Lonergan earns battling Blues a deserved share of the spoils
Waterford's Tommy Lonergan celebrates with Padraig Amond after his goal against Shelbourne. Photo: INPHO/Ken Sutton
Tommy Lonergan helped Waterford FC to grab a share of the spoils from their season opener with Shelbourne in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division on a heavy RSC pitch as the striker headed home Conan Noonan’s 54th-minute free-kick to earn his side a deserved point.
With Waterford fielding seven new players, they played second best to Shelbourne in the opening half, but a triple change from Blues boss Jon Daly gave his side a different shape, and they could have won it late on through a Padraig Amond header that flashed just wide of the target after another Noonan set-piece.
It was the visitors who took up the early running, where they forced a couple of early corners before having the first chance on 12 minutes. New signing Milan Mbeng sent over a right-wing cross that was glanced on by John Martin to the back post, but Dan Kelly sliced an angled effort over the bar.
Shelbourne struck the front just sixty seconds later. Kerr McInroy cracked in a shot that wasn’t cleared by Conor Carty, and after Mipo Odubeko had his ambitious overhead kick blocked, former Blue John Martin slotted home the close-range rebound past a helpless Stephen McMullan.
McMullan was called into action to make a smart save to deny Joey O’Brien’s side a second goal on 35 minutes. Harry Wood skipped past the lunging challenge of Conor Carty out on the right before feeding McInroy, but his left-footed strike from the top of the penalty area was saved by the Blues keeper.
Mipo Odubeko brought a fine save out of keeper McMullan two minutes into the second-half when he peeled off his marker to meet a Dan Kelly cross, but the netminder dived to his left to keep out his powerful header.
Harry Wood went close to doubling the lead on 49 minutes, only to fire into the sidenetting before Odubeko once again got free inside the area a minute later to get on the end of Kameron Ledwidge’s left-wing cross, but his header was straight into the arms of the Blues keeper.
Blues boss Jon Daly made a triple change on 53 minutes, and within two minutes his side were level as Conan Noonan whipped in a left-wing free-kick that found the head of Tommy Lonergan, and although Wessel Speel got a hand to the ball, he couldn’t stop it from finding the net.
Will Jarvis went close to putting Shelbourne back in front on 71 minutes when the substitute took a pass from Mipo Odubeko on the top of the penalty area, but his curling right-footed strike went inches wide of McMullan’s right-hand post.
A free-kick off the training ground five minutes later nearly sent the RSC into ruptures as Noonan’s brilliant delivery from the right picked out the teasing run of Padraig Amond at the near post, but his header flashed inches wide of the target.
Kerr McInroy picked out the run of Kameron Ledwidge out on the left on 83 minutes before continuing his run to meet the returning cross, but he could only fire straight at McMullan before Noonan had a chance at the other end when he got behind the Shels defence, only to drag a left-footed shot wide of the target.
Tommy Lonergan could have won it for Waterford in second-half added time when he raced at the Shelbourne defence before cracking in a shot that Wessel Speel collected before Sam Glenfield and Sean Boyd both picked up yellow cards after the formers late challenge
McMullan; Heeney, Cann, Mahon, Couto; Noonan, McLaughlin (Coyle 53), Barrett (Glenfield 53), Carty (Voilas 53); Lonergan, Amond.
Speel; Mbeng (Gannon 80), Barrett, Casey, Ledwidge; Kelly (Jarvis 66), McInroy, Henry-Francis; Wood (Lundgren 80), Odubeko (Boyd 83), Martin (Freitas 66).
Lucas Keating (Cork)
3,232
