A COURAGEOUS and gritty Waterford United defence inspired by centrehalf Sean Riordan held St Patrick's Athletic scoreless at the RSC last night in an exciting game that ebbed and flowed, producing a succession of nerve-jangling goalmouth scrambles.
Throwing the title race wide open again, this was very much a point salvaged by Waterford. With Cork City taking full points against Bohemians, St Patrick's will be bitterly disappointed at the outcome.
Considering what was at stake for both clubs, there was considerable tension before the game and it was heightened when a problem with the floodlights forced the referee, Tom Tully, to take the teams off the pitch. The game eventually kicked off 17 minutes late.
The champions had the best of the first half, but despite a lot of graft from Martin Russell, Trevor Crolly and Ian Gilzean, United's goalkeeper, Michael Devine, did not have a single hard shot to save. That said, their defence was under considerable pressure at times and did extremely well to keep their goal intact.
United had a handful of opportunities in front of goal in the first half, but their only effort on target was a header from Dave Smith, which was comfortably dealt with by St Patrick's goalkeeper, Trevor Wood.
The relegation-threatened Waterford might have broken the deadlock five minutes into the second half. Alan Kirby broke clear to the right of goal, but his shot from a difficult angle shaved the outside of the far post as he tried to steer the ball past the advancing Wood.
With play swinging from end to end, St Patrick's almost unhinged the home defence in the 73rd minute, but Devine pulled off the save of the game to deny substitute Martin Reilly.
WATERFORD: Devine, Smith, Frost, D McGrath, Riordan, T McGrath, Kirby, Flood, Kabia, Iorfa, Harkin. Subs: Gannon for Iorfa (72 mins); Griffin for Flood (84 mins).
ST PATRICK'S ATH: Wood, Hawkins, McGuinness, Lynch, Doyle, Gormley, Osam, Molloy, Russell, Crolly, Gilzean. Subs: Burke for Gormley (57 mins); Reilly for Gilzean (66 mins); Braithwaite for Molloy (78 mins).
Referee: T Tully (Cork).
