Ten-man Shelbourne dig out draw at impressive Waterford

Waterford and Shelbourne played out an entertaining 1-1 draw at the RSC, with Sean Boyd going from hero to villain for Damien Duff's Reds.

Maleace Asamoah blasted the newly promoted hosts into an early lead in front of over 4,300 supporters, but Boyd came off the bench to nab an equaliser deep into the second half.

Minutes later he got his marching orders following a tangle with Grant Horton.

Keith Long's charges pushed for a dramatic winner but a draw was probably the right outcome in this hard-fought encounter.

A raucous atmosphere greeted the players as they walked out on a misty night at the RSC.

Niall O'Keeffe immediately set the tone for Waterford as he flung himself into a tackle two seconds after tip-off. With less than three minutes on the clock, they were one up.

New signing Asamoah picked up the ball just inside his own half and exhibited incredible pace to surge past JJ Lunney and lash in an effort that nicked off Tyreke Wilson before zipping past Conor Kearns.

It was a dream start for Long's men, who fed off the energy of the crowd to press and harry their opponents incessantly.

A physical battle from the off, Duff was forced into an early change when Shane Griffin hobbled off in the 13th minute to be replaced by Kameron Ledwidge.

Five minutes later, Shels were indebted to Kearns for pulling off a superb save to deny Padraig Amond, who had guided a firm header towards the left corner after a smashing Barry Baggley cross. Kearns displayed remarkable agility to tip the effort around the post.

Asamoah - on loan from Fleetwood Town - gave Shels headaches every time he had grass to run into. Ledwidge picked up a yellow card after sliding in on the 21-year-old English winger, who had galloped beyond him despite the