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Irish Examiner
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Keeley clinches point for Drogs at Waterford
SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division WATERFORD FC 2 DROGHEDA UNITED 2 Conor Keeley rescued an unlikely share of the spoils for Drogheda United as Waterford FC's inability to defend set pieces came back to haunt them deep into second-half injury-time in their SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division clash at the RSC. After Blues skipper Padraig Amond thought that he had won the game with an 81st-minute finish, the visitors had the final laugh in added time when the central defender hammered home from close-range when he was left unmarked at the back post to meet a Darragh Markey corner-kick. The Waterford front three combined for the breakthrough goal on 19 minutes. Conan Noonan slipped the ball into the feet of Amond, who in turn played the perfectly weighted pass for Tommy Lonergan, who beat keeper Luke Dennison with a deflected effort off Elicha Ahui from 14 yards. Drogheda were level from a set piece at the other end four minutes later. Shane Farrell sent in a left-wing corner-kick into the centre of the penalty area, and Warren Davis powered a simple close-range header to the far corner past a helpless Stephen McMullan. Davis was twice denied in a bid to give his side the lead on 40 minutes when Shane Farrell whipped in another dangerous left-wing corner that saw Conor Keeley send the ball back into the six-yard box for the striker, but after Rowan McDonald blocked his initial effort, he hooked the rebound just over. John Coleman's side got their noses in front on 81 minutes when Grant Horton sent over a right-wing cross that saw Elicha Ahui clear to Dean McMenamy, who saw his goalbound effort touched home by Padraig Amond past Luke Dennison. The leveller came three minutes into added time from another set piece. Darragh Markey swung over a right-wing corner-kick to the back post, where the unchallenged Conor Keeley blasted high to the roof of the net from close-range before Elicha Ahui was sent off late on for a second yellow card. WATERFORD FC: McMullan; Horton, McDonald, Leahy, Burke; Olayinka (McMenamy 77), Glenfield (McCormack 85), White; Lonergan (Pouwels 88), Amond, Noonan. DROGHEDA UNITED: Dennison; Lambe (Cruise 61), Keeley, Quinn, Ahui, Kane; Heeney, Markey, Farrell (Bawa 77); Davis, Taylor (Oluwa 53) Referee: Rob Harvey (Dublin). Attendance: 2241
Irish Examiner
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Blues' blunders gifts the win to Shamrock Rovers
WATERFORD FC 1 SHAMROCK ROVERS 3 Shamrock Rovers were handed three points on a plate by a battling Waterford FC side as Stephen Bradley's side capitalised on two huge errors that gave the league leaders all three points from this SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division clash at the RSC. After a brilliant Padraig Amond header had put the hosts in front inside 10 minutes, the home side were the cause of their own downfall as they were undone by goals from Rory Gaffney, Michael Noonan, and Graham Burke – the latter two goals were defensive errors. It was a header of quality that gave the hosts the lead on 10 minutes. Ryan Burke found space for himself out on the left before putting in a wonderful ball that saw Padraig Amond get in front of his marker to flick an unstoppable header to the roof of the net from 12 yards. Stephen McMullan denied the Hoops a certain equalising goal on 23 minutes when Josh Honohan played a super ball over the top that sent Aaron Greene clear straight on goal, but the netminder saved at the feet of the attacker as he tried to take the ball around him. Rovers were celebrating a leveller just two minutes later. Adam Matthews played a long throw into the right-hand corner that saw Greene send in a first-time cross for Rory Gaffney, and he applied a neat right-footed finish past the helpless McMullan. It took some more heroic goalkeeping from McMullan to deny the visitors the lead goal on 36 minutes when Jack Byrne swung over a right-wing cross that picked out the run of Josh Honohan, and after his header was superbly kept out, Rory Gaffney struck the outside of the post with the rebound. Rovers were gifted the lead on 76 minutes. Blues keeper Stephen McMullan, who was having a top display for the hosts up to his point, explicably played a clearance straight to Michael Noonan, who was only on the field seven minutes, and with his first touch, he couldn't believe his luck as he guided the ball to an empty net from outside the penalty area. A third goal followed for the tabletoppers deep into second-half injury-time when Josh Honohan, on the week that he was called up to the Ireland senior team, dispossessed Navajo Bakboord before releasing Graham Burke, who beat the offside trap, to finish past McMullan. WATERFORD FC: McMullan; Horton, Radkowski (Bakbooard 60), Leahy, Burke; Olayinka (Pouwels 90), McMenamy (McDonald 60), White, Glenfield; Lonergan, Amond. SHAMROCK ROVERS: McGinty; Honohan, Grace, Lopes, Matthews; Nugent (J O'Sullivan 69), O'Neill (Healy 69), Byrne, C O'Sullivan; Greene (Barrett 87), Gaffney (Noonan 69). Referee: Aaron O'Dowd (Dublin). Attendance: 3321
