League of Ireland relegation/promotion final: Bray Wanderers 1 (Knight 8) Waterford 2 (Noonan 30, Glenfield 74)
Sam Glenfield proved Waterford’s saviour with a late winner as they had to come from behind to preserve their Premier Division status in a stirring promotion/relegation playoff.
With Conan Noonan having equalised Conor Knight’s shock early lead, Waterford finally broke First Division Bray Wanderers’ dogged resolve on 74 minutes on the heavy Tolka Park pitch.
Collecting Ryan Burke’s pass, substitute Glenfield rode the challenge of Cian Doyle to steady himself before arrowing a shot to the bottom corner.
The win, only their second in 12 games, was no more than Waterford deserved as they dominated for long spells.
READ MORE
Though the Blues started on the front foot in the heavy drizzle, it was Bray who stormed into the lead in punishing a defensive mistake on eight minutes.
Knight got a touch to Max Murphy’s diagonal ball which Waterford left wingback Kyle White should have cleared.
Instead, the Bray winger was left with a clear sight on goal which he didn’t waste, drilling a shot into the bottom corner.
That opened the game right up, with Bray’s defending having to be much better on 16 minutes as Harvey Warren bravely deflected Noonan’s shot out for a corner.
Tommy Lonergan then might have done better than direct his header from White’s cross straight at Jimmy Corcoran between the Bray posts.
Waterford were laying siege to the Bray goal now, Corcoran brilliantly clearing off his goal line from Padraig Amond’s close-range effort as Wanderers somehow survived.
Until the 29th minute that was, when Waterford were deservedly level.
Shamrock Rovers’ loanee Noonan worked a one-two from a corner with Dean McMenamy, latching on to his fellow midfielder’s clever back-heel to rifle a cross shot to the far corner of the net from a tight angle.
Bray briefly lifted the onslaught on their muddied penalty area four minutes before the break, Cian Curtis working Stephen McMullan between the Waterford posts.
Back at the other end, Warren had to be there again in first-half stoppage time to deflect James Olayinka’s shot round the post.
Teenage right-back Alain Kizenga did likewise to deny Noonan a minute into the second half as Waterford resumed where they left off.
Bray relieved the pressure again as they carved a real chance from further loose Waterford play, Burke putting his body on the line to block a shot from Justin Ferizaj.
But Waterford, having won 10 corners to nil, remained very much the dominant side and got their winner on 74 minutes.
McMullan still had to make the safe of the game four minutes later in going full stretch to his left to claw away a Justin Ferizaj drive.
The sides finished with 10 men apiece as Bray’s Warren and Waterford substitute Nav Bakboord were each shown a straight red when the latter retaliated following the former’s heavy challenge deep in stoppage time.
BRAY WANDERERS: Corcoran; Kizenga (R Ferizaj, 84), Cantwell, Warren, M. Murphy; Doyle, Bartley (R Knight, 75); C Knight (O’Neill, 57), Brennan (Almirall, 84), J Ferizaj; Curtis.
WATERFORD: McMullan; Horton, Leahy, Burke; Smith (Bakboord, 75), Olayinka, McMenamy (Glenfield, 60), Noonan, White; Lonergan (Faal, 85), Amond.
Referee: K O’Sullivan (Cork).
Attendance: 3,648.
