30-Aug-2008

Waterford in a canter

Waterford maintained their ambitions of winning Division One with this comprehensive victory over County in the RSC last night.

With other results going Waterford’s way they now lie only two points adrift of Dundalk.

With this win they however pointed out the gulf between top of the division and the bottom of Division One.

Once again County gave their opponents plenty of help. Not for the first time this season County produced an abysmal first half performance following on from a great point last week against Sporting Fingal.

With Brady passing a late fitness test John Ryan started him in place of Greg Kilkenny.

Waterford opened the scoring on 26 minutes when Kevin Waters played a clever ball to David Grincell who placed his pass perfectly between defenders Glenn Walsh and David O'Connor. Displaying a super burst of pace Karl Bermingham surged through the gap and cracked the ball under the body of advancing goalkeeper Austin O'Neill.

The Blues went two up on 38 minutes when, out on the left wing, Bermingham played the ball on to Michael Foley who sent over an inswinging cross for Dave Warren who dived unchallenged in the six yard box to head the ball into the far corner of the net.

It was not until the 39^th minute that County threatened the Waterford goal with a long throw in was headed into the hands of Holden by Walsh.

On the stroke of half time County had their appeals for a penalty turned down by referee Fitzgerald after it appeared that Waterford’s Breen had handled in the box.

County had further misery after four minutes of the second half when Colin Fortune had to retire suffering from hamstring troubles. Fortune was replaced by Eoin Kavanagh.

The second half continued with Waterford in control and the County goal leading a charmed life.

Vinnie Sullivan replaced Grincell on 56 minutes and, seconds later, he almost put the Blues further in front.

Foley and Bermingham combined to create the opening but the back-tracking David O'Connor took the ball off the line.

Despite their superiority County had the opportunity to get back into the game when Kilduff was brought down in the box after a surging run which saw go past Breen but Breen got back to slide tackle him and to everybody’s amazement the Referee Conor Fitzgerald pointed to the penalty spot.

“Justice appeared to have been done” when a tamely hit shot by Ciaran Kilduff was saved by Pa Holden in the Waterford goal.

A fre kick sweetly hit in by Craig Mooney was met by Walsh and his well struck header brought the best out of Holden as he palmed the header over the bar. Unfortunately with the linesman’s flag raised it would not have counted even if it had gone in.

After 79 minutes another great run by Kilduff saw him get to the edge of the box as he laid the ball back for Mooney whose cracking drive hit the post and came back out and hit the back of Holden before going out for a corner.

However, Sullivan did find the net on 85 minutes following a superb pass from Foley.

County got a consolation goal in stoppage time when Ciaran Kilduff bundled the ball into the Waterford net following a cross by Cathal Brady from the left.

Waterford United: Holden, Quigley, Clarke, Breen, Browne, Warren, Waters, Fitzgerald (Mulcahy, 69 minutes), Bermingham (Kiely, 76 minutes), Grincell (Sullivan, 56 minutes) Foley.

Substitutes not used: Dunphy, Spicer.

Kildare County: O'Neill, Mooney, Brady, Osbourne, Fortune (Kavanagh, 49 minutes), Walsh, O'Connor, Slattery, Robinson (Bowers, 57 minutes), Kilduff, Issaka (Powderly, 87 minutes).

Substitutes not used: Murray, Treacy.

Referee: Conor Fitzgerald, Dublin.

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