Thompson and Power deliver Waterford's Kennedy Cup passage
Waterford Schoolboy League have qualified for the last eight of the Kennedy Cup with victory over the Midlands League. Photo: Andre Thompson
Second-half goals from Hugo Thompson and Daniel Roche saw the Waterford Schoolboy League progress into the last eight of the SFAI Subway Kennedy Cup following a polished second-half performance over the Midlands League at the University of Limerick.
Waterford went into the game wary that a point would be good enough to see them top group three and they delivered the result thanks to Thompson’s opener five minutes into the second period before Power completed the result in the final minute.
A tentative opening saw Tramore’s Mícheál Ó Cuilleanáin and Daniel Roche both have efforts at the goal, the second producing a fine save from the Midlands keeper before they had their own chance when Aaron Maher fire over from an acute angle on six minutes.
Cooper Lynch has an aerobatic overhead kick saved by keeper Kajtek Splawski on 13 minutes before Roche had an effort at the other end saved by Tadas Sirvaitis three minutes later. Ruadhan O’Higgins volleyed over from an advanced position two minutes before the break before Callum Curran’s left-wing corner on the stroke of half-time saw defender Tom Gahan had a point-blank header saved.
It was Hugo Thompson that broke the deadlock on 35 minutes when the athletic centre-forward latched onto a through ball from Rhys Hughes and with the keeper advanced from his goal, he dinked the ball to the net with a right-footed finish.
Gahan gave an exhibition of defending at the heart of the Waterford defence and with the game entering the final minutes, Max Chren played the ball over the top for Daniel Roche, who applied the finish to ensure that Waterford will be in the draw of the Kennedy Cup quarter-finals proper.
