What’s Seldom Is Wonderful for Waterford Footballers

Don’t say you were not warned. In previewing this game I said Waterford would go into the game as the underdog, but something was telling me that they could upset the odds today at Wexford Park and Tom McGlinchey’s side duly obliged in what I had to say.  

Waterford football is often the laughing stock of many including many from within the Déise County. But football in Waterford is nowhere near as bad as most would like to tell you. In truth football in Waterford only needs a fair crack of the whip, and to get a series of games where the side have an equal chance of winning, something I have said with some time, something that can happen with the likes of Waterford playing in a second tier competition against the likes of Wexford instead of playing in a Munster Championship against the likes of Kerry and Cork (even if Waterford ran them to a point last year in Fraher Field) and even against a Tipperary side in recent years that are growing in stature thanks to some hard work and people with foresight involved in the last number of years.

Some will say that this win for Waterford was a shock result, but this is far from the truth. Waterford are on a par with Wexford, maybe are even a better side than the model county, thanks to the exploits of Stradbally, The Nire and Ballinacourty in the Munster Senior Club Football Championship in the last two decades, and therefore fully deserve their win and their place in the draw for the Round two qualifiers on Monday morning.

In that draw Waterford will be one of eight sides in bowl one along with Kildare, Armagh or Westmeath, London or Louth, Mayo or Limerick, Cavan or Wicklow, Antrim or Offaly and Tyrone, while the eight teams in bowl two will be Leitrim, Sligo, Clare, Tipperary, Monaghan, Down or Donegal, Longford or Dublin and Carlow or Laois.

 Each team in bowl one will be drawn against a team from bowl two, with the first team out having home advantage. However should a team that took part in Division’s three or four of this year’s National League be pitted against a team that took part in Division’s one or two and are second out of the hat, they will automatically have home advantage.

Waterford will not fear most sides in bowl two and would love to have home advantage regardless of who they play, but ideally they would love to have someone like Leitrim or the winner of the game against Carlow and Laois.

This win was Waterford’s first in the qualifiers dating back to 2011 and will come as a big boost to Tom McGlinchey and his management team and be seen as a just reward for the hard work they have put in with one of the smallest Inter County panels in the country over the past number of years.

Tom McGlinchey gave a vote of confidence to the side which lost out to Tipperary some weeks ago for this game while the home team made one change to the side that lost after extra time to Laois recently, bringing in David Shannon for Paul Curtis who missed the game with an injury.

Waterford were first to score in this game when Jason Curry put over a free on seven minutes. Donal Shanley responded for the home side but Conor Murray who impressed throughout for Waterford soon edged his side back in front.

But the home side in the next few minutes proved to be the better of the two sides as Ben Brossnan, John Tubritt, Donal Shanley and Eoghan Malone all hit points to edge the home side in front with thirteen minutes played.

Waterford were bursting out of defence with speed and in a five man move, Shane Ryan selected at wing back but no stranger to playing for his club at the other end of the field in the last number of years got on the end of the move to finish past Conor Swaine for what was a deserved score for Waterford.

Moments later the Nire club man could have had a second goal but he saw his effort go across the face of the goal and just wide of the upright.

Donal Shanley pointed for the home side but Waterford followed up with scores from Jason Curry, JJ Hutchinson, Kieran Power and Tommy Prendergast to put their side in control.

Brian Malone pulled a point back for the home side when he fisted over the head of Stephen Enright.

Ten minutes from the break JJ Hutchinson tore the Wexford defence to bits after some good work by Brian Looby and once the Gaultier club man had the ball he sent a rising shot to the roof of the Wexford net for what has to be one of the best goals we have seen in this year’s championship to date, giving Waterford a 2-6 to 0-7 lead.

Jason Curry added a point for the visitors but the home side would hit the last three scores of the opening half through Donal Shanley with a brace and Ben Brosnan with one to leave them trailing 2-7 to 0-10 at the break.

 Waterford began the second half with a point from Kieran Power after he was picked out by Conor Murray.

Waterford then lost Gavin Crotty to a black card and was replaced by his fellow Dungarvan Club mate Joe Allen, and he made an immediate impact when after Tommy Prendergast burst through the home side’s defence he set up the Dungarvan man who blasted a tremendous low shot past Swaine in the Wexford goal to give Waterford a 2-8 to 0-11 lead ten minutes into the second half, the home sides first score of that second half coming from John Tubritt between the time the Dungarvan man entered the game and the time he finished to the net.

Wexford were not going to lie down and roll over and they were rewarded for their efforts when Donal Shanley with a brace of points and John Tubritt pointed to reduce the Waterford lead, even if Conor Murray did manage to get on the score sheet once more in between the brace of scores from the Saint Fintan’s Club man.

The Rathgormack pair of Jason Curry and Conor Murray extended Waterford’s lead with Shanley pointing in between, before JJ Hutchinson and a brace of scores from Jason Curry gave Waterford a 3-14 to 0-15 lead with time ticking down.

Waterford failed to score for the rest of the game and in those last few minutes and in the six added minutes added by Cormac Reilly the home side piled on the pressure.

Shanley pointed again to reduce the Waterford lead marginally but the next score, a goal from Naomhan Rossiter made life a little nervier for Waterford who now lead by four.

The home side did kick one further score, another free off the boot of their top scorer on the day, but in the end it proved to be but a mere consolation score.

Waterford: Stephen Enright; Aidan Trihy, Stephen Prendergast, James McGrath; Brian Looby, Michael Curry, Shane Ryan; Tommy Prendergast, Kieran Power; Gavin Crotty, Dylan Guiry, Conor Murray; Jason Curry, JJ Hutchinson, Jack Mullaney. Subs: Joe Allen for Gavin Crotty (BC 41), Thomas O’Gorman for Kieran Power (51), Conor McCarthy for Conor Murray (73), Mark Cummins for Stephen Prendergast (BC 75).

Scorers: Jason Curry 0-6 (5fs), JJ Hutchinson 1-2, Shane Ryan. Joe Allen 1-0 each, Conor Murray 0-3, Kieran Power 0-2, Tommy Prendergast 0-1.

Wexford: Conor Swaine; Michael Furlong, Eoin Porter, Conor Carty; Shane Doyle, Naomhan Rossiter, Tiernan Rossiter; Brian Malone, Eoghan Nolan; James Stafford, Ben Brosnan, Glen Malone; David Shannon, Donal Shanley, John Tubritt.

 Subs: Robert Frayne for Shane Doyle (H-T), Martin O’Connor for David Shannon (H-T), Nick Doyle for Eoghan Nolan (42), Barry O’Connor for Tiernan Rossiter (48), Craig McCabe for Ben Brosnan (57), Donnchadh Holmes for James Stafford (63).

Scorers: Donal Shanley 0-9 (7fs), John Tubritt 0-3, Naomhan Rossiter 1-0, Ben Brosnan 0-3, Brian Malone, Eoghan Nolan 0-1 each.

Referee: Cormac Reilly (Meath)