Sligo Rovers  1 – 0  Waterford United

(This is just a report of the match on the night. Other events have been reported, and are being dealt with, elsewhere.)

Waterford United bowed out of this year’s FAI Ford Cup after a brave and battling performance at the Showgrounds saw them come up just a fraction short of their highly fancied rivals Sligo Rovers.

It had all the makings of a classic Cup semifinal - packed ground, carnival atmosphere, reds against blues, United v Rovers, game of two halves, one goal in it, winner takes all – and it didn’t disappoint. Almost from the off Waterford set about their full-time opponents, and after a very early scare, when Rafaele Cretaro forced an acrobatic first minute tip over the bar from Kevin Burns, it was all United. On 12 minutes Seamus Long moved on to a Graham Cummins knock down and volleyed goalwards from 25 yards, but caught it too flush, when the outside of the boot might have had Ciaran Kelly scrambling.

Three minutes later Kelly was scrambling, but was second to Cummins in reaching Vinny Sullivan’s crisply clipped cross from the left. Cummins met it too well though, thumping the header inches over the top. Cretaro again went close with a left-foot effort on the half hour mark, but it was the blue shirts that were in the ascendant, Sligo’s frustration indicated by yellow cards for the ineffectual Conor O’Grady and Danny Ventre (Ventre was to be subbed off before the hour), but try as they might the visitors were unable to fashion the breakthrough goal they deserved, which was ultimately to cost them dearly.

Initially, upon the restart, it looked like more of the same, as United kept on the offensive, and John Kearney made room for a well struck effort from 20 yards that Kelly did well to save low to his right. David Grincell was first to the rebound, and stood a cross up to the far post for Sullivan to send in a goalbound header, only for the ball to strike Alan Keane, fairly on the chest as the TV pictures later confirmed. Minutes later Kevin Waters whipped in a cross that was met two yards out by Sullivan, arriving at full pelt, but he lead with the arm, and saw a yellow card for his troubles as the goal was disallowed.

As the hour mark came and went, Paul Cook’s half time team talk, and especially the introduction of Owen Morrison at the break, saw the home team start to gain the upper hand, and once they began to play the kind of football they were always capable of, the Blues were finding the going much tougher. Rovers carved out a series of chances with some superb approach play, and Kevin Burns produced a fine save to deny Morrison on 56 minutes, saving wonderfully with his feet after a neat reverse pass from Cretaro. Kevin Murray was on hand to block another Morrison effort moments later, and Kenny Browne deflected Eoin Doyle’s rasping shot just wide of his own goal as the screw was turned.

O’Grady, much improved on his first half form, saw his long range attempt whistle inches wide, before Burns, defying his doubters with the performance of his young career, produced a truly astonishing save to somehow turn Gavin Peers’ point blank header over the bar. Matthew Blinkhorn was next to try his hand, ghosting in between two Blues defenders, but not quite getting to Rommy Boco’s right wing cross and heading wide of the far post. It was a warning of what was to come though, as on 75 minutes the same player did beat Long and Browne to Morrison’s pin-point centre to bury his header beyond the helpless Burns.

With the home side relieved to have the all-important breakthrough goal, they set about holding their lead by keeping the ball as much as possible, making it very difficult for United to force their way back into the game. A final flurry in the last five minutes saw the Blues, with four men up front, throw everything at their hosts, but they couldn’t fashion the chance to claw the game back, and when the final whistle went it was Rovers who were deservedly going through to the final, to face Sporting Fingal as it transpired. A bitter pill for Waterford after another great Cup run, but they should be rightly proud of their performance on the night.

Sligo Rovers: Ciaran Kelly, Danny Ventre (Richie Ryan 56), Joe Kendrick, Gavin Peers, Alan Keane, Conor O’Grady, Brian Cash (Owen Morrison 45), Romuald Boco, Matthew Blinkhorn, Rafaele Cretaro, Eoin Doyle – subs: Dean Marshall, Rob Turner, Martin Nicholas Camano, Darren Meenan, Michael Schlingermann

Goals: Blinkhorn 75

Booked: O’Grady, Ventre

Waterford United: Kevin Burns; Seamus Long, Kevin Murray, Kenny Browne, John Kearney; Kevin Waters (Gary Dunphy 81), Stephen Grant, Graham Cummins, Dave Warren; David Grincell (Declan Woodgate 84), Vinny Sullivan – subs: Josh Byrne, Kieran Fitzgerald, Joe Mulcahy, Paul Carey

Booked: Kearney, Sullivan

Referee: Damien Hancock (Dublin)