Waterford 4 Limerick 1
Waterford brushed off any talk of irregular betting patterns to complete a stellar season by hammering Limerick at the RSC on Friday night.
Blues manager Alan Reynolds felt the need to speak with his players beforehand about the rumours but dismissed any involvement by his squad.
“It’s a serious subject but our lads laughed it off,” he said. “I’m not sure who the bets were on but we wanted to win the match.”
The Blues began with impetus against a Limerick side more concerned about Monday’s crunch playoff first leg in Donegal against Finn Harps.
Defender Colman Kennedy gave referee Eoghan O'Shea an easy decision to award a penalty after three minutes for a push on John Martin in the box and up stepped Dessie Hutchinson to send Jack Brady the wrong way from the spot.
After Hutchinson and Izzy Akinade struck the woodwork, Limerick broke to score their first goal for 250 minutes when Conor Ellis squared for Colm Walsh-O’Loghlen to tap in.
Two minutes later and Waterford regained the lead. Hutchinson, home from a spell at Brighton and Hove Albion, delivered a pinpoint free-kick into the box for Comerford to nod home.
The one-way traffic continued in the second half. Man-of-the-match Hutchinson made it 3-1 on 63 minutes with a free kick which took a wicked deflection before John Martin added a fourth seven minutes later from a left-wing cross by substitute Gavan Holohan.
WATERFORD: M Connor; N Baba, D Webster, G Comerford, D Barnett; B Héry (P Keegan 62), D Hutchinson; D O'Halloran (G Holohan 68), J Martin, C Galvin (D Daly 46); I Akinade.
LIMERICK: J Brady; T O'Connor, K Cantwell (K O'Sullivan 60), C Kennedy, A Fitzgerald; C Walsh-O'Loghlen, G Barry, D Murphy, B Maguire (C Coleman 46); C Ellis (D Morrissey 68), A Foley.
Referee: E O'Shea (Tipperary)
Attendance: 1,891.
