Treaty United reach First Division promotion play-offs despite defeat in Waterford

TREATY United have secured their place in the SSE Airtricity League First Division promotion play-off semi-finals despite suffering a 3-0 defeat to Waterford FC in front of an attendance of 2,286 at the RSC on Friday night.

While Treaty fell to their first defeat in six league fixtures, their place in the promotion play-offs was confirmed for a second successive season as their nearest rivals Wexford FC failed to beat newly crowned First Division champions Cork City at Turners Cross.

Fifth-placed Treaty are seven points clear of Wexford and the Ferrycarrig Park side have just two games to go in the regular season

Treaty have one game to go in the league and that final regular season outing will be a meeting with Wexford in two weeks' time at the Markets Field. Before that manager Tommy Barrett and his charges will face Derry City in a glamour Extra.ie FAI Cup semi-final showdown at the Ryan McBride Brandywell on Sunday week, October 16.

Friday night's reverse to second-placed Waterford was Treaty's first league defeat since the August 19 loss at the hands of Athlone Town.

The result at the RSC, combined with Galway United surprise loss to Athlone Town, increases the chances of Treaty facing Waterford again in their two-leg semi-final play-off in the coming weeks.

Waterford come into Friday night's game on the back of a 2-1 win on Monday evening against Longford Town in Bishopsgate and fully deserved to make it five against Treaty.

Treaty United manager Barrett made two changes from the side which drew at home to Galway United seven days earlier.  Callum McNamara came into the starting team for Conor Melody, while Conor Winn returned his goal for his first start since the side's FAI Cup quarter-final win over UCD.

Goals from Junior Quitirna and Raul Uche in the opening half and another from Phoenix Patterson in the second period helped Waterford FC record their 3-0 win over Treaty.

WATERFORD FC: Paul Martin, Darragh Power, Niall O'Keeffe (Yassine En-Neyah 46), Alex Baptiste (Richard Taylor 64), Shane Griffin (Dean Larkin 71), Raul Uche, Junior Quitirna (Remi Thompson 62), Tunmise Sobowale, Roland Idowu, Kilian Cantwell (Capt), Phoenix Patterson (Wassim Aouachria 62).

TREATY UNITED: Conor Winn, Ben O'Riordan, Sean Guerins, Callum McNamara (Joe Collins 81), Marc Ludden, Willie Armshaw (Joel Coustrain 69) (Fionn Doherty 81), Mark Walsh, Lee Devitt, Jack Lynch (Capt) (Matt Keane 67), Stephen Christopher, Enda Curran (Success Edogun 46).

REFEREE: Kevin O’Sullivan