CASSIDY SHOOTS DOMINANT DUNDALK CLEAR
 
Star man David Cassidy volleyed Dundalk three points clear at the summit of the eircom League of Ireland First Division table on Thursday night, as a dominant second-half performance from the Lilywhites saw them defeat title rivals Waterford United 1-0 at Oriel Park. Following an opening period where both sides cancelled each other out, it was the hosts who took over after the interval, and they made their possession pay as Cassidy netted the winner shortly after the hour-mark.
 
In a tame first-half where the teams sized each other up, Waterford created slightly the better of the chances, although neither ‘keeper was overly troubled by what the front lines could throw at them. Following the resumption, it was totally different, however, as Dundalk went in search of blood. They should have got it on the hour as Trevor Vaughan missed a free header from close range, although they didn’t have to wait long for the deadlock breaker as Cassidy fired the only goal of the game with a superlative finish moments later.
 
Last week’s disappointing performance away to Sporting Fingal at the Morton Stadium resulted in manager John Gill making three changes to the starting eleven. Goalkeeper Chris Bennion returned from suspension, while captain Aidan Lynch and playmaker David Cassidy both came back into the side following injury. Missing out were Aaron Shanahan, Shane Grimes and Paul Marney, with Paul Smyth in the stands this time around after sitting on the bench last week. Waterford, meanwhile, recalled Vinny Sullivan after a ban, although the returning John Hayes only took his place as a substitute.
 
A quiet opening to the match saw little in the way of scoring opportunities. Willie John Kiely found himself in behind the Dundalk backline on ten minutes, however, he shot wildly over from a good position. Midway through the half, the Lilywhites created their first chance, as Packie Holden palmed a David Crawley corner down to Paul Crowley, whose goal-bound shot was well blocked away by the visiting defence.
 
An uninspiring period of football suggested a mistake would lead to the opening goal, and it almost did on the half-hour. Cassidy lost the ball in attack, with Waterford breaking quickly. The fast Blues move ended with Kiely knocking the ball into the path of Sullivan, whose weak header from just inside the area gave Bennion little to worry about. Dundalk attacked once more following that as Trevor Vaughan, Jamie Duffy and Robbie Martin linked extremely well, with Vaughan seeing his drilled shot rebounding off a Waterford defender and away to safety.
 
Then, on 35 minutes, came the clearest opening of the first-half. Kiely beat his man to the ball and forced the stranded Bennion, who had come in anticipation of a headed back-pass, into a good save, as the Scot stretched full length to push the ball into the air. It was an intervention which took enough pace off the ball to prevent a goal, as centre-half Ian Ryan got back to clear behind for a corner. Ryan himself then could have given the Lilywhites a lead moments before half-time, however, he headed a Crawley free-kick well over.
 
At the break, Gill was forced into a change in attack, as striker Martin, clearly suffering from an ankle injury picked up early on in the game, was replaced by local youngster Tiarnàn Mulvenna. That substitution injected new life into Dundalk, as the Lilywhites seemed intent on drawing blood. A series of attacks were well defended by a Waterford side who appeared happy with their point, before Vaughan should have put the hosts in front on 60 minutes. Duffy raced down the right flank and his deflected cross arrived perfectly for the 34-year-old, who failed to make sufficient contact with the ball from close-range.
 
Dundalk didn’t have to wait long to net the opener, however, as they created and executed a goal to remember just minutes later. A quickly taken Crawley free-kick found Davie O’Connor on the left wing, with the 23-year-old crossing for his ex-Shamrock Rovers team-mate Cassidy to volley home with a stunning strike. It was no more than the Lilywhites deserved, and they could have doubled their advantage within seconds as Mulvenna shot over from 25-yards.
 
As the pressure continued to grow, Crawley’s well placed shot was gathered by Holden after a cleverly taken corner kick gave Dundalk the chance to shoot, before Mulvenna almost got through on goal, only to lose his footing as the ball ran free. On 71 minutes, however, Gill’s men were nearly hit with a sucker punch, as Waterford raided down the right in a rare attack. Sub Joe Mulcahy put the Dundalk defence on the back foot, and his wicked cross almost crept in at the far post, with the home side relieved to see the ball fly inches wide.
 
Despite that scare, Dundalk were not content to sit on their lead, and they pinned Waterford back for the remainder of normal time. With five minutes of injury-time indicated by the fourth official, however, the Lilywhites soaked up whatever the Blues could throw at them, which proved to be very little. Indeed, it was the hosts who should have scored a second, as Mulvenna saw a clear sight of goal in the 95th minute, however, his shot was pushed away by Holden in the Waterford goal.
 
dundalkfc.com Man of the Match: David Cassidy (Dundalk)…The 22-year-old, who was the Matchday Magazine’s Cover Star, made it a memorable night all-round as he shot Dundalk three points clear at the top of the table with the only goal of the game, before deservedly being rewarded with the ‘Man of the Match’ award. Cassidy has been simply superb since signing from Shamrock Rovers in December, with his power packed displays an absolute joy to watch. His energy, passing range, quality in all areas of the pitch and his endless running as he covers every blade of grass in each game sets him aside as the club’s key man, and on his first start in almost three weeks, he was again magnificent. He capped a classy performance with a stunning finish on 63 minutes, and a return for David to full fitness will be key to Dundalk continuing their good start. Outstanding performance.