An Opportunity Lost

Main image: Orion Cala fires a free kick towards goal.

 

Waterford 0
CK United 0

The Under-20s had their first outing on grass at SETU Arena on Saturday, but were left frustrated by the result despite a positive performance. Rock-solid at the back, they couldn’t find a breakthrough in attack and may regret not turning the screw earlier in the game. 

Carlow-Kilkenny goalkeeper Darragh O’Neill made the first of a series of good saves five minutes into the match. Orion Cala switched the ball cleverly across to Jack Garrett, who cut in from the right wing and saw his left-footed strike tipped away acrobatically by the visiting netminder. 

Waterford were posing most threat down the flanks and they went close again in the 17th minute when Cala and Shayne McDonald worked the ball down the left before the latter whipped a shot over the bar. CK United’s right back, 22-year-old Rogerio Alves da Silva Junior, earned the first of his two yellow cards for a crunching tackle on Aaron Cass before Peter Byrne fired another shot clear of the crossbar. 

 

Romeo Lapite battles for possession in midfield

Mason Murphy, who was a handful for the United defence in the opening half, dispossessed an opponent after 32 minutes and had a shot well-saved by O’Neill getting down low to his left. The Blues suffered a blow immediately after that with Seán Keane leaving the field with a bad ankle injury and his place in the centre of defence was taken by Matt Barrett. CK United captain Danny Flynn earned another card for his side when he held Murphy back from an attack, but it took alert sweeping from Bobby Keohan to snuff out a dangerous counterattack from the visitors shortly afterwards.

The Blues had two more chances in the dying minutes of the first half, but O’Neill was equal to them on both occasions. First, skipper Noah O’Brien surged forward with the ball from inside his own half and unleashed a shot from outside the box that the keeper got down to hold. Then, Cala went on an excellent run up the left wing, turned inside and forced O’Neill into a superb save from a right-footed rasper that was destined for the top corner.

 

One last chance for a winner

Goalscoring chances were limited in the second half with United defending doggedly and Waterford were unable to open them up. At the other end, Igor Bacela had little to do save for some adept handling on crosses. Barrett and Daire Dwyer picked up a card apiece for some pushing and shoving before United were reduced to ten men for the final fifteen minutes when Alves da Silva earned a second yellow card and a red for another big collision with Cass. 

The Blues noticeably upped their tempo, but could never take advantage of the extra man. Murphy had a header saved and Keohan was inches wide with a shot from the edge of the box. The same two players went close again when Murphy was brilliantly closed down and blocked by the goalkeeper and Keohan’s lobbed follow-up was cleared off the line. 

The ten men almost stole all three points when Cameron Pedreschi’s shot was deflected narrowly wide for a corner. Substitute Fidel Pululu shot high and wide in the final significant action and it was the outnumbered Carlow-Kilkenny who celebrated at the final whistle. 

 

 

That’s two wins, two draws and two defeats for Waterford so far this season, but this is one they’ll have targeted as important to win. They are, however, without Alan Zborowski, due to first team duties, as well as Adam Coyne and Filip Wasilewski, while Muhammad Oladiti, Zak O’Sullivan and Calum Costello have left this grade on loan deals. Hopefully Keane’s injury won’t keep him out for long because this promising group needs his leadership. 

Igor Bacela; Aaron Cass (Aaron Brennan, 81), Seáne Keane (Matt Barrett, 33), Noah O’Brien, Shayne McDonald (Jan Wozniak, 81); Peter Byrne, Romeo Lapite, Bobby Keohan; Jack Garrett, Mason Murphy (Fidel Pululu, 81), Orion Cala.