Waterford United 0 - 0 Sporting Fingal

• Dean Hayes
• Sun, Aug 30 2009


Waterford United and Sporting Fingal played out a scoreless draw at the RSC on Saturday night as the two promotion contenders failed to take advantage of Shelbourne’s loss to Wexford the night before. The game was a drab affair with not much entertainment on offer and a point apiece was the fairest result for both teams.

The game kicked off with the stadium basking in glorious sunshine and a slightly reshuffled home team looking to return to winning ways following last week’s defeat at the hands of UCD. The Blues’ talismanic defender Kenny Browne picked up a knock in training mid-week meaning the leagues top-scorer Graham Cummins returned to his supposed favoured position of centre-back. New recruit Vinny Sullivan was handed his first start up front since returning to the club earlier this week.

Fingal were the first side to fashion a chance when, in the second minute, Gary O’ Neill was allowed to find space in the box but couldn’t direct his header on target from Alan Kirby’s left-wing cross. Neither side were carrying much attacking menace but there was plenty of neat approach play and intricate passing on show. With chances at a premium set-pieces were looking most likely to make the difference. On 19 minutes Willie John Kiely was felled on the left-hand side of the box and Alan Carey’s curling effort went just over from 20-yards. There was a detectable nasty streak underlying the game with numerous late challenges and minor scuffles between players. The one positive from this was it provided some entertainment in light of the lack of any real goalmouth action. The half petered out without any sign of a break in the deadlock.

After the drought of chances in the first, the second half was barely a minute old when the clearest of opportunities arrived. Paul Walsh made ground down the right before sweeping in a perfect cross for the arriving Joe Mulcahy and he inexplicably volleyed over the bar from six yards out under no pressure. It left the home crowd scratching their heads and Mulcahy with his head in his hands. Fingal realised they had been let off the hook and immediately responded by taking the attacking impetus and soon resumed their slick passing game. The extra man in their midfield afforded by Liam Buckley’s 4-5-1 formation allowed the visitors to maintain a foothold in possession and stifle Waterford’s creativity. Blues manager Stephen Henderson cut a frustrated figure on the touchline as his team failed to carve out any quality openings in the Fingal rearguard.

Waterford pushed forward in increasing numbers and frequency as the half entered its latter stages but the visiting defence were not in a generous mood. Fingal were looking good value for a point and in truth Waterford weren’t looking likely to take all three. The final chance of the game arrived in the 86th minute when Mulcahy made for the left touchline before cutting inside his man and blazing over from a tight angle. The fourth official indicated three minutes of added time but thirty minutes still wouldn’t have established a winner as both teams cancelled each other out and came away with a share of the spoils.

Waterford United: Devine; A Carey, Murray, Cummins, Long; Walsh, Grant, Kearney, Mulcahy; Kiely, Sullivan (Warren 68). Subs not Used: Burns, Dunphy, Fitzgerald, P Carey

Sporting Fingal: Quigley; Gannon, Fitzgerald, Williams, P Byrne; Paisley, C Byrne, Bayly (Doyle 79), Kirby, McFaul; O’ Neill (Zayed 79). Subs not Used: Foley, Frost, Konopka

Referee: Graham Kelly (Cork)