Waterford 1
Bohemians 1
A BRILLIANT INDIVIDUAL goal from Bastien Héry gave Waterford FC a share of the spoils in their SSE Airtricity Premier Division clash with Bohemian FC in a game played on a lovely evening for football at the RSC.
After going behind to a first half header from Dinny Corcoran, the Blues produced back with the Frenchman going on a magnificent run down the right channel before drilling the ball past Shane Supple in a game that was played in front of 1,831.
The Gypsies had the first chance on 11 minutes when Keith Ward took control of the ball on the right side of the penalty area before linking up for Dinny Corcoran but his effort was well saved by Blues keeper Matt Connor.
Noel Hunt, who was making his return to the Blues after a long spell across the water, caused panic in the visiting defence three minutes later when racing onto a pass from Héry on the right side of the area but Shane Supple saved his angled effort.
Hunt was back in the thick of the action on 18 minutes when the striker took possession of Paul Keegan pass on the right side of the area but Shane Supple came off his line to deny the Blues assistant manager.
Bohemians took the lead from a left-wing corner kick on 31 minutes when Matt Connor produce a top save to tip a Dinny Corcoran effort around the posts but there was no denying the visiting striker from the resulting corner as he headed Kevin Deveaney’s near post corner to the roof of the net.
The Blues could have leveled the tie within minutes when Dessie Hutchinson sent in a corner kick from the left that broke to Gavan Holohan but he volloyed a right-footed shot inches over Shane Supple’s crossbar.
It took another piece of Bastien Héry magic that yielded the equalising goal on 64 minutes when referee Anthony Buttimer played a superb advantage after a foul on Noe Baba. Héry took things into his own hands from the loose ball to cut in from the right before drilling a shot past keeper Shane Supple.
Waterford looked as if they would go onto take all three points from this tie as Rory Feely did well on the left side but his curling effort was saved before Izzy Akinade flashed a 20-yard shot across the face of goal.
Shane Supple produced a quite stunning save two minutes from time when Rory Feely cracked in a shot on the run from 25-yards that took a deflection and from the resulting Paul Keegan corner kick, Supple tipped Izzy Akinade’s free header over the bar.
WATERFORD FC: Connor: Baba, Webster, Browne, Barnett; Keegan, Héry, Holohan (O’Halloran ’83), Hutchinson (Puri ’74), Akinade, Hunt (Feely ’48)
BOHEMIAN FC: Supple, Pender, Leahy, Casey (Byrne ’46), Cornwell, Corcoran, Ward (Kavanagh ’74), Devaney, Brennan, Buckley, Lunney
Referee: Anthony Buttimer (Cork)
