Another late goal proves costly for Galway United
John Caulfield’s side should still be safe from playoff, but need a point to be certain
Galway United's habit of conceding late goals reared its head again in Waterford FC on Monday night, as Tommy Lonergan headed home in the 89th minute to seal a 3-2 win for the home side in the League of Ireland Premier Division and give their survival hopes a boost.
United had clawed their way back from trailing 2-0 at half-time, with Lee Devitt and Stephen Walsh scoring in the space of seven second-half minutes to leave the game tied at 2-2 on the hour mark.
The visitors knew a point would confirm their place in the top-flight next season, leaving them clear of the relegation/promotion play-off final, and they looked to have done enough for just that until Lonergan was left unmarked to head home from 12 yards and seal the win.
The Tribesmen had Anthony O'Connor to thank for keeping the game scoreless in the 14th minute when he cleared Noah Mawene's header off the line after the Englishman peeled away from Devitt to get a free header on goal.
The home side didn't have long to wait to get off the mark, however, with Benny Couto taking a quick throw-in deep down the left in the 18th minute, catching Connor Barratt out of position. Tommy Lonergan was left all alone to take a touch and float a low cross into the danger area, and Padraig Amond won the physical battle with Gianfranco Facchineri to get the slightest of touches and direct the ball into the far corner.
The veteran striker almost doubled his side's lead less than two minutes later, this time beating O'Connor to the ball before lifting a shot goalwards, but a back-pedalling Hugo da Cunha was just tall enough to get his fingers to the ball and push it over the crossbar for a corner.
It would have been a quality goal, but Amond was to find the net with an even more spectacular effort on the stroke of half-time. Evan McLaughlin sent in a deep cross from the right which was headed back into the danger area by Lonergan. Facchineri was under it, but somehow sent his header back towards the United goal, and Amond lined it up, meeting it with an overhead bicycle kick to double Waterford's lead.
United had a couple of half-chances in the first-half, but they were tame enough efforts, O'Connor heading into the arms of Stephen McMullan in the 28th minute, and David Hurley curling a 20-yard free-kick straight at the keeper seven minutes later.
John Caulfield reacted by making two changes at the break, introducing Francely Lomboto and Mattie Wolfe for Kris Twardek and Ed McCarthy, and the visitors certainly showed more intensity in the second-half.
They halved the deficit in the 53rd minute, Lomboto doing well to dispossess Jordan Houston on the right before laying the ball off the for over-lapping Facchineri.
His cross was missed by two Waterford defenders before falling to Devitt on the left, and he took a touch to move the ball on to his left foot before firing back across goal, finding the bottom corner of McMullan's net.
The visitors were deservedly back on level terms seven minutes later, and again Lomboto was involved, as was Wolfe, the latter playing a ball to the former on the edge of the D. Lomboto took a touch, turned, and spotted Walsh to his left, his pass inch-perfect.
United's record-appearance holder let the ball run across him before controlling with his left foot and, just like Devitt, he fired back across goal, beating McMullan to nestle inside the far post.
The visitors could have got their noses in front twice in the final 10 minutes, but Frantz Pierrot's 82nd minute header lacked the power to test McMullan.
Three minutes later, Lomboto again won possession on the right, and played a ball inside to Wolfe. His first touch was poor, but he recovered to roll the ball to his left to Pierrot, but the Blues' defence scrambled across to block his shot, and United were punished for failing to do like wise at the other end in the final minute.
Couto had possession on the right, and was allowed to come inside on to his favoured left foot to float a cross into the box, where three Waterford players were left unmarked, and it was Lonergan who connected, powering a header past the flat-footed Da Cunha for the win.
As a result, United still technically need a point to avoid finishing ninth, but even without that, last Friday's surprise win over Shamrock Rovers means they should still be safe.
The sit in seventh on 41 points, with Waterford and Drogheda below them tied on 37 points, with all sides having two games remaining.
However, those latter two sides meet in the RSC this Friday, so a defeat for either means they can't catch United, leaving the Tribesmen safe.
If they draw, and United lose at home to St Patrick's Athletic on the same night, the battle to avoid ninth will go to the final weekend, when United travel to Drogheda and Waterford are away to Shelbourne.
Both sides will need to win, and also eat into an inferior goal difference: United are five goals better-off than Waterford, and eight goals better off than Drogheda, so it would take two heavy defeats for United to see them land in trouble, if all the results also go against them.
Waterford: McMullan; Houston, Mahon, Long, Couto; Mawene, McLoughlin, Hann; Noonan; Amond, Lonergan.
Galway United: Da Cunha; Barratt, O'Connor, Facchineri, Keohane; Twardek (Lomboto h-t), Bolger (Connolly 90), Hurley, McCarthy (Wolfe h-t); Devitt (Junior 90), Walsh (Pierrot 74).
Referee: Oliver Moran (Dublin).