Soccer

Waterford get a fright from Treaty before securing their spot in playoff final

Limerick side took a 3-1 at the RSC before the home side came back to draw the second leg

Phoenix Patterson scored Waterford's third in the SSE Airtricity League First Division playoff semi-final second leg at the RSC. Photograph: Evan Treacy/Inpho
Phoenix Patterson scored Waterford's third in the SSE Airtricity League First Division playoff semi-final second leg at the RSC. Photograph: Evan Treacy/Inpho
Adrian Flanagan at the RSC
Sat Oct 29 2022 - 21:52

Waterford FC 3 Treaty United 3 (Waterford win 7-4 on agg)

Waterford FC got the job done to advance into the SSE Airtricity First Division playoff final, but it wasn’t without incident as they had to come from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Treaty United in a pulsating second leg played in front of 2,585 supporters at the RSC.

Treaty needed the first goal of the second leg, and it arrived from the penalty spot on nine minutes when Tunmise Sobowale tripped Marc Ludden on the left-side of the area, and Ludden beat Paul Martin from the spot with the aid of the post.

Sobowale made up for conceding that penalty when he levelled the tie on 22 minutes after a great sweeping move saw Raúl Uche played the ball square to Wassim Aouachria, who spotted the darting run of the in-form Sobowale, and he powered a right-footed strike high to the net past Jack Brady.

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The visitors won their second penalty of the game on 26 minutes when Success Edogun was pushed over by Richard Taylor, and Ludden beat Paul Martin once again from 12 yards.

Waterford’s defence went to pot once again two minutes later when Ludden found space out on the left to put in a teasing cross that Taylor couldn’t deal with, and Lee Devitt steered the shot past goalkeeper Martin.

There’s no doubting that the home side needed the first goal of the second half, and they got it from the penalty spot on 49 minutes. Great link-up play saw Niall O’Keeffe, Phoenix Patterson and Shane Griffin combine before the latter was brought down by Seán Guerins, and Wassim Aouachria notched the spot-kick.

It was a moment of brilliance that saw the home side get back on level terms five minutes later when O’Keeffe slipped the ball into the feet of Junior Quitirna, who in turn fed Patterson on the left, and he curled a super right-footed effort to the far post past a helpless Brady.

WATERFORD FC: Paul Martin (Brian Murphy, 87), Tunmise Sobowale (Timi Sobowale, 74), Kilian Cantwell, Richard Taylor (Alex Baptiste, 38), Darragh Power, Niall O’Keeffe, Shane Griffin, Junior Quitirna, Raul Uche (Dean Larkin, 74), Phoenix Patterson, Wassim Aouachria (Eddie Nolan, 87).

TREATY UNITED: Jack Brady, Jack Lynch, Callum McNamara, Seán Guerins, Marc Ludden, Joe Collins (Stephen Christopher, 58), Lee Devitt (Joel Coustrain, 87), Martin Coughlan (Fionn Doherty, 73), Mark Walsh, Matt Keane (Willie Armshaw, 58), Success Edogun (Enda Curran, 58).

Referee: Paul Norton (Dublin).