Sligo Rovers were narrowly beaten on the opening night of the new Premier Division season as Waterford came away from the Showgrounds with all three points.
A frustrating start from the Bit O’Red allowed the Blues take a two goal lead at half-time courtesy of Rowan McDonald and Tommy Lonergan.
Owen Elding’s first goal for the club gave Rovers some hope but a Cian Kavanagh penalty miss and Conan Noonan’s eventual winner moments later decided this game. Jad Hakiki did net a late goal for Rovers who were by far the better side in the second period.
There were positives for Rovers including a handful of debuts and a real battling second half showing. There was a also a first game as club captain for AbbVie academy graduate John Mahon.
Restricted mostly to efforts from range, Rovers manufactured the opening chance through Elding whose shot was easily held by Waterford net minder Stephen McMullan.
The visitors hit the lead on 13 minutes when McDonald sent a well struck curler around the reach of Sam Sargeant on his Rovers debut.
The Munster side then doubled their advantage in the 33rd minute.
A move straight from the set-piece playbook, Noonan’s free-kick from the left was headed back across the face of goal by McDonald. Lonergan leaping highest to finish past Sargeant for a goal on his debut.
Desperately requiring some sort of reprieve, Elding gave an improved Rovers that much needed shot in the arm when he halved the deficit five minutes into the second period. Will Fitzgerald forced his way inside the area before squaring for the teenager who fired home for his first senior goal.
A crazy few minutes saw Rovers then miss a penalty before Waterford had their third despite Rovers being well on top.
McMullen pulled off a magnificent save to deny Cian Kavanagh from 12 yards after Fitzgerald was fouled inside the area. While on the counter, Padraig Amond supplied Noonan who calmly slotted the ball beyond Sargeant with 59 minutes gone.
Rovers threw it all at their opponents and ended the game with five times as many shots on goal as their rivals only for John Russell’s men to find McMullan in fine form.
Debutant Hakiki had offered Sligo some hope on 82 minutes when his thunderous drive from the angle clipped the crossbar on its way past a stunned McMullan.
The Sligo siege was rebuked on several occasions, resulting in Ryan Burke taking an Elding bullet off his own line after Fitzgerald had hit the crossbar on the approach.
Sligo Rovers: Sam Sargeant; Oskar Van Hattum, Ollie Denham, John Mahon, Reece Hutchinson; Conor Malley (Jake Doyle-Hayes 87), Matty Wolfe (Francely Lomboto 65); Owen Elding, Jad Hakiki, Will Fitzgerald; Cian Kavanagh.
Waterford: Stephen McMullan; Andy Boyle, Grant Horton, Kacper Radkowski; Navajo Bakboord (Darragh Leahy 72), Ryan Burke; Rowan McDonald (Dean McMenamy 53), Ben McCormack, Conan Noonan (Maarten Pouwels 83); Tommy Lonergan (Kyle White 83), Padraig Amond.
Referee: Damien MacGraith.
Attendance: 3,612.
David Goulden