Waterford Edges Athlone to Reach FAI Cup Quarter-Finals
Waterford FC are into the quarter-finals of the Club Orange FAI Men's Cup, but they were made to fight every step of the way by a fiercely committed Athlone Town before edging through 2-1 at the RSC.
Not since 1980 have the Blues lifted this trophy. Nights like this, under pressure and under threat, are the ones that keep that dream alive.
Amond strikes, Athlone hit back
As a Premier Division side at home, Waterford carried the weight of expectation and started with plenty of the ball. Athlone, though, were compact, disciplined and in no mood to be rolled over.
It took a direct route to crack them open. On 15 minutes, Kevin Long launched a booming clearance from deep inside his own half, sending Jorgen Voilas racing into space down the right. The forward surged clear and looked set to test Brendan Clarke, only for James Crawford to recover brilliantly and throw himself in front of the shot.
Waterford didn’t waste the reprieve. From the resulting corner, Benny Couto – whose dead-ball delivery has become a real weapon in recent weeks – whipped in a teasing ball. Padraig Amond, the veteran poacher, timed his movement perfectly and met it with a thumping header from eight yards, giving Clarke no chance and firing the Blues in front on 16 minutes.
That should have settled the home side. Instead, it woke Athlone up.
Jonathan Kehir soon forced Arlo Doherty into action with a dangerous effort as the visitors began to push higher and play with more belief. Their reward came on 25 minutes, wrapped in controversy from a Waterford perspective.
Mark Connolly’s corner from the left caused chaos in the home box. As John Mahon tried to clear, he appeared to be impeded, sparking loud appeals. Referee Alan Patchell waved them away. The loose ball broke kindly to Cillian Tollett, who reacted quickest and smashed a close-range finish into the roof of the net for 1-1.
The equaliser transformed Athlone. They grew in confidence, snapping into tackles and disrupting Waterford’s rhythm. The Blues, so bright early on, struggled to carve out further clear chances, and the sides went in level after a full-blooded first half.
Couto produces a moment of class
Whatever was said in the home dressing room at the break had an immediate effect. Five minutes after the restart, Waterford struck again – and this time it was all about Couto.
Following a throw-in on the right, the defender picked up possession and drove infield with purpose. Spotting a sliver of space, he wrapped his left foot around the ball and curled a superb effort beyond Clarke, the shot bending away and nestling inside the far corner.
It was a finish any forward would have been proud of. It also changed the tone of the night.
Waterford suddenly played with renewed belief, pushing Athlone back and dictating the tempo. Couto remained at the heart of it. On 65 minutes he delivered another quality ball, this time from the left. Amond met the cross with a glancing header at the near post, only to see it drift agonisingly wide.
The pressure was building. The bench joined in.
Three minutes later, substitutes Tommy Lonergan and Dean McMenamy combined smartly on the edge of the box. Lonergan showed sharp awareness to lay the ball into McMenamy’s path, but the midfielder’s first-time strike took a deflection and flashed inches over the bar.
Clarke and Doherty take centre stage
Athlone refused to go away. Anchored by Aaron Connolly’s influence in midfield, they continued to carry a threat on the break and from distance.
On 71 minutes, Connolly drove forward and let fly from outside the area, forcing Doherty into a sharp low save to his left. It was a reminder that, for all Waterford’s control, the tie remained one mistake away from extra time.
Waterford should have killed it off with 12 minutes remaining. Conan Noonan did brilliantly near the byline, refusing to let the ball run out and digging out a superb cross towards Hayden Cann. The defender powered a header that seemed destined for the net, only for Clarke to produce an outstanding reaction stop.
The danger wasn’t over. McMenamy pounced on the rebound but volleyed over from close range, hands on head as another chance went begging.
Tension rose around the RSC. It spiked again when Clarke appeared to handle outside his penalty area as Amond threatened to burst through on goal. Home players and fans roared for a free-kick and more, but play continued and Athlone survived.
Clarke stayed busy. He denied Noonan and then Voilas in the closing stages as Waterford hunted the third goal that would finally end the contest.
Still Athlone came.
Deep into stoppage time, Sean Brennan unleashed a fierce drive from distance that seemed arrowed for the top corner. Doherty, fully stretched, managed a magnificent fingertip save to turn the ball over the bar. It was as big as any goal on the night.
The resulting corner came to nothing. The whistle followed soon after.
Waterford had held on, earned their place in the last eight, and kept that long wait for cup glory alive. Nights like this suggest they are ready to suffer for it.
