Brilliant Blues stun Cork City
Waterford United turned on the style in the second half on Saturday at the RSC and as a result they have stretched their lead at the top of the Elite Under 19 League. They took an early lead but the visitors equalised to leave the sides lavel at the interval but it was all one way traffic in the second half and led by capatin Ross Fitzpatrick, who scored two headed goals and Ethan Boyle who created two goals and scored one the talented Blues team completed the double over the Leesiders. .
The Blues got off to the most perfect start to the game inside four minutes when Ethan Boyle did superbly well down the right channel before putting in a brilliant cross for Ross Fitzpatrick and his sublime downward header gave Cork City keeper Cathal O'Hanlon little chance.
The visitors were back on level terms less than three minutes later with their first meaningful attack as a long ball from midfield saw the Blue defence caught napping and that allowed Connor Ellis take full advantage as he took the ball past the advancing Matthew Connor before slotting to the net from an acute angle.
Cork City missed an absolute sitter to take a deserved lead on the half hour mark as Conor McCarthy began the move when picking out goalscorer Conor Ellis with a pass and after he put the ball on a plate for Liam Cronin at the back post three yards from goal, he somehow fired wide.
Blues keeper Matthew Connor came to his sides rescue with an excellent save three minutes later when Connor Ellis got on the ball on the left side of the penalty area with the defence caught out again but he was denied by a fine block from the advancing netminder.
The second half started with the Blues nearly regaining their lead within a minute of the restart when Ethan Boyle got free down the right channel before crossing for Daryl Power but the striker saw his low shot well saved by the Cork City keeper Cathal O'Hanlon.
It was a brilliant Ross Fitzpatrick header that put the home side back in front on 56 minutes when the captain got on the end of a brilliant left-wing Daniel Pender cross and his superb looping header sailed over the head of the helpless O'Hanlon from eight yards.
A third headed goal arrived for a rampant Blues side that turned on the style in the second half on 69 minutes when Daniel Pender whipped in a superb cross from the left that found the head of Mikie Rowe and his magnificent bullet like header flew past a helpless Cork City keeper Cathal O'Hanlon.
Within sixty seconds the home side were celebrating once again as Cork conceded a free kick out on the left when Rowe was fouled and after O'Hanlon failed to hold Aaron O'Connor's resulting free kick, Ethan Boyle bundled the ball over the line from deep inside the area.
Johnny Browne's team have now won eight, drawn five and lost just one of their 14 games played to date'
Waterford United: Matthew Connor, Robbie Buckley (Conor Murray '90), Mark Slater, Shane Mackey, Maurice Shanahan, Sami Ogayemi, Ethan Boyle, Daniel Pender, Daryl Power (Mikie Rowe '50), Ross Fitzpatrick, Sean Duffy (Aaron O'Connor '56)
Cork City: Cathal O'Hanlon, Kevin Taylor, Timmy Murphy (Mark O'Donnell '89), Conor McCarthy, Aaron O'Rian, Cian Coleman, Mark Buckley, Craig Donnellan, Liam Cronin, Connor Ellis, Alex Marshall (Sean McLoughlin '71)
Referee: Andrew Mullally (Waterford) assisted by Pat O'Connor (Kilkenny) and Adam Tszample (Waterford)
