Waterford 3

St Patrick’s Athletic 1

Adrian Flanagan reports from the RSC

A BRACE from Padraig Amond and a brilliant solo effort from Maleace Asamoah saw Waterford record their first home win of the season as St Patrick’s Athletic suffered their third consecutive league defeat.

Early on, Blues goalkeeper Sam Sargeant made a fine save to deny an angled effort from the right by Ruairi Keating.

Moments later, Marcelo Pitaluga tipped a stinging effort from Maleace Asamoah over the bar, before the hosts went in front on seven minutes.

Barry Baggley played a short corner to Asamoah, whose cross took a huge deflection that saw the ball loop up in the air, and it was Amond who reacted quickest to beat Pitaluga with a fine header.

Amond had chances to increase the lead for the hosts — he was gifted an opportunity by Liverpool loanee Pitaluga, but couldn’t convert and the Saints were level 60 seconds later.

Brandon Kavanagh whipped in a right-wing cross that saw Sargeant fail to clear his lines and the ball broke to Anto Breslin, who was in the right place to stab home from close range.

However, the hosts re-took the lead shortly before half-time. Ryan Burke sent in a left-wing shot that saw Pitaluga and Conor Keeley get in the way of each other, and when the ball broke to Amond, he was on hand to score his fourth goal in three games from six yards.

Asamoah grabbed his second of the season on 70 minutes when the winger dispossessed Kieran Freeman on the halfway line.

The Fleetwood loanee then raced at the Pat’s defence down the wing before powering a left-footed shot past Pitaluga from 14 yards.

Waterford FC:  Sargeant; Power, Radkowski, Horton, Leahy, Burke; McDonald, Baggley, Asamoah (Macadam ’78); Amond, Parsons.

St. Patrick’s Athletic: Pitaluga; Breslin, McLaughlin (Freeman ’10) (Nolan ’84), Keeley (Leavy ’63), Redmond; Forrester (C. Kavanagh ’84), B. Kavanagh (Melia ’63), McClelland, Lennon; Keating, Turner.

Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan (Cork).

Attendance: 3076