Waterford FC rescues a point in a pulsating six-goal RSC thriller

SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division 

WATERFORD FC 3 

TOMMY LONERGAN 40, PADRAIG AMOND 60, JOHN MAHON 88 

DUNDALK FC 3 

DARYL HORGAN 14, 83, GBEMI ARUBI 35 

John Mahon rescued an unlikely point for Waterford FC in a pulsating six-goal thriller with Dundalk FC in their SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division clash at the RSC as the hosts showed nerves of steel to pick themselves off the floor twice to earn a 3-3 draw.

Smelling blood down the right-channel, Dundalk pounced for the lead goal on 14 minutes. Eoin Kenny eased past the lazy pullback from Benny Couto before crossing for Daryl Horgan, who showed his experience to control the ball before spinning onto his left-foot to blast high to the net past Arlo Doherty.

A second goal for the visitors did arrive on 35 minutes when Tyreke Wilson sent over a left-wing cross to the back post that saw John Ross Wilson crash a header off the near post, but Gbemi Arubi was on hand to bundle the close-range rebound over the line.

Waterford got themselves back into the game less than five minutes later when Jordan Houston dispossessed Robert Burns out on the right before sending in a cross into the centre where Tommy Lonergan was on hand to fire home past Enda Minogue from six yards.

The Blues were level with a goal of beauty on the hour mark when Hayden Cann nipped the ball into the path of Jordan Houston out on the right-side before crossing into the area where Padraig Amond was on hand to finish superbly past keeper Minogue with the outside of his right-foot.

But the visitors thought that they had won the game on 83 minutes when Kenny got space down the left-wing before pulling the ball onto his right-foot to put a cross to the far post where Daryl Horgan was on hand to beat Arlo Doherty with a downward header.

The Blues drew themselves level once again on 88 minutes when they won a corner out on the left that saw Evan McLaughlin put the ball on the head of John Mahon, and the central defender powered an unstoppable header past Enda Minogue.

WATERFORD FC: Doherty; Houston ()Johnson 87), Mansfield, Mahon, Cann, Couto (Faria 57); McMenamy (Coyle 87), McLaughlin, Noonan (Glenfield 72); Amond, Lonergan.

DUNDALK FC: Minogue; JR Wilson, Spaight, Animasahun (Warren 66), T Wilson; Groome (Teahan 57), Tracey (Dervin 57), Burns (McDaid 78); Arubi, Horgan, Kenny.

Referee: Daniel Murphy (Dublin).

Attendance: 1,667