- Jumping for joy: Waterford celebrate their victory after penalty kicks.
Waterford goalkeeper Dylan Power proved to be the hero for his team in a dramatic penalty shoot-out following a rather drab game which never reached any great heights in the normal 90 minutes and indeed the 20 extra ones.
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A strong breeze and a bumpy pitch made life difficult for both sets of players and as a result the play on offer did not produce many free flowing passages of play. In fairness both teams never stopped trying but they never really got to grips with the difficult conditions. The Waterford League will now have home advantage in the semi-final against either Galway of Mayo.
Dublin AUL midfielder Geoff Flood fired in a long-range shot after 13 minutes but the home goalkeeper Dylan Power got down quickly to save Flood’s effort. The Dublners began to get a grip of the game in the middle of the park and put the Waterford side on the back foot, without really testing Power. The visitors lacked punch in the final third. Michael Merrigan, the Waterford left-sided player, got in a low cross after 28 minutes but forwards Thomas Croke and Shane Nolan both failed to control Merrigan’s cross in front of goal. Merrigan was back in the action once again on 38 minutes, this time taking a fine pass from Thomas Croke but he ran out of space and shot weakly into the side netting. The last action of the first half saw Cormac O’Driscoll send a free kick deep into the Dublin penalty area but the in-rushing Shane Nolan and Mark Phelan could not get a head to the ball.
See The Munster Express newspaper for full story.
