Sligo Rovers 1

Waterford FC 2

Jessica Farry reports from The Showgrounds

COURTNEY DUFFUS’S 90TH-minute goal earned all three points for Waterford as they defeated Sligo Rovers 2-1 at The Showgrounds, moving level on points with Cork City at the top of the Premier Division table.

The visitors took the lead in the first half through Gavan Holohan before Adam Morgan equalised in the second-half. The game looked to be headed for a draw until Duffus’ first goal for the club stunned the hosts.

With last week’s games postponed due to the weather, this was Sligo’s fourth consecutive home game of the season, and one that they were desperate to get points from.

The Blues, on the other hand, had won two of their previous three games this season, and a win against Sligo would allow them to keep the pressure on Cork at the top.

Holohan and Stanley Aborah tested Mitchell Beeney in the opening 20 minutes, but could find no way through at that early stage. The hosts came close when Caolan McAleer’s volley from David Cawley’s chested pass was forced wide by Lawrence Vigouroux in the Waterford goals.

As time went on, the ever impressive Hery began to settle into the game, first beating three Sligo players before spotting the run of Dean Walsh, but Beeney was equal to his shot.

Hery continued to terrorise the Bit o’Red defence, eventually setting up the opening goal. The French man was again alert, teeing up Rory Feely whose cross was nodded past Beeney by the unmarked Holohan.

Ger Lyttle’s side pressed hard for an equaliser after the restart. Brazilian midfielder Eduardo Pinceli forced a stunning save from Vigouroux just after the hour mark to keep the visitors in the lead.

But they were beginning to feel the pressure from the hosts, and eventually on 67 minutes, it was 1-1 as Morgan just got the ball over the line after an almighty goalmouth scramble.

Rovers could have taken all three points in the later stages of the game, when Lewis Morrison and Greg Moorhouse combined to feed McAleer, but he directed his effort well wide of the post.

The hosts threw the kitchen sink at their opponents, and almost got their just rewards but for an excellent double save from Vigouroux, keeping out both Ally Roy and Lewis Morrison from close range in the dying minutes.

It all looked to be over, that was until Duffus beat Beeney with a neat finish from close range, inflicting a third defeat of the season on the hosts, while Waterford took full advantage of Cork’s defeat against Dundalk to join the league leaders at the summit.

Sligo Rovers: Mitchell Beeney, Raffaele Cretaro, Patrick McClean, Kyle Callan-McFadden, Calum Waters, Adam Wixted (Ally Roy, 55), David Cawley, Eduardo Pinceli, Caolan McAleer (Liam Kerrigan, 90), Greg Moorhouse, Adam Morgan (Lewis Morrison, 78).

Waterford FC: Lawrence Vigouroux, Rory Feely, Kenny Browne, David Webster, Dylan Barnett, Paul Keegan, Bastien Hery (Gary Comerford, 77), Stanley Aborah (Sander Puri, 60), Gavan Holohan, Dean Walsh (Derek Daly, 64), Courtney Duffus.

Referee: Neil Doyle

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