Mervue United  2 - 3  Waterford United

Waterford United came away from Terryland Park with all three points, but they knew they’d been in a contest after a thoroughly entertaining game on Saturday night.

The Blues made four changes to the starting line-up from last weekend; Kevin Burns, Paul McCarthy, Gareth Cambridge and Willie John Kiely coming in place of Chris Konopka, James O’Sullivan, Liam Kearney and David Grincell. With the tie in doubt up until earlier that morning due to torrential rain the previous night, the pitch was always going to be problematic, and it was far from the usual Terryland carpet, heavily sanded but at least playable.

The visitors were pressed into action right from the off, as a slack backpass seconds in forced Kevin Murray into a superb last ditch tackle to deny Gerry Burke, a sign of things to come for the Blues defence as it panned out. But on ten minutes the team looked to be comfortably on track when they went ahead through Timmy Purcell. John Kearney knocked a deep ball to the touchline on the left side of the area, which Vinny Sullivan never gave up on, harrying Nicky Curran into a loose clearance. Purcell, nipping in from out wide, nicked the ball off Noel Varney and took it around Damien O’Rourke before firing low inside the near post from 12 yards out. Willie John Kiely tested keeper Ger Hanley minutes later, forcing a smart low stop after Sullivan’s set-up, but as the half wore on the home side began to exert pressure as they worked the strong following wind to great effect.

That pressure paid dividends on 24 minutes, and the two Mervue centre halves made amends for their earlier lapse, as O’Rourke nodded on Rory Gaffney’s long right sided throw at the near post, and Curran placed his header beyond Kevin Burns from the penalty spot. Moments later both ‘keepers were called upon in rapid succession. From a half cleared corner, Gareth Cambridge’s low 25-yard volley was flicked on close in by Kiely, but Hanley produced a superb one handed save to his right. And almost immediately at the other end, Gaffney send a curling left-footed effort towards the top far corner from the right corner of the box, only to see Burns flying full length through the air to claw it away.

On the half hour Purcell blazed a volloey over the top from 10 yards after great set-up play from Kearney and Kiely as the game pulsed from end to end, but just before the break the Blues had a real let-off. An error from Seamus Long outside the area allowed Burke to race in on goal, but Burns was out and down quickly to block the shot with his legs.

Into the second half and an early exchange of long-range free kicks kept the action going at both ends, Darren Young firing a yard over the Waterford bar on 49 minutes, and Alan Carey stinging the Mervue ‘keeper’s hands on 53. Moments later a marauding Kevin Murray almost saw his cross from the left net him an unlikely goal, but, carried on the wind, it slammed into the top of the crossbar, and almost immediately at the other end the home side were almost in again, Kevin Crehan slipping the impressive Rory Gaffney away down the left channel, only for Kevin Burns to get out bravely once again with a full body block.

On 58 minutes the home side missed another great chance, when Evan Connolly attempted to side-foot Mark Ludden’s cross from the left, but screwed it well wide from 12 yards out. They were made pay four minutes later, with a superbly worked breakaway goal. Burns’ clearance found Gareth Cambridge in space, he played an exquisite ball over the head of the Mervue right back for Timmy Purcell to race onto, and as Ger Hanley charged out to meet him, the Kilkenny man clipped it across goal for Vinny Sullivan to side-foot home from the six yard line. Paul McCarthy almost got in himself shortly afterwards, surging goalwards after breaking a tackle, but Ludden got back superbly to block the shot. But on 69 minutes the Blues went further in front, Cambridge again heavily involved as he received a perfect crossfield ball from John Kearney, measured a cross from the right touchline over the head of the centre back, and Willie John Kiely got to the ball first at the near post, acrobatically turning it past the bemused Hanley from four yards.

That should have prompted a comfortable finale to the game for the visitors, but Mervue struck back almost immediately, with another sloppy goal from a Waterford point of view. Again Rory Gaffney caused problems with his long throws, and this time a half-clearance fell to Connolly, who made no mistake to drill home from 15 yards. It lead to a nervy finish for United, but they were able to keep the home side at bay for the remaining twenty minutes without any more scares, as they quite effectively took the sting out of the game once more, and in the end were deserving, if slightly relieved winners of what was a superbly entertaining game.

Mervue: Ger Hanley, Noel Varley, Mark Ludden, Damien O’Rourke, Nicky Curran (David O’Dowd 76), Mike Tierney, Kenny Farrell (Alex Lee 66), Kevin Crehan, Gerry Burke (Evan Connolly 53), Rory Gaffney, Darren Young – subs: Padraig Lally, Enda Curran

Goals: Curran 25, Connolly 71

Waterford: Kevin Burns; Alan Carey, Kevin Murray, Seamus Long, John Kearney; Gareth Cambridge (David Grincell 70), Paul McCarthy (John Hayes 80), Gary Dunphy, Timmy Purcell (James O’Sullivan 85); Willie John Kiely, Vinny Sullivan – sub: Paul Carey

Goals: Purcell 10, Sullivan 62, Kiely 69

Booked: Kiely, Long

Referee: Stuart Templeman (Kerry)