Burke strikes late to win it for Rovers
Waterford FC's Ryan Burke dejected after his side's SSE Airtricity League Premier Division defeat to Shamrock Rovers at the RSC. Photo: Inpho/Ken Sutton.
Second-half sub Graham Burke broke the hearts of Waterford FC as his third goal this season from the bench gave champions Shamrock Rovers a hard earned win over the Blues for a second time at the RSC this season in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division.
With the Tallaght outfit showing no ill effects from their exit from the Champions League in midweek as they took up much of the early running with some clinical passing down the left yielding the breakthrough goal on eight minutes.
Jack Byrne started the move that saw him spot the run of Darragh Nugent, who in turn fed the ball into the feet of Cory O’Sullivan and in his fourth league appearance for the Hoops, he drilled a left-footed finish for his first goal of the campaign to the far corner past a helpless Louis Jones.
The second-half saw Waterford up the tempo in their play early doors and they levelled on 52 minutes. Ryan Burke’s long throw was headed clear to Rowan McDonald, who hooked a left-footed ball into the area where keeper Leon Pohls failed to commit that saw Christie Pattisson get to the ball first to head home from close-range.
Burke won the game for Stephen Bradley’s side five minutes from time when he swept home a cracking right-footed finish from just inside the area as his side will now prepare for a trip to Slovenia to take on NK Celje on Thursday in the Europa League.
