Nine for Ireland's No9: Liam Lawrence congratulates Kevin Doyle on his wonder goal against Andorra at the Aviva Stadium in last Tuesday's Euro 2012 qualifier as manager Giovanni Trapattoni and his assistant Marco Tardelli look on. It was the Wexford man's ninth goal for his country. | Photo: Noel Browne BRO005
Salthill Devon 1; Waterford United 1
Waterford United made the journey to Drom on Saturday last in a confident frame of mind after a superb display the previous week against the league leaders Derry City at the RSC. Prior to that victory the Blues had defeated Wexford Youths and Cork City and as a result a game against a team who were rock bottom with just a miserly total of ten points did not look like a dauntiing task but sadly they managed to turn in a bitterly disappointing performance and in doing so they dropped two vital points.
The result means that Derry City now have a six-point advantage over Waterford and Monaghan United have moved four clear of Stephen Henderson’s team. Waterford have a total of 48 points, one more than Limerick and two more than Shelbourne.
Back in March at the same venue, Waterford defeated Salthill Devon one-nil courtesy of a goal scored by Vinny Sullivan and at the RSC in June the Blues humiliated the Co Galway outfit 8-0.
That heavy defeat hurt the westerners and they were determined to make their opponents work hard here. They left no stone unturned to upset the Waterford side and got stuck in with hard-hitting tackles at every opportunity.
Despite taking the lead after only two minutes, Waterford never looked at ease with themselves and they could have no complaints about the final outcome. The dropped points could prove very costly come the end of the campaign. The league title is perhaps out of their reach, and any more displays like this could see a play off place disappear also.
Next up is another trip to Galway to play Mervue United in Terryland Park. Hopefully they won’t underestimate them, something it would appear they did with Salthill Devon.
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