Strong early show lifts Waterford

Waterford climbed into third place in the Eircom League Premier Division tonight after a 3-2 victory over bottom-placed Dublin City.

They had to hold off a determined second-half fightback from visitors Dublin, but three first-half goals were sufficient to carry Waterford to their eighth win of the season.

Willie Bruton opened the scoring after 11 minutes, and Daryl Murphy made it 2-0 in the 41st minute.

Kevin O’Brien’s penalty just before half-time made Waterford look safe at the break.

But David McGill gave Dublin hope in the 52nd minute, before the team from the capital began to apply even more intense pressure over the closing quarter of an hour.

Wesley Byrne struck to reduce the deficit to just one goal, but the hosts held on and nudged up to third, albeit having played more games than any other side in the league.