SSE Airtricity First Division
Waterford FC 1
Bray Wanderers 0
Waterford FC on-loan striker Louis Britton made it nine goals for the season as his lone strike helped new Blues manager Danny Searle’s era get off to a winning start against Bray Wanderers in the SSE Airtricity First Division last night.
A crowd of 984 supporters watched on as Britton’s 53rd minute goal proved too be the difference as the Blues made it seven wins on the bounce since the departure of Ian Morris to remain eight points behind league leaders Cork City with a game in hand.
A scoreless first-half finished in monsoon like conditions as lashing rain made life difficult for the two teams, and in terms of chances, the best of them fell to the Blues with Yassine En-Neyah and Junior Quitirna having the best of them.
After Brian Murphy was forced into a smart save to deny Bray’s Rob Manley on seven minutes, Phoenix Patterson and Shane Griffin both went close to putting the Blues in front, but neither could beat keeper Stephen McGuinness.
There was big chance that fell the way of Yassine En-Neyah on the half hour mark when he got on the end of Patterson’s cross, but mis-fired in front of goal, before Junior Quitirna had three chances as the rain lashed down only to fire wide with the best of them on 35 minutes.
After a delay to the second half due to a floodlight issue, it was former Chelsea player Conor Clifford that went close with a 48th minute free kick only for his effort to be deflected around the posts off Quitirna, before the Blues struck for the golden goal five minutes later.
It was Tunmise Sobowale that started the move for the hosts when he played the ball down the right channel for Roland Idowu, who got past his marker before putting the ball into the area for Louis Britton to finish with a neat left-footed finish
Patterson thought that he had extended the lead two minutes later, but his effort was ruled out for offside, before the same player brought the very best out of Stephen McGuinness on 65 minutes as his cracking effort was saved, who was also denied by a last ditch block in injury time.
Waterford FC: Brian Murphy, Tunmise Sobowale, Eddie Nolan, Kilian Cantwell, Richard Taylor (Darragh Power ’90), Yassine En-Neyah, Shane Griffin, Junior Quitirna, Roland Idowu (Callum Stringer ’82), Phoenix Patterson, Louis Britton
Bray Wanderers: Stephen McGuinness, Daniel Blackbyrne, Kevin Knight, Conor Clifford (Vilius Labutis ’83), Eoin Massey, Conor McManus, Karl Manahan, Zak O’Neill (Callum Thompson ’69), Paul Fox, Ben Feeney (Kieran Marty Waters ’83), Rob Manley (Darragh Lynch ’83).
Referee: Alan Patchell (Dublin).
