Graham Burke rescued a point for Shamrock Rovers from the penalty spot ten minutes from time in a tale of two handballs in their SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division clash with bottom side Waterford FC at the RSC.
The champions were left reeling at referee Alan Patchell when he failed to spot a handball from Jorgen Voilas in the build-up to Padraig Amond’s 70th-minute opener for the hosts, but were awarded a penalty of their own when the Dublin referee judged that Jessie Dempsey had handled a cross from Jake Mulraney.
Burke (below), who replaced Aaron Greene on the hour mark, took responsibility for Stephen Bradley’s side from 12 yards, and he beat keeper Arlo Doherty with an expertly taken spot-kick to deny a hard-working home side their first win of the season.
After debutant Blues keeper Doherty denied Matt Healy when he cracked in a shot from 25 yards on six minutes, it was Amond, who had a chance at the other end seconds later, but his tricky backheel was also saved.
Danny Grant blazed over the Waterford crossbar four minutes later before Jack Byrne took a pass from Conor Malley nine minutes later, before letting fly from distance, but his right-footed effort just cleared Doherty’s crossbar.
The crossbar denied Rovers the breakthrough goal with 28 minutes on the clock.
Byrne swung over a super left-wing corner to the back post that found the head of Enda Stevens, but his close-range header was somehow headed onto his own crossbar by Evan McLaughlin at the expense of another corner kick.
It was a point apiece for Waterford and Rovers
Byrne thought that he had put the visitors in front deep into first-half injury-time when his left-wing corner-kick ended up in the back of the net, but referee Alan Patchell spotted a foul in the area with a quick replay suggesting a push by Tunmise Sobowale on a Blues defender.
Waterford took the lead with a large slice of luck on 70 minutes.
Former Rovers player Conan Noonan played the ball forward for Voilas, who seemed to use his hand before crossing for Amond to finish, but the officials were unmoved, and the goal was awarded to delight for the home faithful.
Doherty made a stunning save to keep his side level on 73 minutes when Healy picked out Byrne with a neat pass, but his stunning effort was tipped over the crossbar in what a piece of goalkeeping brilliance.
Rovers drew level from the penalty spot ten minutes from time when defender Jesse Dempsey was judged to have handled Mulraney’s right-wing that saw the referee point for a spot-kick, and Burke dispatched it with ease past a helpless Doherty.
Waterford FC: Doherty; Zborowski, Mahon, Long (Cann 64), Dempsey; Faria (Voilas 64), McMenamy, McLaughlin (Heeney 64), Coyle (Carty 76); Amond, C.Noonan (Mansfield 90).
Shamrock Rovers: McGinty; Sobowale, Lopes, Stevens (O’Sullivan 76), Malley (Razi 76); Healy, Byrne, Asamoah (Mulraney 60); Greene (Burke 60), Grant, McGovern (M Noonan 60).
Referee: Alan Patchell (Dublin).
Attendance: 2,616