan, but Ben McCormack got in a vital intervention that took the ball wide of McMullan’s right-hand post.
The first shot on target arrived for the home side on the half-hour mark. A neat passage of play on the left involving Watts and Graham Burke saw the latter burst into the penalty area evading two tackles, but his low shot was well held by keeper Stephen McMullan.
Rovers struck the front on 33 minutes when Sam Glenfield was caught in possession that allowed the ball work out wide left for Josh Honohan, who left Navajo Bakboord in his wake, and his brilliant cross saw Aaron McEneff have the simplest of tasks in heading home past McMullan from close-range.
It was the brilliance of McEneff that caught the Waterford defence all at sea once again three minutes later as he sent striker Rory Gaffney clear on goal, but his left-footed strike found the side netting as Stephen Bradley’s side tried to strike again whilst the iron was still hot.
Blues Head Coach Keith Long made a double change at the break with the introduction of both Trae Coyle and James Olayinka, but his side nearly fell further behind within two minutes of the restart. Healy’s super delivery from the right found Graham Burke at the near post, but his header cleared McMullan’s crossbar.
Kacper Radkowski was cautioned for a pull back on Danny Grant on minutes with Burke’s resulting free-kick clearing McMullan’s crossbar before the former was left for dead by Burke just past the hour mark, but Darragh Leahy got in a crucial block.
Stephen McMullan was called into action to make a smart save that denied Rovers a second goal on 63 minutes. Dylan Watts fed Graham Burke with a neat pass on the right-side of the area, but after bringing the ball onto his left-foot, his shot was clawed over the crossbar for a corner.
Waterford had their first shot in anger of the second-half three minutes when Grant Horton advanced forward to strike an ambitious shot from 25-yards that flew harmlessly wide of Ed McGinty’s goal in what was a rare attack from the visitors.
Rowan McDonald brought his side forward soon afterwards only to drag a shot wide before the dangerous Burke got on the end of a perfectly weighted Dylan Watts through ball, but his left-footed strike was superbly kept out by keeper McMullan.
Blues keeper Stephen McMullan charged from his goal on 77 minutes to clear the danger, but after his clearance fell at the feet of Danny Grant 40-yards from goal, his strike at an empty goal came crashing back off the left-hand post in a saving moment.
The home side grabbed a second goal that their dominant performance deserved on 84 minutes when substitute Jack Byrne put in a superb right-wing free-kick that found the head of Lee Grace, and he powered a header goalwards that McMullan could only touch onto the post before finding the net.
McGinty; Cleary, Lopes, Grace; Grant (J O’Sullivan 87), Watts (Byrne 76), Healy (Ozhianvuna 87), Honohan; McEneff, Gaffney (Greene 63), Burke (Mandriou 76).
McMullan; Bakboord, Horton, Radkowski, Leahy, Burke; McDonald (Pouwels 90, McMenamy, McCormack (Coyle 46), Glenfield (Olayinka 46); Amond.
Damien MacCraith (Mayo).
