Waterford earned a fourth point in two weeks against Drogheda United at Sullivan & Lambe Park, with goals arriving very early and in the 86th minute. Tommy Lonergan scored after 15 seconds, stunning the home crowd, and Drogheda’s defending looked vulnerable. Kevin Long doubled the lead by heading in a corner. Mark Doyle reduced the deficit before half-time with a header, and Shane Farrell scored from a volley after a clearance fell to his boot. Drogheda appeared set to escape after a slow start, but Benny Couto struck from 20 yards with a dipping volley to secure the late breakthrough. Waterford’s manager saw positives, yet defensive vulnerabilities remain.
"Tommy Lonergan's opener arrived just 15 seconds into the match. It stunned the home crowd into a brief silence, but they soon found their voice, safe in the knowledge they had a minimum of 89 minutes to turn things around. Drogheda's defending left much to be desired."
"Their task was made all the more difficult when Kevin Long headed in Conan Noonan's corner to double their lead. The giant defender may not have had things all his own way in the Drogheda area had their own defensive kingpin Conor Keeley been fit to play. Mark Doyle's header reduced arrears before half-time and when Shane Farrell arrowed in a volley after a Waterford clearance fell onto his boot at the edge of the area, heads in blue shirts began to drop."
"At that point, it seemed Drogheda would exact revenge for their RSC defeat earlier in the month - the Blues' first win of the campaign - and escape without punishment for their slow start. Benny Couto, however, denied them. His strike in the 86th minute, from 20 yards, was a stunning, dipping volley that found the back of the net to leave all of a claret-and-blue persuasion - post-turnaround - quite deflated."
#league-of-ireland-premier-division #waterford-fc #drogheda-united #match-report #goals-and-match-momentum
Read at Irish Independent
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