Waterford United  0-1  Shelbourne

Waterford United will simply not believe they have lost this match tonight. On top for long spells of the game, they failed to turn their dominance into goals, and they paid for that when undone by an opportunist strike with minutes remaining.

An unchanged Blues side started the brighter, though it was the visitors that posted the first chance of note. As a marauding Richie Baker forced Alan Carey to knock the ball behind, the corner required Kenny Browne to be at his sharpest to head away at the far post from the lurking Peter Hynes. United responded with a Willie John Kiely snapshot on the turn after a neat cross from Carey down the right picked out Kevin Waters at the back post. Gary Dunphy spurned a good chance moments later, blazing wide from the edge of the area when nicely set-up with a clever John Kearney header, and Kiely was next to try his luck with a well struck shot from distance which unfortunately was as well wide.

The Blues then forced a succession of corners without troubling the Shelbourne goal unduly, though Richie Baker had to clear from under his crossbar from Dunphy’s effort, but they came close to opening the scoring on 37 minutes when Paul McCarthy strode forward onto a Dunphy throw to unleash a fierce drive from fully 25 yards out. Dean Delaney dived brilliantly to his right to save one-handed, and was relieved to see the rebound blazed high and wide by a hasty Waters. The half ended with Shelbourne forcing a couple of corners of their own, dealt with well by the tight Blues defence, and then Hynes fluffed a great chance to give the Reds the lead, heading over the top unmarked after a defensive error.

Matchday mascot Jack Pheasey meets Michael Devine

The visitors looked sharper and more determined after the break, creating a series of half-chances early on, but United were soon back on terms, and once again had a chance to open the scoring just shy of the hour mark. A throw in from Seamus Long found McCarthy deep in the left corner, and his low cross put Kiely clear, only to screw wide from 8 yards out. Five minutes later a Shelbourne corner was helped on by Hynes but flew wide of the far post through a crowd of players.

Waterford kept up the forward pressure, but all their good work was undone in the 84th minute,  when Kevin Murray allowed a routine forward ball slip under his feet, and Richie Baker raced clear one-on-one against Michael Devine. The Blues netminder did superbly to force him wide, and Long got across to tidy up, but a quick throw in was whipped goalwards by David Cassidy, and thumped home gleefully by Paddy Madden from 4 yards out. Shelbourne were content, and able, to see out the clock from then on, and Waterford’s first defeat of the campaign was confirmed.

Solace can be taken in an excellent performance against another of the favourites for the league title, but bitter disappointment is the overriding emotion as of this moment.

Waterford United: Michael Devine; Alan Carey, Graham Cummins, Kevin Murray, Seamus Long; Gary Dunphy (David Grincell 66), Paul McCarthy (Kieran Fitzgerald 73), Kenny Browne, John Kearney, Kevin Waters; Willie John Kiely – subs: Kevin Burns, Declan Woodgate, Paul Carey

Booked: Dunphy

Shelbourne: Dean Delaney; Damien Brennan, Alan Keely, Kevin Doherty, David Crawley; Richie Baker, David McAllister, Mark O’Brien, David Cassidy; Peter Hynes (Derek Doyle 81), Anto Flood (Paddy Madden 69) - subs: Vinny Whelan, Robbie Hedderman, Keith Murray

Booked: O’Brien

Goals: Madden 84