First silverware for Waterford Senior Footballers in 34 years

Waterford Senior Footballers ended a 12,270 day famine for silverware to an end on Saturday evening last when they beat University College Cork in the final of the McGrath Cup Final at Fraher Field.

The first final of the competition was played on the longest day of the year in 1981 when Waterford beat Clare 5-2 to 2-7 at Limerick.

On that occasion Jim ‘Bimbo’ McGrath and Tom Casey were the Waterford hero’s sharing the five goals between them, the Brickey Rangers Club man who would later be involved in the Waterford Management set up under John Owens hitting three of the Déise men’s goals on the day.

Waterford went into the game at Fraher Field on a high having beaten Cork in Senior Football for the first time in over five decades at the semi final stages of the competition at Clashmore. However had Waterford not won this game all the hard work in beating the Rebels would have been for nothing.

Played in front of just over 900 spectators which was about three times the number that saw the game at Clashmore, Waterford in the first half were made work very hard by the students who rested some of their players ahead of a Fitzgibbon Cup game against CIT this week.

Waterford on the night had ten different scorers, but needed goals from Joey Veale and Maurice O’Gorman in the first 26 minutes of the game to turn around at the break with a 2-6 to 1-7 advantage on the score board after some good work by Michael Curry and Tadhg O hUallachain in the build up.

Waterford had a dream start to this game when after just three minutes Joey Veale pounced for a goal from a long range effort from Liam Lawlor.

However, the students would come storming back hitting the next four scores through Conor Horgan, Adrian Spillane, David Harrington and Kevin Davis to go 0-4 to 1-0 in front with 11 minutes on the clock.

Waterford regained the lead with points from Shane Ahearne and Michael Curry but the students would retake the lead on 18 minutes when Tom Hickey was played through by Alan O’Donovan and when Castleisland Desmonds man effort was saved by Stephen Enright in the Waterford goal, Conor Horgan was in the right place to finish to the net giving the students a 1-4 to 1-2 lead.

Points from Patrick Hurney and Liam Lawlor levelled matters on 22 minutes, but the students went ahead again two minutes later when David Harrington split the Waterford posts.

Nine minutes from the break Waterford struck for a second goal, the Nire’s Maurice O’Gorman the player to send the umpire reaching for a green flag.

Liam Lawlor and Patrick Hurney kicked points to extend Waterford’s lead to four with six minutes of the half remaining, but the Students would finish the half the stronger of the two sides as Tom Hickey hit a brace of points to leave his side trailing by two (2-6 to 1-7) at the break.

The students at the start of the second half reduced Waterford’s lead to just one when David Harrington split the posts with a delightful effort on 37 minutes, but this was as close the students go to winning the competition for the first time.

Shane Ahearne restored Waterford’s two point advantage before Waterford took control of the game.

Fifteen minutes into the second half Padraig McCarthy failed to deal properly with a Michael O’Halloran high delivery which was dropping short and an alert Gavin Nugent was in the right place to slot past the Rathmore man to give Waterford a 3-7 to 1-8 advantage.

On a high, Waterford went on to add points from Tommy Prendergast, David Grey, Shane Ahearne and Conor Phelan to go 3-11 to 1-8 in front with seven minutes to play.

The Students in the second half were a much different side to what they were in the opening 35 minutes kicking just two points, the last of which came three minutes from time when top scorer put over from a free.

Waterford ended a fine evening’s work for Waterford on 70 minutes when Shane Ahearne pointed to give Waterford a 3-12 to 1-9 victory.

Both sides involved in this game have big games coming up. For UCC they face local rivals CIT at the Mardyke in the first round of the Siggerson Cup while Waterford’s next outing is against Wicklow in the first round of the National Football League in Fraher Field on Saturday evening next.

WATERFORD: Stephen Enright; Dean Crowley, Niall Walsh, Thomas O’Gorman; Tadhg Ó hUallacháin, Maurice O’Gorman, Ray Ó Ceallaigh; Shane Ahearne, Tommy Prendergast; Michael Curry, Michael O’Halloran, Patrick Hurney; Liam Lawlor, Gavin Nugent, Joey Veale. Subs: Conor Phelan for Niall Walsh (21), David Grey for Joey Veale (52), Jason Curry for Patrick Hurney (61), Billy Power for Dean Crowley (66), Oran Keevers for Tommy Prendergast (66), Mark Ferncombe for Michael Curry (69).

Scorers: Shane Ahearne 0-4 (3 frees); Joey Veale, Maurice O’Gorman, Gavin Nugent 1-0 each; Patrick Hurney, Liam Lawlor 0-2 each; Michael Curry, Tommy Prendergast, David Grey, Conor Phelan 0-1 each.

UCC: Padraig McCarthy (Kerry); Jamie Davis (Cork), Kevin Fulignati (Cork), Kieran Histon (Cork); Kevin O’Sullivan (Kerry), Sean White (Cork), Enda Dennehy (Cork); Alan O’Donovan (Cork), Adrian Spillane (Kerry); Fintan O’Connor (Cork), Kevin Davis (Cork), Shaun Keane (Kerry); Thomas Hickey (Kerry), David Harrington (Cork), Conor Horgan (Cork). Subs: Francis Courtney (Kerry) for Thomas Hickey (H-T), Kevin Hayes-Curtin (Cork) for Jamie Davis (42), Colm Hyde (Cork) for Sean White (43), Padraig Scanlon (Kerry) for Alan O’Donovan (44), Padraig Lohan (Tipperary) for David Harrington (51), Shane Power (Tipperary) for Shaun Keane (61).

Scorers: Conor Horgan 1-2 (2 frees); David Harrington 0-3; Tom Hickey 0-2 (1 free); Kevin Davis, Adrian Spillane 0-1 each.

Referee: Seamus Mulvihill (Kerry)