Disjointed Blues drag themselves into big relegation danger
Jordan Rossiter of Waterford in action against Will Fitzgerald of Sligo Rovers during the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division match at the RSC. Photo: Sportsfile/Michael P Ryan
Waterford FC are looking over their shoulder in the relegation fight in the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division as they are just five points clear of second from bottom side Sligo Rovers, who came from behind to claim a deserved 2-1 win over a disappointing Blues at the RSC.
After Conan Noonan gave the home side a first-half lead, the men from the Showgrounds came storming back in the second-half, where goals from Jad Hakiki and a neat Elding finish three minutes from time, gave John Russell’s side a third win of the Blues’, but more importantly, a win that will give his side hope.
The Blues should have struck the front on the half-hour mark when Padraig Amond broke on the ball outside the area before feeding Muhammadu Faal clear on the right side, but his stinging right-footed shot flashed wide of Sam Sargeant’s far post.
Waterford broke the deadlock with a goal of quality on 37 minutes. Jordan Rossiter slipped the ball to Glenfield deep in his own half before he split the Rovers’ defence with a stunning ball that released Conan Noonan between Oliver Denham and Sean Stewart, and he beat Sargeant with a sweet left-footed strike.
Former Blues player Will Fitzgerald sent in a corner kick five minutes later that picked out the run of Patrick McClean at the back post, and after his header was kept out by McMullan, the ball broke back to Jad Hakiki, who saw his shot cleared off the line by Rossiter, with McClean’s rebound also kept out.
With the visitors pressing for an equalising goal after forcing a number of set-pieces, they drew level with 73 minutes on the clock. Will Fitzgerald fizzed a left-footed ball over from the left that deflected off Padraig Amond into the path of Jad Hakiki, who fired past Stephen McMullan from 12 yards.
Sligo struck for what proved to be the winning goal three minutes from time when Ciaron Harkin played the ball straight through the heart of the Waterford defence, which sent Owen Elding away, and he held his nerve to slip the ball past Stephen McMullan for a big goal in the bid for survival.
McMullan; Horton, Boyle, Mansfield, Burke; Rossiter, Olayinka (McMenamy 77), Glenfield (McDonald 72); Faal (Lonergan 72), Amond (Radkowski 85), Noonan.
Sargeant; Agbaje (Harkin 78), Quirk, Denham, McClean, Stewart; Fitzgerald, Hakiki (Manning 90), McManus, O’Kane (Waweru 68); Elding.
Aaron O’Dowd (Dublin).
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