First-half goals from Sam Glenfield and Tommy Lonergan steered Waterford FC to bragging rights over Cork City in their SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division Munster derby clash at a sun-drenched RSC in a game where goalkeeper Stephen McMullan returned to the starting team with a man-of the-match display.
McMullan produced a couple of outstandings saves to keep the bottom side in the division at bay as he denied Kitt Nelson and Cathal O’Sullivan.
Glenfield’s stunner and Lonergan’s super header moved the Blues up to seventh spot in the table.
After Ryan Burke went close with a brilliant header on 13 minutes when heading Conan Noonan’s right-wing corner inches wide, the Blues were celebrating striking the front eight minutes later.
Defender Fiacre Kelleher tried to play a short clearance to Evan McLaughlin, who looked to have been fouled when dispossessed by Glenfield, who arrowed an unstoppable right-footed shot from 20 yards past David Odumosu.
Malik Dijksteel ghosted past three tackles out on the left with considerable ease 60 seconds later only to see his effort trickled inches wide of McMullan’s far post before Lonergan should have had penalty on 34 minutes when replays showed that he was onside when hacked down by keeper Odumosu.
The striker was celebrating doubling the Blues' lead three minutes with a header of quality. Padraig Amond laid the ball back to Grant Horton, who put in a superb ball that saw Lonergan get in an instinctive header that looped over the head of the Cork netminder.
It was the brilliance of keeper McMullan that maintained his side's two-goal cushion with a smashing double save on 44 minutes. He firstly got down low to save a 25-yarder from Nelson before getting the faintest of touches to turn an Evan McLaughlin effort onto the crossbar.
McMullan was the hero on the hour mark for the Blues when Nelson turned provider for O’Sullivan, but his left-footed strike was tipped over the crossbar before Charlie Lutz was also denied by the home stopper after cutting in from the left on 75 minutes as the hosts saw the game out with ease.
Waterford FC: McMullan; Horton, Boyle, Leahy, Burke; White (Dempsey 58), McDonald (McMenamy 83), Glenfield (Olayinka 45); Lonergan, Amond, Noonan (McCormack 83).
Cork City: Odumosu; Crowley, Feely (Murray 76), Kelleher, Kieran; Bolger (Anderson 28), O’Sullivan, Dijksteel, McLaughlin; Nelson, Maguire (Lutz 64).
Referee: Neil Doyle (Dublin).
Attendance: 3,043
