St Patrick's Athletic’s title ambitions took another blow as they were held by an impressive Waterford at Richmond Park to cap a very damaging week for the hosts.
A sensational first half brace from 17-year-old Mason Melia looked to have rescued three points for the Saints who fell behind to Tommy Lonergan’s second minute strike before Conan Noonan equalised with ten minutes remaining.
Stephen Kenny’s side are now nine points adrift of current runaway leaders Shamrock Rovers while Waterford have lost just once in six outings.
It took the visitors just 73 seconds to open the scoring and it came through former Saint Lonergan. A hopeful clip forward by Noonan wasn’t dealt with by Sean Hoare and after a mini scramble, Lonergan finished smartly from close range.
It should have been two for the men from the southeast but the unmarked Rowan McDonald headed Noonan’s corner into the ground and over from six yards in the seventh minute.
Joseph Anang kept his side in the game as he produced a stunning finger tip save to deny Noonan’s acrobatics.
Big moments can turn games and when Melia beat Darragh Leahy to pounce on Joe Redmond’s shot he finished emphatically to drag his side off of their deathbed and back to life with a fifth goal of the season after 28 minutes.
If Melia’s first was about instinct then his second four minutes later was a piece of individual brilliance.
A long clearance from Redmond was misjudged by Olujimi Olayinka on the halfway line and Melia hunted him down, left the midfielder in his wake and burst through to score and turn the game around for the hosts.
St Pat’s, who were not at the races for half an hour, suddenly led at the break, their title ambitions resting on the shoulders of a seventeen-year-old sensation.
The Saints were much livelier at the start of the second half and Mulraney clipped the post with a free kick just after the restart.
Waterford continued to be a threat from set plays with Noonan’s corners causing havoc in the Pats defence, as Lonergan’s header tested Anang.
The tenacious Barry Baggley had one of his best games for Pats against his former side and he teed up Simon Power who curled a shot narrowly wide after the hour.
Now without a clean sheet in five games, Pats’ porous defence gave up chances from Noonan’s deliveries, this time an outswinging free kick was glanced wide by Amond.
Noonan proved a menace with both feet and Richmond Park gasped when Sean Hoare flicked his corner against his own post in the 73rd minute.
Noonan got the goal his performance deserved with ten minutes to go and also did his parent club, Shamrock Rovers, a favour.
Substitute Jesse Dempsey had a shot blocked and the ball broke to Noonan who fired home to secure his side a point.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Joseph Anang, Sean Hoare, Joe Redmond, Zach Elbouzedi, Chris Forrester (McLaughlin 57), Mason Melia (Keena 76), Kian Leavy (McClelland 74), Barry Baggley, Jake Mulraney (Power 57), Carl Sjoberg
Waterford: Stephen McMullan, Ryan Burke, Grant Horton, Rowan McDonald, Olujimi Olayinka, Padraig Amond, Darragh Leahy, Kyle White (Dempsey 64), Tommy Lonergan, Sam Glenfield (McMenamy 85), Conan Noonan
