It might be June, but Waterford are dreaming of Europe going into the mid-season break after a convincing 4-1 victory over Sligo Rovers at the RSC.
Two goals from Padraig Amond and one each for Connor Parsons and Ben McCormack made this happen in front of 2,392 spectators, while Wilson Waweru gave the travelling fans something to cheer about.
Keith Long's side didn’t have it all their own way, Fabrice Hartmann created a number of chances for the Bit O’Red inside the first five minutes and each one of these was stopped by Sam Sargeant.
Amond responded by feeding the ball through to McCormack, and the midfielder picked out Christie Pattison with an off-balance pass. There was no moment of celebration for the home fans, instead there was a stunned silence as the forward missed an open goal at the back post.
FULL MATCH DETAILS
The Bit O’Red fans felt their frustrations during Sligo’s next passage of play, as Hartmann beat two defenders inside the area and hit the ball over the bar.
The general feeling inside the ground was that something was coming, and it arrived when a Darragh Leahy cross was broken down to McCormack. His shot bounced off the ground, looped over Ed McGinty, and made it 1-0 to Waterford in the 24th minute.
The Blues took this lead into the break, and the game restarted with McMenamy squaring to an onrushing McCormack, and he rolled the ball wide with his right boot.
McMenamy responded by trying his luck from distance, and McGinty pushed this attempt out for a corner which Leahy managed to get to. The full-back hit the crossbar and the loose ball was scrambled off the line by John Ross Wilson in the 52nd minute.
Waterford’s second goal came from a diagonal Grant Horton pass that went beyond Charlie Wiggett. The defender’s hesitation allowed it allowed Parsons to run in carry the ball onto the area, where he fired in on the hour mark.
Waterford’s next spell inside the box ended with an Oliver Denham foul on McMenamy, and Neil Doyle pointed to the spot. Amond sent McGinty the wrong way with the penalty and it was 3-0 in the 67th minute.
Waweru replaced Kailin Barlow and pulled one back for his side by stabbing the ball in at the near post.
Amond immediately hit back for Waterford by heading in McCormack cross, and that rounded out a perfect night for Long and his players.
Waterford: Sam Sargeant; Darragh Power, Grant Horton, Rowan McDonald (Niall O’Keeffe 73), Ben McCormack (Gbemi Arubi 89), Padraig Amond, Connor Parsons
(Connor Evans 89), Darragh Leahy (Ryan Burke 81), Kacper Radkowski, Christie Pattisson, Dean McMenamy (Robbie McCourt 81).
Sligo Rovers: Ed McGinty; John Ross Wilson, Reece Hutchinson, Ellis Chapman, Charlie Wiggett, Niall Morahan, Fabrice Hartmann, Oliver Denham, Conor O’Malley, Kailin Barlow (Wilson Waweru 73), Owen Elding (Will Fitzgerald 63).
Referee: Neil Doyle
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