Waterford hang on for Clare win

Waterford 2-18, Clare 2-15

A sterling first-half performance by Waterford ensured victory for the home side over Clare at Walsh Park.

In that opening 25 minutes, the Decies controlled matters, getting their first goal in the 17th minute when Michael Walsh finished a rebound from a Davy Fitzgerald save after Paul Flynn had drilled low.

Their second came in the 22nd minute, this time Flynn converted a penalty after Dan Shanahan was pulled down in the square.

At half-time a poor Clare side trailed by 2-11 to 0-08. At the beginning of the second-half the Banner introduced three subs to their attack and one of them, corner-forward Daithi O’Connell, goaled in the 43rd minute.

Clare’s second-half performance improved considerably and Niall Gilligan struck a 20 metre free to the back of the Waterford net with three minutes remaining but Waterford held on to gain the points and can thank their accuracy in the first-half for this win.