Waterford 3 - St Patrick's Athletic 1Keith Long's free scoring Waterford team continued their rip-roaring start to the season with two goals from Padraig Amond helping them beat St Patrick's Athletic in front of 3,076 spectators at the RSC. The striker's first half brace was followed by a neat finish by Maleace Asamoah, and the Blues earned their first league win over the Saints since 2020. The last time these two teams met at this ground, it was the night when Waterford were sent into the play-offs and a slow descent into the First Division began. Things were different on Monday, especially with the home side looking to make up for a recent defeat to Galway United. The same could be said for St Pats, given that they were getting ready for the FAI Cup final against Bohemians three years ago. The Saints arrived looking to bounce back from a defeat at the Brandywell last Friday and Brandon Kavanagh created the game's first chance by playing Ruairi Keating through, and the striker had his shot pushed out of play Sam Sargeant. Waterford came through this spell and won a corner that was sent to Asamoah. His attempted cross was deflected into the path of Amond, and the striker headed in his third goal of the season with six minutes on the clock. There was no immediate attempt to equalise by St Pats, instead the pace of the game slowed down as Jon Daly's players looked for a way to break through the blue wall in front of them. The Saints took their time, and this paid off when Anthon Breslin scrambled a Brandon Kavanagh cross over the line with his left leg. Amond's second of the game came from a Ryan Burke shot that was parried into the path of the striker by Marcelo Pitaluga, and he hit the back of the net in the closing minutes of the first half. Waterford picked up where they left off at the restart and an attempt by Asamoah rolled narrowly wide. The Saints management team reacted by bringing on Kian Leavy and Mason Melia, and moving Keating into a central role in a 4-3-3 formation. Waterford just kept going, and a neat run by Asamoah ended with the forward grazing the side netting. The Fleetwood Town loanee got back into that position in the 70th minute after picking the pocket of Kieran Freeman in the middle of the field, and he hit the target with a venomous shot. The Saints created very little in the time left to play, while a flurry of Waterford chances had to be dealt with by Pitaluga and the St Pats defence. © rte.ie
