Waterford FC 3 Galway United 0
Structural damage to the stand in the away end of the Markets Field forced a six-minute delay to the SSE Airtricity First Division playoff final while Waterford FC fans were evacuated. The incident couldn’t dampen the spirits of the Blues faithful, though, as they cruised past Galway United to set up a promotion/relegation meeting with UCD.
It was a night that belonged to Junior Quitirna as he netted a brace for his 13th goals of the season, with Wassim Aouachria chipping in with a crucial second in first-half injury time. Blues keeper Paul Martin was also in top form, saving a 79th minute Stephen Walsh penalty that came at a pivotal time.
After a nervy opening with so much at stake, the game sprang into life on 10 minutes when Waterford were gifted the lead goal after a howler from Galway keeper Conor Kearns. Aouachria was dragged back after Adam Thomas strayed a simple pass into his path, and when Phoenix Patterson played the resulting free short to Quitirna, his goalbound effort from 25 yards went through the hands of the netminder.
The game was delayed for six minutes on 27 minutes when gardaí requested match referee Alan Patchell to halt play due to structural damage in the away stand – an issue that was flagged to the FAI by Waterford fans, with some assured that maintenance work had been carried out in advance of the contest.
With eight first-half added minutes indicated due to that lengthy stoppage, Waterford broke to double their advantage in the sixth of those minutes. It came from a Galway corner when Ronan Manning’s right-wing delivery was headed clear into the path of Shane Griffin, who launched the ball forward, and Aouachria outbattled defender Max Hemmings before slipping a left-footed shot past Kearns.
Galway continued to press for a goal to get them back into the game, and they were awarded a penalty by referee Patchell on 79 minutes. Tunmise Sobowale was guilty of conceding a penalty for the third game running when he brought down Ronan Manning, but Stephen Walsh saw his spotter superbly saved by Paul Martin.
They were made to pay for that miss two minutes later when the Blues, who rarely threatened in the second half, grabbed the clinching third goal when Patterson slipped the ball out to the left for Quitirna, and he swept a left-footed shot that beat Kearns at his near post.
WATERFORD FC: Paul Martin, Tunmise Sobowale (Timi Sobowale, 82), Kilian Cantwell, Alex Baptiste, Darragh Power, Niall O’Keeffe, Shane Griffin, Yassine En-Neyah (Dean Larkin, 86), Junior Quitirna, Phoenix Patterson, Wassim Aouachria (Raúl Uche, 82).
GALWAY UNITED: Conor Kearns, Conor O’Keefe (Francely Lomboto, 83), Killian Brouder, Max Hemmings, Ronan Manning (Charlie Lyons, 83), Conor McCormack, David Hurley (Rob Manley, 35), Adam Thomas (Mikie Rowe, 62), Jamie Finnerty, Ed McCarthy (Bastien Héry, 62), Stephen Walsh.
Referee: Alan Patchell (Dublin).
