Todd repays manager faith with winner for Bohemians against Waterford

ON HIS TODD: Sam Todd heads home the game's only goal to keep Bohs on top. Pic: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile

SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division: Waterford FC 0 Bohemians FC 1 (Sam Todd 18)

Sam Todd returned the late call-up into the starting Bohemians lineup in place of the injured Harry Vauaghan as the central defender headed the lone goal that kept his side top of the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division after a 1-0 win over winless Waterford FC at the RSC.

With Bohs boss Alan Reynolds doing pre-match media duties, he returned to the dressing room before kick-off to learn that Vaughan had pulled up, and Todd repaid the faith of his manager with a 22nd-minute header that settled the tie despite Waterford’s best efforts in the second period.

The home side had the first chance on 11 minutes. Tommy Lonergan charged down a clearance from Kacper Chorazka before pulling the ball back for Padraig Amond, but his goalbound effort was superbly blocked by defender Patrick Hickey.

Hickey could have grabbed the opener at the other end sixty seconds later when he got in front of his marker to get his head on the end of Dayle Rooney’s sublime corner, but his effort just cleared Stephen McMullan’s crossbar.

The third corner of the game for the visitors produced the breakthrough with 18 minutes on the clock as Rooney’s brilliant left-wing delivery bounced in front of Sam Todd, before the defender planted a header with the help of the near post, past a stranded McMullan.

Colm Whelan of Bohemians curls one off his left. Pic: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile

The hosts failed to lay a glove on their opponents during periods of that first-half as the visitors had further chances before the break. Rooney turned provider for Colm Whelan in first-half added time, only for the attacker to blaze wide of the near post before Dawson Devoy curled a 25-yarder inches wide.

Waterford boss Jon Daly made a triple change at the start of the second-half as they tried to get a foothold in the game, and they had a golden chance to level on 54 minutes. Tommy Lonergan broke at pace before slipping the ball for Conan Noonan, but he fired high over the crossbar from 14 yards.

Conor Carty, who replaced Padraig Amond on the hour mark, sent over a teasing ball from the left on 66 minutes looking for Lonergan at the back post, but he couldn’t connect with the ball as the Blues looked like a different team amid the changes.

Lonergan was in the thick of the action once again six minutes later when the centre forward got behind the Bohs defence to latch onto a through ball from Noonan, but after Todd put the attacker off his stride, his shot was blocked out for a corner.

Waterford did press for an equalising goal in the dying minutes of the tie, but they failed to find a way past a resolute Bohs defence, with Daly’s luckless night compounded deep in injury-time after centre back John Mahon left the field on a stretcher after colliding with a teammate.

WATERFORD FC: McMullan; Heeney (McLaughlin 90, Cann, Mahon, Couto (Dempsey 46); Coyle (Manfield 46), Barrett (McMenamy 46), Voilas; Lonergan, Amond (Carty 62), Noonan.

BOHEMIANS FC: Chorazka; Power (Morahan 90), Hickey, Todd, Flores; Parsons (Mullen 73), Devoy, McDonnell; Whelan, Tierney, Rooney (Diallo 73).

Referee: Rob Harvey (Dublin). 

Attendance: 2,683