Sullivan spot-on to earn 10-man Waterford a share of spoils

Waterford United 2 Cork City 2

The game saw both sides surrender their respective 100% home and away records.

Daryl Murphy’s impending move to Sunderland has left Waterford boss Alan Reynolds with a big headache, the manager admitting as much in his programme notes when he wrote that the striker’s absence was critical in last week’s defeat at Derry.

Willie Doyle, in for Willie Bruton, and Vinny Sullivan were charged with providing the cutting edge that has eluded Waterford too often this season while at the back, Wayne Russell replaced Packie Holden to make his first appearance of the season in goal.

Waterford made four changes in all, while Damien Richardson fielded an unchanged side from the team which beat Pats 3-1 last week.

But while Cork may have had the more settled look, it took both teams 15 minutes to begin to get the measure of the fierce wind blowing from the town end. By then, Waterford captain John Frost had picked up a fifth -minute yellow card for a hefty challenge on Colm O’Brien, which would later prove costly.

The first decent passage of play came from the visitors with Denis Behan, Roy O’Donovan and George O’Callaghan exchanging a neat triangle of passes before O’Donovan took the ball around Russell, but the midfielder left himself too acute an angle and could only shoot weakly into the side netting.

A moment later Dave Mulcahy took advantage of hesitant Cork defending to fire a snapshot from outside the box that was well held by Michael Devine.

Waterford came close again soon after, when Kevin Waters’ low in-swinging free kick from the right eluded friend and foe before sneaking inches wide of the far post.

But the best chance of the opening half hour fell to the visitors on 30 minutes, when O’Callaghan picked out Kevin Doyle in the box with his back to goal. The striker turned nimbly and laid off an inviting ball in Behan’s path, but with the goal beckoning he dragged his shot well wide.

The breakthrough finally came five minutes before the break. After City had won a throw on the right wing, Neal Horgan lobbed in a high, speculative cross.

The Waterford defence had plenty of time to see it coming but inexplicably allowed the ball to bounce on the edge of the six-yard box and Kevin Doyle pounced to head home from close range. It was the striker’s fifth goal in the league and his third in successive games and, while no picture postcard effort, will have been noted with interest by the watching Reading manager and former Manchester United star, Steve Coppell.

Five minutes into the second half things got worse for Waterford when Frost, challenging for a high ball, clattered heavily into Roy O’Donovan.

To his credit, the Cork player made nothing of it, but referee David Mckeon produced another yellow and the Waterford captain was off.

A prompt Blues reshuffle saw Colin Heffernan come on for Willie Doyle and the sub had an immediate impact, floating in a free from the left which David Breen headed home at the far post to bring the 10 men level.

City replied in almost identical style four minutes later, George O’Callaghan’s deep free kick into the box meeting the head of Dan Murray and crashing into the net to put the visitors back in front.

In the 75th minute, Denis Behan came close to increasing Cork’s lead with a fierce free-kick from fully 30 yards but it was Waterford who took full advantage four minutes later, when Alan Bennett brought down sub Heffernan inside the box. With the temperature rising, Vinny Sullivan was the coolest man in the RSC, sending Devine the wrong way from the spot.

Waterford may have needed a superb save from Russell to deny O’Callaghan with two minutes to go, but a share of the spoils was nothing less than the battling Blues deserved.

WATERFORD UNITED: Russell, Andrews, Frost, Reynolds, Breen, Purcell, Yelverton, Mulcahy, Doyle (Heffernan 56), Sullivan (Grant 93), Waters.

CORK CITY: Devine, Bennett, Murray, O’Brien, O’Callaghan, Woods, O’Donovan, Doyle, Behan (Fenn 90), Horgan, Kearney.

Referee: D McKeon.