Waterford FC 2 Derry City 2
Matt Keane
With 93 minutes played, Waterford FC looked home and hosed against Derry City at the RSC on Tuesday night. They were leading 2-1 and three huge points looked as if they were secured.
However Derry City won their first corner-kick of the game with just seconds remaining and almost beyond belief they somehow managed to score through Cameron McJannet as the Blues defence switched off.
The result means that Waterford are out of the play-off position but the battle to remain in the Premier League continues. Next up is another home game against Shamrock Rovers, the league champions, on Friday night. To make matters worse Darragh Power and Junior had to leave the action due to injury. This fight to keep Premier League status is proving nerve wrecking for the players and supporters alike.
Electric start
The Blues got off to an electric start when they struck the front on three minutes. Phoenix Patterson released the ball to Jack Stafford down the left, before he put in a brilliant ball to the top of the penalty area for Junior Quitirna, and the attacker swept home his sixth league goal with a left-footed 16-yard finish.
Derry City drew level on the half hour mark when James Akintunde took advantage of a Anthony Wordsworth clearance that came off Jack Stafford back into his path on the right-side, and after sending in a cross to the back post, Daniel Lafferty squeezed in a left-footed shot past keeper Paul Martin from close-range.
Waterford regained the lead on 39 minutes when Phoenix Patterson’s right-wing free kick found the head of Wordsworth, who headed the ball back across goal where Greg Halford was on hand to beat Gartside with a fine header.
After the hosts defended resolutely in that second half with Patterson and John Martin having chances to extend the advantage, McJannet had the final say deep in added time when he pounced on a loose ball after Waterford failed to deal with a Jack Malone left-wing corner kick.
In a half of limited chances and the Blues defending superbly, they broke a pace on 84 minutes that saw Niall O’Keeffe dragged down just outside the area, and a training ground routine free kick saw Phoenix Patterson’s effort just flash inches wide of Gartside’s left-hand post.
John Martin won a corner kick out on the right-side two minutes later than saw Patterson’s delivery to the near post pick out the run of Greg Halford, but his header just cleared Gartside’s crossbar, before Martin brought an excellent stop out of the netminder seconds later.
As time ticked down on the four additional minutes, the visitors won a left-wing corner kick in the third of those, and after Jack Malone’s delivery wasn’t dealt with by the hosts, McJannet had the final say, pouncing from close-range to break Waterford hearts.
Waterford FC: P. Martin; Power (Ferguson ’12), Halford, Evans, Stafford; J. Martin, Wordsworth, O’Keeffe, Green (Griffin ’66), Patterson; Quitirna (Tshipamba ’51).
Derry City: Gartside; Lafferty (Ferry ’85), Coll (Fitzgerald ’59), McJannet, Toal; Boyce (McGonigle ’50), Malone, Thomson, McLaughlin (Héry ’46); Akintunde, Ogedi-Uzokwe.
Referee: Graham Kelly (Cork).
