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Waterford and Cork must meet again

Saturday 22nd September 2007, 9:28 pm

Denis Behan levelled for Cork City in the second half.

Photo by Tom Carey.

Cork City and Waterford United will have to meet again at Turner's Cross on Tuesday night after their FAI Cup quarter-final tie ended in a 1-1 draw at a windswept RSC tonight.

Dave Warren had put Waterford ahead after only ten minutes but it took Denis Behan just four minutes of the second half to find an equaliser.

Waterford had their much documented absentees for one reason or another and despite a couple of early scares, they went ahead in the tenth minute. Goalkeeper Packie Holden held onto his place in the starting eleven and did enough to smother Leon McSweeney's early driven cross while Warren booted clear as the same Cork player tried to get in on goal from a Behan flick-on.

Warren broke the deadlock when his tenth minute free kick - possibly aided by the strong wind - eluded everyone in the Cork area to curl in at the back post and give the Blues the lead.

The Cork response was far from intense but Colin Healy headed narrowly wide from a Gareth Farrelly corner kick before Brian O'Callaghan's tame header landed weakly in the grateful hands of Holden, despite the Cork defender finding himself in a great position to attack.

Alan Kearney thought he had put Waterford 2-0 up just before the half hour as he forced the ball home. However, the goal was ruled out for offside after Willie-John Kiely's flick had come back off the post following a dangerous long throw from Robbie Hedderman.

Following the change of ends, City came out livelier and Gamble turned an overhead kick wide after only seconds of the restart when Farrelly's long throw created the opening.

A superb long ball forward from Billy Woods set up Behan for the equaliser in the 49th minute. Woods picked out the bustling striker on the edge of the area and after a superb first touch Behan fired past Holden to make it 1-1.

Waterford almost produced an immediate response as Vinny Sullivan hammered a shot against the crossbar following a great low cross from Warren into the area just minutes after the equaliser.

It was the busiest period of the game and Holden had to get down well to save a Joe Gamble shot after Behan flicked on and tore the home defence apart.

A poor tackle from Pat Flynn on Liam Kearney brought some life to the game in the closing fifteen minutes but as the rain lashed down, both teams seemed more and more content with a visit to Turner's Cross next week.

Before the end, Behan failed to make enough of a Kearney cross that eventually reached him at the back post. Behan also drilled a low free kick which drifted just wide after hitting Waterford's two man wall.

Colin Healy could have wrapped up a semi-final place for Cork in stoppage time but his well hit drive went just over.

Waterford's best chance of reaching the last four may now have passed but if they can again raise their next week, who knows what might happen.

Waterford United : Holden, Flynn, Hedderman, Brosnan, Breen, Warren, Scully, Kearney, Bermingham, Kiely, Sullivan.
Cork City : Devine, Horgan, Woods, Murray, O'Callaghan, Gamble, Healy, Farrelly, Kearney, McSweeney, Behan.