Waterford United  2 - 1  Shamrock Rovers

The Blues celebrate the winning strike

Waterford United tonight pulled off quite an upset as they dumped Shamrock Rovers out of the EA Sports Cup with a well deserved 2-1 victory. In a superb performance, full of grit, determination, and no little skill, the Blues bested their Premier League opponents, who ended the game, at least, with their full team on display.

The visitors started the brighter, helped in no small part by a stiff wind from the county end, but it was the Blues that were first to come close, as what should have been a routine clearance from Barry Murphy cannoned back off Willie John Kiely but just the wrong side of the near post from the home point of view. Clear-cut chances were at a premium early on, but Rovers tested Michael Devine from distance on 25 minutes, Ollie Cahill advancing to unleash a powerful strike from 25 yards that the Blues netminder did well to turn around his right hand post. Six minutes later a Sean O’Connor corner from the right was met by Darragh Maguire in the six yard box, but he was stretching and could only divert it over the bar.

On 34 minutes Waterford came to life, with a good run down the right by Gary Dunphy, play eventually getting to Graham Cummins on the edge of the area, and, as he appeared to be fouled, the ball fell for John Kearney to unleash a superb strike which Murphy was equal to with a flying save. David Grincell almost played Kiely in one-on-one against the Hoops keeper moments later, and then almost immediately at the other end, Tadgh Purcell rose highest to meet Doyle’s right wing cross, only to to see it drop wide of the far post.

Carey and Kearney line up the free kick

The deadlock was broken on 42 minutes, and it was the in-form Kiely who did the damage, racing onto a superb ball from Alan Carey down the right channel, beating Aidan Price to the ball and leaving Maguire standing, before cracking a low volley past Murphy into the far corner from 12 yards. The lead didn’t last long though, as just before half time a seemingly innocuous free kick from Stephen Bradley wasn’t dealt with by the home defence, and it dropped to an unmarked Dessie Baker to lash it home.

Rovers came within a whisker of taking the lead four minutes into the second half, when O’Connor’s header from right wing Baker’s cross came crashing down off the crossbar, and Purcell couldn’t react quickly enough to keep the rebound down. At the other end a Carey free kick from out wide caused panic in the Hoops box, the ball eventually cleared out to Dunphy, who fired over 20 yards out on the run.

As the game zipped along, Kiely was almost set clear on a run at goal only for Murphy to show his quick reactions to get out to clear, but just shy of the hour mark the Blues went in front again. Maguire pulled down Cummins on the right edge of the area, and Kearney stepped up to rifle an exquisite free kick into the top left corner from 20 yards. United’s tails were up after that, and they kept up the forward pressure, but the closest they came to stretching the lead would have been controversial in the extreme. After a hop-ball restart for a facial injury to O’Connor, Kieran Fitzgerald’s long ball back to the Hoops keeper was caught by the strong wind and sailed over the crossbar – in truth never really a danger to the goal, and certainly not intentional, despite the howls of protest from the Rovers fans. A Bradley snap shot from distance that sailed over the bar was the closest Rovers came in that time, but ominously for the Blues it also saw introduction of Gary Twigg and Padraig Amond to the Hoops attack.

United's back four, immense all night

The first choice Rovers strike force couldn’t turn things around, though, faced with a defence that was in no mood to concede again, and bar one late breakaway, where Amond got free down the right and crossed for the inrushing O’Connor to fire low inches wide of the far post from 20 yards, the Blues back line held well, allowing the home side to pull off a famous, and well-deserved, victory. The next game could see them pitted against UCD, or Sligo Rovers, or the league champions Bohemians, but for the moment no-one at Waterford will mind who their opponents might be. Roll on the Semi-Final!

Waterford United: Michael Devine; Alan Carey, Kenny Browne, Kevin Murray, Seamus Long; Gary Dunphy (Paul McCarthy 88), Kieran Fitzgerald, John Kearney, David Grincell; Graham Cummins, Willie John Kiely (Kevin Waters 75) - subs: Kevin Burns, Paul Carey, Joe Mulcahy

Goals: Kiely 42, Kearney 59

Booked: Devine, Dunphy, Kiely

Shamrock Rovers: Barry Murphy, Pat Flynn, Darragh Maguire, Aidan Price (Padraig Amond 75), Ollie Cahill; Eoin Doyle (Greg Cameron 56), Stephen Rice, Stephen Bradley, Sean O’Connor; Dessie Baker, Tadgh Purcell (Gary Twigg 68) - subs: Karl Coleman, Corie Treacy

Goals: Baker 45

Booked: Baker, Flynn, O’Connor