Waterford 1-14 Galway 0-15:WATERFORD GAVE themselves a great chance of avoiding relegation as they carved our their first win of the campaign, at Pearse Stadium in Salthill yesterday.
Now they will face the holders Dublin next weekend in a real relegation battle and manager Michael Ryan is thrilled with the way they have turned things around after a turbulent week.
"I felt there was a good performance in this team and that's what we needed because Galway are a good team. But I am delighted with the way it worked out, I am delighted for the players.
"It does set it up, but Dublin are a very good team and we wouldn't like to get too carried away. We didn't cure all of our problems today. There is a lot of hard work to be done down the line but we know that. And we'll take each day as it comes and build on it," said Ryan.
Once again, the value of John Mullane to this Waterford team was emphasised and he made an excellent first appearance of the season, while there was also a late cameo appearance for Eoin Kelly.
Galway were beaten to a lot of the 50-50 balls in the opening half as their youthful side was given a lesson in hard graft.
Galway boss Anthony Cunningham, whose side now need to get a result in Kilkenny next weekend to qualify, was disappointed that a late rally did not secure a win.
"We are very disappointed because a win would have put us into the league semi-final.
"But playing the last three or four Sundays probably caught up with us today. We were very flat, with a lot of very poor play, missing the ball, picking it up poorly, defending poorly and attacking poorly and taking wrong options. Overall, right through the team we were flat and it is something we need to work on for next weekend," he said.
This encounter in the Salthill sunshine was never a dirty one but both sides were reduced to 14 men by the 27th minute with Waterford's Shane O'Sullivan and Galway defender Declan Connolly both picking up second yellow cards in separate incidents.
Waterford led by 0-8 to 0-5 at the interval but should have been further ahead as while they were on top they shot seven wides.
The introduction of Joseph Cooney gave Galway some impetus, with the first of Andy Smith's brace reducing the margin to a point. However, Waterford responded well before the break and Pauric Mahony, one of three late replacements, tacked on another on his way to a haul of 0-9 from frees.
But it was Mullane who did most damage to Galway in his first outing of the year and he found the range before the break to leave them a goal to the good.
The sides exchanged points a couple of times after the restart before Mullane broke in from the left to set up Shane Walsh for the only goal of the game after 41 minutes.
Galway lost goalkeeper James Skehill to a shoulder injury picked up trying to block Walsh's batted effort. But with David Burke superb in midfield they staged a late rally. But they were unable to complete the comeback and Walsh ensured a Waterford win with a late point from distance.
WATERFORD: S O'Keeffe; P Mahony, L Lawlor, A Kearney; D Fives, M Walsh, S O'Sullivan; D Twomey, K Moran; M Shanahan (0-1), P Mahony (0-9, frees), E McGrath; J Mullane (0-2), S Walsh (1-2), G O'Brien. Subs: J Nagle for Twomey (47 mins); S Prendergast for McGrath, (56 mins); E Kelly for Shanahan (62 mins); M O'Neill for O'Brien (70 mins); D O'Sullivan for P Mahony, (70 mins).
GALWAY: J Skehill; G O'Halloran, D Collins, D Connolly; J Coen, F Moore, N Donoghue (0-1); D Burke (0-3), A Smith (0-2); C Cooney (0-1), N Burke (0-5, three frees), C Donnellan; D Hayes, B Daly (0-2), B Burke. Subs: J Cooney for B Burke (20 mins); J Ryan for Skehill (43 mins); D Glennon for Donnellan, (49 mins); B Flaherty (0-1 mins) for Donoghue (51 mins); J Regan for Smith, (62 mins).
Referee: A Stapleton (Laois).
