Athlone Town  1 - 2  Waterford United (full time)

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0 mins – Match kicks off in overcast but dry weather, 5 minutes later than scheduled. 2 up front for Blues as Cummins starts there. Grincell is right wing. Kearney holding midfielder, Browne centre-back. Attendance about 300.

7 mins – Good break by Blues, Kearney set Kiely free into right channel, good low pull back for Cummins but he shot well wide of near post.

14 mins – Dangerous free kick from Athlone’s right, headed clear at the near post by Browne.

15 mins – Waters cross from left nodded on by McCarthy to Grincell 10 yards out at acute angle, but his chip back goalwards was tame.

18 mins – Kearney fouled 25 yards out, central. Waters with the free kick, but struck low into crowd of players.

Paul Mac and Brian Cleary dispute possession

19 mins – Anthony Hayes with a snap shot from the edge of the area for Athlone, blocked away by Browne’s boot, Robbie Hamm with the follow up from further out which whistled just high and wide.

21 mins – Great ball wide from Noel Magee for Kevin Williamson, Alan Carey had to be sharp to turn the low cross behind, corner came to nothing.

25 mins – Blues having the better of the exchanges so far, looking the more likely.

30 mins – Waters corner from the right, Cummins with a powerful header just past the post, best chance of the match.

Graham Cummins flashes a header inches wide

33 mins – Kearney fed in by McCarthy, sweet left foot strike on the run from 25 yards, inches over the top with the keeper beaten.

39 mins – Waters feeds Cummins in the left channel, he twists and turns his way inside Hamm and strikes well from 8 yards but hits the side netting.

44 mins – Carey free kick from deep right, Cummins challenged Aaron Shanahan, ball dropped to Waters who drilled it left footed from 12 yards out, cleared off the line by Thomas McGauley. Kiely’s corner punched only as far as Long who volleyed well over the top.

 45 mins – Blues well on top at half time, attacking with intelligence and purpose, but still looking for that all-important goal.

Half-time

46 mins – Second half underway, no changes as yet.

53 mins – Grincell nearly in down right channel but touch lets him down. Moments later McCarthy finds Waters out wide with a great pass, whipped cross just too far ahead of WJK.

56 mins – Damien Rushe booked for bad tackle on Carey. Kearney’s free kick straight at Shanahan.

58 mins – Williamson almost got the better of Carey under a high ball, but Murray was on hand to clear.

63 mins – Athlone getting back into the match. Emeko Onwubiko broke quickly, feeding Williamson down the right, whose hard low cross was backheeled just wide of the near post by Stephen Rice arriving at pace.

65 mins – Rice almost in again from quick break, but Carey held him off well.

GOAL 68 mins – Another Town attack, down the right, not dealt with well, leads to corner kick. Williamson clipped in to the back post, headed back into the middle by Kevin Dunne, and Noel Magee shot low into the left corner through a crowd of players.

72 mins – Gary Dunphy is on for Grincell. Kiely booked.

GOAL 74 mins – Dunphy down right channel, low cross into near post, Cummins in to finish but it gets caught underneath him under pressure from defender, squirts clear to Kiely who slams home from four yards out!

RED CARD 82 mins – Noel Magee sent off for second yellow after fouling Dunphy as he broke clear.

84 mins – Great header on by Kearney for WJK, but his touch lets him down as it cannons off his shin 6 yards out central.

88 mins – Great work by Blues down the left with Waters and Kiely, superb low ball into Cummins from WJK, first touch again wastes the chance.

GOAL 89 mins – Another Blues attack sees great presence of mind by Dunphy to touch into the path of Kearney 20 yards out  right central. His shot seemed to be stopped by Kevin Dunne’s arm, but before anyone can react Kiely rifles the loose ball into the roof of the net from 8 yards out.

92 mins – All over! Great win in what was a must-win game, and delighted to say that a great performance got the points it deserved. The season rolls on!

 Athlone Town: Aaron Shanahan; Robbie Hamm, Brian Cleary, Kevin Dunne, Thomas McGauley, Damien Rushe (Ciaran O’Reilly 87), Emeka Onwubiko (Robbie Benson 91), Anthony Hayes, Stephen Rice, Noel McGee, Kevin Williamson – subs: Cathal Joyce, Robert Egan, Jamie Duffy

Goals: Magee 68

Booked: Hamm, Rushe, Magee

Sent Off: Magee 82

Waterford: Michael Devine; Alan Carey, Kenny Browne, Kevin Murray, Seamus Long; David Grincell (Gary Dunphy 72), Paul McCarthy, John Kearney, Kevin Waters; Graham Cummins, Willie John Kiely – subs: Kevin Burns, Declan Woodgate, Paul Carey, Joe Mulcahy

Goals: Kiely 74, 89

Booked: Kiely, Waters