Harry's Style

Top Photo - Lexie Ferris runs at the Bray defence

 

Bray Wanderers provided the opposition for all five academy games this weekend with Waterford getting the upper hand on the final results. 

The Under-20s kicked the weekend off with an excellent 2-1 comeback win in Carriganore on Saturday. Jason Healy, Alan Zborowski, Jesse Dempsey and Ronan Mansfield all came into the team from the first team to have an outing for match sharpness, but Bray took the lead a minute before half time when Leo Crabb scored from a Philip Cooney pass. Waterford came out flying for the second half, however, and were level within two minutes of the restart when the versatile Aaron Cass netted his first goal of the season. Mason Murphy, then, bagged the crucial winning goal with a neat finish in the 65th minute, having been sent on as a substitute nine minutes earlier. That’s successive wins for Eddie Nolan’s side now and four games unbeaten with an away game against Klub Kildare next on Saturday.

Derek Hearne’s Under-17s made it back-to-back wins with a great 2-1 victory on the road on Sunday afternoon. The Blues burst out of the blocks with Evan Lonergan scoring the opening goal inside the first minute and Daire Cummins getting the assist. Bray levelled five minutes into the second half through a Lewis Brady strike, but the Blues showed real grit to regain the lead in the last ten minutes of the tie when Julian Power won the ball and lofted a sublime pass behind the defence for Harry Farrell to volley home the all-important winning goal in spectacular fashion - a great moment for the former Piltown AFC schoolboy who has been with Waterford FC since 2022. 

 

Harry Farrell volleyed in a matchwinner for the Under-17s

There was success too for the Under-15s on Saturday when they beat Bray 2-1 at the Carlisle Grounds in an exciting game between two strong teams. The first half was a tight affair with neither team able to find a breakthrough. That changed five minutes into the second period when Jack Barden broke forward on the left and slipped Nathan Power through to claim his eighth of the season. Xander Coolbear’s Blues doubled their lead in the 63rd minute with a nice move when Jacob Rose played Aedan Sumner in behind the defence on the right wing, with Sumner then crossing for Barden to slot home at the back post. Bray kept battling and were awarded a penalty deep into stoppage time which Harry Murray converted for a late consolation. Waterford move back ahead of Wanderers into second place in the group with two games remaining – the first of which takes place at SETU Arena at 8pm on Wednesday night when the Blues host Klub Kildare.

The Under-14s were just edged out in a seven-goal thriller on Sunday which also took place at Bray’s Carlisle Grounds. Callum O’Sullivan gave the Blues an early lead from a pass by Jonathan Akaehomen, but Wanderers made home advantage count with a four-goal run – two from Charlie Sheridan and one apiece for Mason O’Dowd and Bryn Kelly. Huge credit to Derek Browne’s Waterford who pulled two goals back and could have snatched a late draw. Enoch Mich scored the first of those before ex-Ballybridge United man O’Sullivan notched his second from a Rian Roche pass. Plenty of positives to take from this game for the youngest Blues. 

Waterford’s Under-17 girls lost by the minimum margin to Bray at SETU Arena on Saturday. A 20th-minute strike from Bella McCleod was enough for a 1-0 win for the visitors in a very competitive clash. Blues goalkeeper Sophie Carroll-Lawler made a great save thirteen minutes later to prevent McCleod scoring again, but the second half saw John MacLean’s Waterford, who hit the crossbar early in the match, on the front foot and peppering the Bray goal without finding the elusive equaliser.