Waterford FC were fuming in the direction of referee Rob Hennessy at the end of their Premier Division clash with Derry City at the RSC as the Blues slipped into the relegation play-off spot on goal difference with the Candystripes closing the gap on league leaders Shamrock Rovers.
The Blues were left raging with three potential penalty calls that were waved away by the match official, with one of the three, a 69th-minute push from Robbie Benson on Sam Glenfield, the clearest of them all, with replays suggesting that it was a clear foul.
Matt Lawlor’s side started on the front foot and should have struck the front inside six minutes. Padraig Amond did superbly well out on the left to cut into the penalty area before putting the ball on a plate for Tommy Lonergan, but he shot straight at Derry keeper Brian Maher.
The Blues broke the deadlock on 21 minutes when Ryan Burke hooked the ball forward, which saw Amond touch the ball into the path of Tommy Lonergan, and with Derry crying for offside, the flag stayed down, before the striker powered an unstoppable effort past Brian Maher from an acute angle.
For all their dominance, Waterford were pegged back level on 34 minutes when Hayden Cann played the ball down the right channel for Michael Duffy, who nutmegged Ronan Mansfield before squaring for Gavin Whyte to hammer home from close range.
It was a total gift that saw the Brandywell outfit strike the front on 41 minutes. Kacper Radkowski played a backpass straight to Adam O’Reilly, who saw the midfielder slip, Michael Duffy clear on goal, and he drilled a low right-footed shot past the helpless Stephen McMullan.
Padraig Amond nearly brought the sides level just two minutes later when the striker met a right-wing Noonan delivery at the back post, but keeper Maher produced a stunning save to deny the Waterford skipper.
The home side had the first of their trio of penalty calls turned down by referee Hennessy on 69 minutes when it looked as if Sam Glenfield was clearly pushed in the area by Robbie Benson, but the official awarded a free to the visitors, much to the dismay of the home faithful.
Blues captain Padraig Amond was screaming at the Limerick official in the hope of a spot kick on 86 minutes when his goalbound effort seemed to strike the hand of a Derry player, but once again, the referee was unmoved.
There were two chances for the home side to draw level late on. Conan Noonan cracked in a cracking effort from the left that Maher superbly kept out before Kyle White’s goalbound effort deep in injury time struck a Derry defender, but the referee deemed it to have struck the chest of the player.
Waterford FC: McMullan; Horton, Radkowski (Coyle 75), Mansfield, Burke; Olayinka (Glenfield 68), McMenamy (Smith 81), White; Lonergan, Amond, Noonan.
Derry City: Maher; Boyce, Cann, Connolly, Stott, Fleming; Whyte (Frizzell 72), O’Reilly, Winchester (Dummigan 55), Benson; Duffy.
Referee: Rob Hennessy (Limerick)
