Supersub Sam Glenfield strikes late to break Bray hearts and keep Waterford in Premier Division

The Co. Wicklow club died in their boots at a packed Tolka Park on Friday night before eventually succumbing to a 1-2 defeat.

Conor Knight had actually given the Seagulls the perfect start with a goal after eight minutes and the large travelling support dared to dream.

Waterford would level on 30 minutes through Conan Noonan and super-sub Samuel Glenfield earned hero status in Waterford with a 75th minute winner.

The crowd from Co. Wicklow exploded in the eighth minute. Max Murphy flung a cross-field arrow from left to right. Conor Knight tried to control but Kyle White stripped him of it. The defender then played it off Knight and suddenly he was through on goal. He kept his head to drill low into the far corner. Cue the noise. Cue the Waterford onslaught.

The Munster mean broke through on 16 minutes and Olujimi Olayinka was dancing in the penalty area. He was tackled but it broke to Padraig Amond who teed up Noonan. His should may well have been about to bulge the net but we’ll never know as Harvey Warren managed to get his head to it inside the six-yard box. There were big high-fives all around in the defence.

It seemed inevitable that it would be backs to the wall for the remainder for Bray but they thought they were two to the good on 18 minutes. Kilian Cantwell hooked one around the corner and it dropped in behind perfectly for Cian Curtis. He perfectly lifted it over the advanced Stephen McMullan but his ecstasy was cut short by a linesperson’s flag.

Waterford returned to piling on the pressure after that. White’s left-wing cross found the head of Thomas Lonergan but the Jimmy Corcoran plucked it from under the crossbar and secured it at the second attempt.

Bray were now performing heroics to keep Waterford at bay. Alain Kizenga cleared a Waterford corner but it was returned to the penalty area and nodded down to Amond six yards out. The Golden Boot winner’s eyes must have lit up but a trio of Bray bodies threw themselves at his volley and managed to block.

On the half hour mark, the dam broke its walls. Noonan played a short corner to Dean McMenamy and his clever back-heel return caught Bray on their heels. Noonan did not waste the space and time he’d been afforded as he brilliantly drilled across the face of goal into the far corner.

Wanderers would have another sniff at goal before the break. The rapidly-improving Kizenga found himself in a bit of space in the final third and his clever reverse pass slipped in Curtis. He took aim and let rip but it was too close to McMullan who grasped it gratefully.

Waterford had a huge opportunity to hit the front in stoppage time. A long-throw was flicked on and then set-back to Olayinka just beyond the penalty spot. He fired it towards the corner but Warren again made a herculean block.

There was almost an instant second half lead for the Blues. Longergan’s wicked low cross dribbled across Corcoran’s goal and was eventually met at the back post by Noonan but Kizenga made a miraculous intervention to turn it behind.

A loose Warerford pass was seized upon by Cian Curtis in the 53rd minute and he skipped along the left flank. His cross was so nearly met by Rhys Bartley and then Justin Ferizaj charged onto it from deep but two Waterford defenders slid in to snuff out the threat.

The noise levels in the away increased again just before the hour mark as Billy O’Neill was introduced at the expense of goalscorer Conor Knight.

O’Neill didn’t wait long to make his presence felt. A powerful run forward was ended illegally by Kyle White which earned him a booking. From the free, O’Neill curled goalwards and McMullan had to scramble across his line to keep it out.

Waterford found the crucial goal in the 74th minute. Ryan Burke moved the ball to Samuel Glenfield and he managed to break through challenges from Brennan and Doyle before spanking a low effort into the same corner that Knight had found in the first half.

There was almost a stunning leveller within four minutes but McMullan pulled off a stunning save to turn away Justin Ferizaj’s 20-yard strike and Bray were unable to muster any late heroics.

The clash would end on a sour note as Harvey Warren (Bray) and Navajo Bakboord (Waterford) were dismissed in the 93rd minute.

Bray Wanderers: Jimmy Corcoran; Alain Kizenga, Kilian Cantwell, Harvey Warren, Max Murphy; Rhys Bartlety, Cian Doyle; Conor Knight, Sean Brennan, Justin Ferizaj; Cian Curtis.

SUBS: Billy O’Neill for C. Knight (57); Rhys Knight for Bartley (75); Richard Ferizaj for Kizenga (84); Guillermo Almirall for Brennan (84).

Waterford: Stephen McMullan; Grant Horton, Daragh Leahy, Ryan Burke; Matthew Smith, Dean McMenamy, Olujimi James Ayodele Olayinka, Kyle White; Conan Noonan; Thomas Lonergan, Padraig Amond.

SUBS: Samuel Glenfield for McMenamy (60); Navajo Marcelino Bakboord for Smith (76); Muhammadu Faal for Lonergan (85).

Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan.