Waterford FC 1 St Patrick's Athletic 1
Compiled by Matt Keane.
Waterford played out their first draw of the season at the RSC on Friday night. The visiting St Patrick's Athletic were the league leaders coming into the game but when they had Alfie Lewis red-carded after only 18 minutes they found the going tough and they were more than happy to return to Dublin with a point. This was a battling display by the Blues who will now miss the services of Adam O'Reilly and Jamie Mascoll as they are returning to England as their loan spells have come to an end.
A goalmouth scramble inside the Waterford penalty area lead to the visitors striking for the opening goal on eight minutes when Billy King picked up the ball out on the left before playing the ball back across goal for Darragh Burns, who fed Matty Smith, and he beat Brian Murphy at the second attempt from close-range.
St. Patrick’s Athletic were reduced to ten men on 18 minutes when referee John McLoughlin judged that Alfie Lewis, who was dispossessed by Shane Griffin, was the last man when he pulled back the midfielder before issuing a straight red card.
25 June 2021; Alfie Lewis of St Patrick's Athletic receives a red card from referee John McLoughlin during the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match between Waterford and St Patrick's Athletic at the RSC in Waterford. Photo by Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile
It was Brian Murphy that kept his side in the game on 25 minutes when he made a top save to deny Smith his second goal when he was released clear down the right channel by Darragh Burns, but his shot from 16 yards was saved at the near post.
A sweeping Blues move on 35 minutes yielded an equalising goal when Eric Molloy played the ball out to Prince Mutswunguma out on the right, who skipped past Lee Desmond out on the right, before setting up Shane Griffin, and he beat keeper Jaros with a delicious first-time right-footed finish from 10 yards.
Eric Molloy had a great chance to grab his third goal on the bounce three minutes before the halftime whistle when he peeled to the back post to get on the end of a Jamie Mascoll left-wing cross, but he couldn’t direct his header on target.
After a Jamie Lennon block nearly deceived keeper Brian Murphy, it was the visitors that were nearly gifted the lead once again on 55 minutes when Niall O’Keeffe stray pass inside the penalty area went straight to Billy King, but his shot was superbly kept out by a fine Brian Murphy save.
Chris Forrester was on the field less than a minute when he nearly put the saints in front on 72 minutes when he got on the end of a brilliant John Mountney cross from the right, but his header at the back post struck the woodwork with Murphy beaten.
It was the crossbar that denied the Blues the lead goal three minutes later when Jamie Mascoll whipped in a brilliant right-wing free-kick that found the head of John Martin, but his looping header came back off the woodwork before the ball was cleared to safety.
Pat’s keeper Vitezslav Jaros kept his side in the game as the home side continued to press for a winning goal when Adam O’Reilly latched onto a ball from Niall O’Keeffe on the left side of the penalty area, but after bringing the ball onto his favoured right-foot, the netminder made a vital intervention.
WATERFORD FC: Brian Murphy, Darragh Power, Kyle Ferguson, Jack Stafford (Cameron Evans ’62), Jamie Mascoll, Eric Molloy, Shane Griffin, Adam O’Reilly, Niall O’Keeffe, Prince Mutswunguma, John Martin.
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Vitezslav Jaros, Lee Desmond, Sam Bone, John Mountney, Darragh Burns, Robbie Benson, Alfie Lewis, Jason McClelland, Ben McCormack (Jamie Lennon ’24), Billy King (Chris Forrester ’71), Matty Smith.
Referee: John McLoughlin (Roscommon).
