New Waterford boss faces an uphill battle

Tralee IT 2-8 Waterford 0-9

The county crashed to a disappointing McGrath Cup defeat against Tralee IT at Kill yesterday.

Without a championship win in more than a decade and a half and no victory either in three successive National League seasons, Kiely was hoping his charges would deliver him victory in his first official managerial outing. However, after a promising and impressive start, it was not to be with the students eventually racing to a richly deserved five-point victory.

Both sides did their best to adapt to the new experimental rules and, over the hour, just four players, two from each side, were sin-binned.

Underfoot conditions weren’t ideal, but the students played attractive football when they finally got the measure of a determined if limited opposition.

It all began so encouragingly for Waterford, racing into a four-point first quarter lead with the impressive Wayne Hennessy scoring three and team captain Ger Power the fourth. It took the students all of 20 minutes to register on the scoreboard with Michael Collins on the mark, and the Austin Stacks clubman was to go on and give a man-of-the-match performance that included scoring all of his side’s points.

Waterford still looked comfortable leading by five points as half time approached, but in the final minutes of the half, Tralee delivered what ultimately proved to be killer blows when Collins pointed and Patsy O’Connell goaled to leave them just a point behind, 0-7 to 1-3, at the interval. With a stiffish breeze backing them on the turnover the students wasted no time and the unerring Collins had them level in 60 seconds. Minutes later he was yellow-carded but his first contribution on his return was to deliver another equaliser from an acute angled free.

Within a minute they were in front for the first time, and again Collins was involved in the move that saw Enda Coughlan crash an unstoppable ball past debutant Waterford keeper Thomas Wall.

Waterford defender Kevin Coffey was sin-binned less than a minute after his introduction and three Collins points on the trot all but put the winners out of sight. Waterford’s response was a pointed Hennessy free in added time, but by then Tralee’s place in next weekend’s semi-final was assured.

Scorers: Tralee IT - M. Collins (0-8, 0-3 frees); P. O’Connell (1-0); E., Coughlan (1-0). Waterford. W. Hennessy (0-4, 0-3 frees); G. Power, S. Briggs, K. O’Keeffe, F. Halpin, J. Ryan (0-1) each.

TRALEE IT: S. Murphy; A. Cahalane, E O’Mahony, C O’Sullivan; M O’Mahony, B McMahon, T O’Leary; D Murphy, J Best; P O’Connell, B Flaherty, S Moloney; E Coughlan, S O’Shea, M Collins. Sub: F O’Dea for Moloney.

WATERFORD: T Wall; A Heffernan, K Connery, L Hurney; T Costelloe, A Hubbard, P Ogle; K O’Keeffe, S Briggs; S Dempsey, G Power, W Hennessy; J Ryan, D Kirwan, F Halpin. Subs: K Coffey for Heffernan; S Cunningham for Dempsey; E Walsh for L Hurney; P Hurney for Kirwan.

Referee: Brian Tyrell, Tipperary.