Cathal Dowd

Waterford FC took the spoils in yesterday’s Munster derby against Cork City with a 3-1 win over the Rebel Army in the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division.

It was a couple of former Cork City players who came up with the goods to haunt their former side, as Chloe Atkinson and Lauren Walsh were on target in a comeback win for Waterford on a scorching hot day at the RSC.

Cork had taken the lead after just 4 minutes when Fiana Bradely broke free and slipped the ball through Waterford goalkeeper Maeve Williams legs from an angle.

Bradely was lively for Cork, particularly in the first half. She nearly added to her tally after 22 minutes but Williams was able to block well this time.

Waterford took until added time in the first half to reply, which they did through Atkinson, who beat on-rushing City keeper Clodagh Fitzgerald to a long pass over the top and finished well. From there on the Blues controlled the game.

Mia Lenihan took advantage of some slack defending by Cork defenders in the hot sun, lashing in her team’s second on 55 minutes, before Lauren Walsh shook off her marker to find some space to power home with her head from an Atkinson corner seven minutes later.

City were unable to muster up much of a challenge to Waterford’s lead for the remainder of the tie and the Blues wrapped up a derby double over Cork this week.

The win was Waterford’s first in the league  in five, coming off the back of a painful 7-0 defeat to Galway. It moves them up the table, into 9th place and above rivals Cork.

Bohemians, the team directly above them in the table, are next up away at Dalymount. Waterford will hope that win has put an end to their stretch of poor form and look to further distance themselves from the relegation battle.

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