The Blues booked their place in the promotion/relegation play-off last night.
That's after a chaotic night at Markets Field where Danny Searle's side beat Galway in the First-Division Final.
The play was halted for six minutes just before the half-hour owing to concerns over the structural safety of the away-end stand.
Traveling Blues fans were cleared from the stand and forced to continue watching from the pitchside but despite the unusual nature of the request, it did not dampen their spirits. A commanding on-pitch performance saw the Blues advance to next weekend's decider with UCD with a place in the Premier Division up for grabs.
Junior Quitirna got the Blues first goal after 9 minutes from a free kick. Galway goalkeeper Conor Kearns mishandled the ball - only for it to find its way to the back of the net. The netminder will undoubtedly have some sleepless nights to come as the tone of the game was set from that point onwards.
The lengthy stoppage on the 27th-minute mark saw the players waiting six minutes for play to resume. The concerns over the stand's structural integrity had been flagged mid-week with assurances offered that the necessary work had been completed.
Eight minutes were added on to the first half and Wassim Aoucharia was able to capitalise in that additional time. A Galway corner was headed to safety, with Shane Griffin launching it forward to Aoucharia. He outmuscled defender Max Hemmings and burned his way toward Kearns in the Galway net. A deft touch sent the ball past the already rattled keeper into the bottom right corner to double the Blues tally.
With the Tribesmen chasing the game in the second half and when Ronan Manning was dragged down by Tunmise Sobowale in the penalty box referee Alan Patchell awarded a penalty. Stephen Walsh stood over the ball, but Paul Martin pulled off a stunning save to deaden any hopes that Galway had of a fight back.
As the final ten minutes began the final nail was hammered into the Galway coffin. While Waterford had not worried the Galway goal all that much in the second half, Phoenix Patterson sent the ball to the feet of his strike partner Junior Quitirna who guided it past Kearns for the Blues third score.
