Cork City FORAS Co-op  0 – 1  Waterford United

An immense performance from Waterford United saw off Cork Foras Co-op by a single goal at Turner’s Cross last Friday night, a result that could be hugely significant as the league campaign heads into the closing stages. A Blues side ravaged by injury and suspension, and with two of the starting eleven – John Hayes and Willie John Kiely – still suffering from a virus that kept them out of training all week, made light of their travails and put in a superb shift to earn the three points, though undoubtedly somewhat assisted by Graham Cummins’ absence, also through suspension. Kevin Burns was called on to make a couple of world class saves late on to preserve the lead, but in truth the Blues defence was rock solid throughout, soaking up pretty much everything thrown at them.

The early exchanges were evenly matched though infrequent, in a tense and cagey opening to the match. George O’Callaghan headed well wide at the back post from Gearoid Morrissey’s cross four minutes in, and at the other end Vinny Sullivan swivelled well on Paul Carey’s low centre, but hammered over the top. Daryl Kavanagh saw the goal gaping on 14 minutes when Greg O’Halloran cleared the ball straight to him, but he hurried his effort and screwed it wide. Then on 26 minutes the game kicked into life when Davin O’Neill fired in a superb low ball from the right to the back post, which the inrushing O’Callaghan missed by a fraction. As play swept to the other end of the field, Kavanagh’s pinpoint cross found Timmy Purcell at the far post, his header looping over Mark McNulty but cannoning back off the crossbar and clear.

Ten minutes later the deadlock was broken, however, with a goal of some quality, as a chain of passes lead to Gary Dunphy finding Kavanagh on the right with a raking crossfield pass. Good work and a good cross to the back stick – and a neat help-on from Purcell – set up Willie John Kiely for a wonderful first touch and a flashing left-foot finish across the face of goal and in off the far post. To the end of the half, and well into the second period, United kept a firm grip on the game, and Cork were rarely able to threaten to get back on terms, coming closest with a 25 yard O’Callaghan free kick blazed high and wide on 65 minutes.

But they did force their way back into the game in the final quarter, and typically it was the former Blue O’Callaghan who spearheaded their challenge, producing an astonishing save from Kevin Burns on 72 minutes, a point blank header from Ian Turner’s centre somehow turned away from the bottom corner. Vinny Sullivan thought he was in to double the lead moments later but McNulty just got there to cut out John Kearney’s rifled cross as the Dungarvan man powered in at the back post, and at the other end, from the breakdown of a free kick, sub Kieran Keneally almost bypassed a massed defence and a stranded Burns with a clever lob back goalwards, only to brush the roof of the net.

Into injury time, and a wonderful double save amid a mad scramble first saw Kevin Murray charge down Cillian Lordan’s effort from the edge of the area. Burns majestically turned Turner’s piledriver follow-up high and onto the post, and then somehow spirited Gareth Cambridge’s rebound around the same post and behind for a corner, which was emphatically cleared. Despite the agonising minutes of added time the home side could not find a way through, and the Blues held out for a massive, and vital, three points. The arrival of Derry at the RSC in two weeks time now looms large indeed!

Cork: Mark McNulty, Ian Turner, Greg O’Halloran, Gavin Kavanagh, Billy Woods, Davin O’Neill (Gareth Cambridge 74), Shane Duggan, Cillian Lordan, Gearoid Morrissey (Eamon Lougheed 58), George O’Callaghan, Shane Barrett (Kieran Keneally 79) – subs: Jonas Piechnik, Neal Horgan

Booked: Lougheed

Waterford: Kevin Burns; Paul Carey, John Hayes, Kevin Murray, Liam Kearney; Timmy Purcell (Kevin Waters 77), Gary Dunphy, John Kearney, Daryl Kavanagh; Willie John Kiely (David Grincell 88), Vinny Sullivan – subs: Chris Konopka, James O’Sullivan

Goals: Kiely 36

Booked: Sullivan, Murray

Referee: John Grimes