St Pat’s up to fourth as Waterford’s misery goes on
St Patrick’s Athletic have moved up to the fourth spot in the SSE Airtricity Premier Division after inflicting a third straight league defeat since their return from the break on a hapless Waterford FC side at the RSC.
It was Waterford who first took the lead however, with a fine goal on the half-hour mark.
Shane Duggan picked out the run of Dean Walsh down the left side, who in turn laid the ball back to Cory Galvin, who beat Brendan Clarke with a sweet right-footed strike from 20 yards.
The lead lasted less than two minutes though, as the visitors from Inchicore levelled after some quick thinking from Jamie Lennon saw him set up Conor Clifford with a free kick.
He powered an unstoppable right-footed shot past a helpless Matt Connor from 30 yards.
Dean Clarke could have put the Saints in front in the final minute of the first half when he took a pass from Simon Madden on the right-hand side of the penalty area, but his first-time effort from 16 yards out came crashing back off the woodwork, with Connor beaten.
It was Clarke who proved to be the match-winner for his side when he struck for the lead goal on 62 minutes after he got his head on the end of a Kevin Toner cross.
He saw his initial header blocked by Georgie Poynton, but made no mistake as he hammered the rebound into the net.
Waterford did have a great chance to take a point from the game in the second minute of injury time when Poynton’s free kick found the head of Dean O’Halloran, but his header was somehow kept out by the brilliance of Brendan Clarke.
WATERFORD FC: Connor, Feely, Browne, Kouogun, Lynch (Poynton 46), Duggan, Héry, O’Halloran, Galvin (Lunney 64), Martin, Walsh (Holland 64)
ST. PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: B. Clarke, Madden, Toner, Desmond, Kelly, Bermingham, Lennon, Clifford, D. Clarke (Markey 75), Coleman, Walker (Shaw 58)
Referee: Sean Grant (Wexford).
