Promotion/Relegation Play-off: Waterford 2 Cork City 1 (AET)
[Parsons 68, Coughlan 101; Coleman 55]
Ronan Coughlan proved Waterford’s talisman right to the finish with the winning goal to bring them back to the Premier Division following a pulsating play-off decider at Tallaght Stadium.
Coughlan slotted home a penalty in extra-time with his 37th goal of the season as Waterford, the First Division runners-up, finally won a promotion/relegation play-off after 10 attempts to return to the top flight after a two-season hiatus.
A miserable season for Cork City sees them drop straight back down following their promotion last season.
Unchanged from their First Division play-off final win over Cobh Ramblers, Waterford started much the brighter, pinning Cork in their own half early on.
Roland Idowu forced a clumsy save from Tiernan Brooks while Cork had some frantic defending to do form a Barry Baggley free kick before Ryan Burke’s follow-up was deflected out for a corner by Conor Drinan.
Blues maintained the pressure with Rowan McDonald working Brooks before Waterford should really have been ahead on 13 minutes.
A delightful ball down the middle from Baggley threaded Coughlan in behind. The striker did everything right, bar the finish, as he blazed over.
Cork finally relieved the siege with their first attack of the night. Though Cian Bargary’s cross from the right picked out Ben Worman at the back post, Waterford right-back Darragh Power read the danger.
Service resumed at the other on 20 minutes with Roland Idowu and Coughlan working the ball through for Connor Parsons whose shot was toed away for a corner by Brooks.
With Conor Drinan having gone off injured and replaced by John O’Donovan, Cork made another change on 25 minutes with Joe O’Brien-Whitmarsh replacing Andrii Kravchuk.
And they gradually played their way into the game, wasting two clear openings just past the half-hour.
First, Cian Bargary somehow failed to connect with Worman’s low cross with the goal gaping.
Their 13-goal top scorer Ruairi Keating and Bargary then just couldn’t get a touch to another Worman ball as Waterford escaped.
Keating finished the half nursing an injury to his left arm, and wouldn’t appear after the break, as Brooks kept the game scoreless with another fine save from Romeo Akachukwu.
The second half maintained the thrills of the first with both sides having big chances early on.
Waterford’s Idowu was guilty of a dreadful miss when shooting over after Akachukwu, Coughlan and Parsons worked the opening.
Cork responded with Cian Murphy, Keating’s substitute, bringing a superb save from Sam Sargeant who then tipped away a clever flick from Jonas Hakkinen from Barry Coffey’s resultant corner.
Having been under the cosh for large parts of the game, Cork then stole the lead on 54 minutes.
Coffey arched a free kick to the back post where captain Cian Coleman arrived to head home his first goal of the season.
A terrific game saw Waterford equalise with a cracking goal on 68 minutes.
Coleman could only head Darragh Power’s cross straight to Connor Parsons, who found the top corner with a sumptuous curling shot.
With the 90 minutes failing to separate them, the excitement continued into extra-time with Waterford taking the lead in the 101st minute for what proved the winner.
Coleman’s clumsy challenge on Coughlan, as he ran on to Ryan Burke’s pass, saw referee Damien MacGraith not hesitate in pointing to the spot.
Coughlan staggered his run-up to send Brooks the wrong way from 12 yards.
Cork substitute Tunde Owolabi rattled a post early in the second period of extra-time, but Waterford deserved their luck over a breathless 120 minutes.
Waterford: Sergeant; Power, Phillips, Osede, Burke; McDonald (Cantwell, 111), Baggley (O’Keeffe, 113); Idowu (Cresswell, 69), Akachukwu (McMenamy, 69), Parsons (Griffin, 97); Coughlan.
Cork City: Brooks; Honohan, Coleman, Hakkinen, Drinan (O’Donovan, 19; Kabia, 105); Bolger, Kravchuk (O’Brien-Whitmarsh, 25); Bargary (Owolabi, 90+2), Coffey (Walker, 90+2), Worman; Keating (Murphy, h-t).
Referee: Damien MacGraith (Mayo).
Attendance: 4,032
