Lonergan crowns remarkable Blues season with Golden Boot and a 7th place finish
Waterford's Pádraig Amond celebrates with teammates Tommy Lonergan after scoring against Shelbourne at Tolka Park.
Tommy Lonergan ensured Waterford FC head to the Aviva Stadium on a high after the 22-year-old's late winner secured a dramatic victory over Shelbourne and sealed a seventh-place finish for Graham Coughlan’s side in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division following this titanic battle at Tolka Park.
With Padraig Amond’s superb second-half header drawing him level with Lonergan on 15 league goals for the season, the race for the club’s scoring honours and the Premier Division Golden Boot went right to the wire. Lonergan had the final say, however, rising to power home a late header and claim his 16th league goal of the campaign.
Stephen McMullan denied the hosts the perfect start inside seven minutes when Jack Henry-Francis slid a pass through for Kerr McInroy, but the Shelbourne attacker fired straight at the Waterford goalkeeper from close range.
The warning went unheeded and Shelbourne took the lead two minutes later. James Norris and Sean Moore combined well down the left before the ball broke to McInroy, who drilled a left-footed effort beyond the helpless McMullan.
Waterford nearly responded immediately. Conan Noonan's effort from outside the area was parried by Ed Beach, who then reacted brilliantly to deny Amond from the rebound.
Shelbourne should have doubled their lead on 19 minutes when Evan Caffrey’s free-kick found Sean Moore completely unmarked six yards out, but the forward somehow steered his effort wide with the goal at his mercy.
Amond narrowly failed to connect with a Noonan cross moments later before Lonergan burst clear down the left, only for Kameron Ledwidge to intercept his dangerous delivery towards Amond.
The Blues drew level after 38 minutes. With Shelbourne temporarily down to ten men while Caffrey received treatment for a shoulder injury, Evan McLaughlin exchanged passes with Amond before firing past Beach from a tight angle to the delight of the travelling support.
Waterford carried that momentum into the second half and struck in the 52nd minute. Lonergan found room on the left and delivered an inviting cross that Amond met with a powerful header for his 15th goal of the league season.
Shelbourne almost levelled four minutes later after Hayden Cann was penalised for a foul on Daniel Kelly, but McInroy’s free-kick came back off the post.
At the other end, Beach produced a stunning save on 59 minutes. Benny Couto's free-kick picked out John Mahon, whose header looked destined for the top corner until the Shelbourne goalkeeper somehow clawed it away.
The hosts eventually equalised in the 69th minute from a cleverly-worked corner. Sean Moore played the ball short to Henry-Francis, who found former Waterford midfielder JJ Lunney, and his crisp left-footed strike beat McMullan from distance.
It took an outstanding save from McMullan just two minutes later to keep Waterford level. Henry-Francis delivered a perfect cross for Sean Boyd, but the Waterford goalkeeper somehow turned the striker’s close-range header onto the post.
Luke Heeney and Dean McMenamy combined well down the left on 81 minutes, with McMenamy electing to shoot rather than cross. When the ball broke to Noah Mawene on the edge of the area, his curling effort drifted narrowly wide.
The winner arrived three minutes from time. After Lonergan won a free-kick on the right, Couto delivered a pinpoint ball into the box and the striker rose highest to guide a superb header beyond Beach, sealing victory, seventh place, and the league Golden Boot.
Beach; Caffrey (Untergrabner 38), Casey, Ledwidge, Norris; Henry-Francis, McInroy (Odubeko 63), Lunney, Kelly; Moore, Martin (Boyd 63).
McMullan; Cann, Mahon, Long, Couto; Voilas (Ashton 84), Mawene (Amedu 90+1), McLaughlin (McMenamy 77), Noonan; Lonergan, Amond (Heeney 77).
Aaron O'Dowd (Dublin).
4,699.
