Report: Waterford United 1 - 0 Wexford Youths

Waterford United may have developed a Jeckyll and Hyde syndrome, depending on where they are playing, but this performance against Wexford Youths was a hybrid of the team’s two incarnations. While the three points were gratefully received by the much-swelled crowd at the RSC, the manner of the victory ensured that the edge of the seats in the ground’s new stand were not unduly taxed. Nonetheless, Waterford have now taken sixteen points from a possible eighteen at home and this win moved them to within three points of leaders Dundalk.

The clash was settled in the home side’s favour when Vinny Sullivan’s 58th minute cross was headed beyond the flailing arm of Jason Russell by Willie John Kiely. However, Wexford Youths may feel slightly aggrieved that they left the RSC empty-handed. While for the first eighty minutes they looked as impotent as a Viagra guzzling octogenarian, they nailed Waterford back in their own half for the majority of the last ten minutes.

Had substitute Paul Murphy kept a level head when presented with two gilt-edged opportunities in the closing stages the sides would have been splitting the spoils. On 83 minutes Ricky Fox headed back across goal but from the six yard line Murphy was slow to react and David Breen foiled him with a superb last ditch challenge. It wasn’t to be Murphy’s last chance to put his name in lights. With referee Padraig Sutton clearing his throat to blow the full time whistle, Murphy again had a chance inside the box after good work by Fox but his tame effort looped into the grateful arms of Packie Holden.

While Waterford struggled to unlock the Wexford defence during a dour first period, they did have several chances to forge a lead. After seven minutes Kieran Fitzgerald crossed and found Vinny Sullivan, but the in-form striker volleyed over from ten yards. Eight minutes later, United probed for the breakthrough again and created two opportunities within three frantic minutes.

Vinny Sullivan, who for ninety minutes got a taste of what it would be like to be Stuart Lawlor’s Siamese twin, laid the ball off for strike partner Kiely to take the paint off of Russell’s crossbar. Just after that Robbie Clarke and Paul McCarthy exchanged passes before the latter found and unmarked Kiely six yards from goal. Somehow the centre forward contrived to take the pace off the ball and direct his header into the ground and straight at Jason Russell.

However, the home side did have the ball in the net within ten minutes of Kiely’s glaring miss. Foley’s dangerous free kick was headed back across goal by Kenny Browne and after a spell of penalty-box pinball, Paul McCarthy headed into an empty net. However, Sutton cut the home celebrations short by blowing for an infringement.

Wexford’s rare forays into opposition territory did produce a couple of presentable opportunities of their own. Conor Sinnott’s 22nd minute free kick was headed over by Anthony Russell who had been granted the freedom of the Waterford penalty area by some lax defending.

Richie Fitzgerald should have broken the deadlock just before the forty minute mark when some trickery bamboozled Browne and left the midfielder one on one with Holden. However, the Wexford player panicked and screwed his effort well wide of the upright.

The second half struggled to settle into any pattern until Sullivan picked the ball up on the right wing in the 58th minute. Kiely was the grateful benefactor of his strike partner’s excellent cross and the number ten was never likely to repeat his first-half miss.

The introduction of Luke Fitzpatrick in an unfamiliar right wing-role generated Waterford’s only other clear cut opportunity when his crunching tackle on Sinnott saw the substitute come away with the ball before forcing his way into the penalty area and shooting at Russell. While it was a far from easy chance, Fitzpatrick’s spurning of it mattered not a jot. Luckily for the former Saint Pat’s man, the Waterford defence was more Dr Jeckyll than Mr Hyde for the remainder of the game.

Waterford United: Packie Holden; Kieran Fitzgerald, David Breen, Kenny Browne, Robbie Clarke; Dave Warren, Paul McCarthy, Joe Mulcahy (Luke Fitzpatrick 64), Michael Foley; Vinny Sullivan (David Grincell 81), Willie John Kiely (Karl Bermingham 71).
Subs not used: Ben Spicer, Kevin Waters.

Booked: Warren (12), Mulcahy (54)

Wexford Youths: Jason Russell; Anto Russell, Stuart Lawlor, Thomas Hawkins (Paul Murphy, 55), Paul Rossiter; Conor Sinnott, Martin Kelly, Gavin Doyle, Patsy Malone, Darren Browne (Craig McGuire, 67); Richie Fitzgerald (Ricky Fox, 76).
Subs not used: Joey Wadding, Johnny Flynn O'Connor.

Booked: Malone (52).

Referee: Padraigh Sutton.